Permanent Secretary of Labour Mr. Suthi Sukosol and committee joined the 337th session of the Governing Body at the International Labour Organization Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on November 5, 2019. The Permanent Secretary made a statement on behalf of ASEAN Parties on “monitoring the resolution to eliminate violence and harassment in the working world.” The ASEAN parties requested that the ILO prioritize support for the Member States in the implementation of these instruments, based on differences in various countries, and reiterated that the 35th ASEAN Summit, hosted by the Thai government, has successfully ended. Furthermore, ASEAN parties have considered the elimination of violence and harassment in the working world. In 2016, the parties agreed to issue the Vientiane Declaration on the transition from informal employment to formal employment, which has principles to eliminate all forms of violence and abuse.
From there, Permanent Secretary of Labour Mr. Suthi Sukosol issued a statement on behalf of Thailand entitled the “mid-term report on the implementation of a valuable work action plan in the global production chain,” which demonstrates Thailand’s position on a continuous awareness of the global supply chain that affects the economic prosperity and national employment. The report outlines Thailand’s progress that the government, in collaboration with relevant network partners, announced the implementation of the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights Phase 1 (2019-2022) and shared its experiences, in which the Ministry of Labour has encouraged businesses to apply the Thai Labour Standards (TLS) voluntarily. The report covers the cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO) on establishing Good Labour Practices (GLP) to encourage employers to treat workers fairly, which ultimately leads to valuable work. Also, Thailand is currently working on a sustainable supply chain development project in Asia with the ILO, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the European Union. It will study this project in the automotive and agricultural industries. On the same day, the Permanent Secretary of Labour also attended the meeting of government groups in the Asia and Pacific region.
The Permanent Secretary of Labour’s attendance at the Governing Body session follows Thailand’s international obligations as a regular member of the Council. It further promotes Thailand on the global stage as an ASEAN chairman, including countries that have administrative roles and have the authority to set policies, the direction of work for the organizations, pushing for issues of national interest as well as supporting the promotion of Thai image to the global community.
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