In October 2003 the tripartite delegations of the ILO Member States in South East Asia and the Pacific met in Auckland, New Zealand, to discuss their national plans of action for Decent Work. That forum - the first of its kind - provided an opportunity to share lessons and experiences; identify common issues and solutions; and move forward in promoting the Decent Work Agenda across the sub-region.

The outcomes of that forum have given directions and guidance to the work of the ILO and its constituents on the ground. The forum prompted advocacy and greater visibility of ILO issues at the national and sub-regional levels. It stimulated the preparation and update of decent work national action plans and programmes. It prompted new technical cooperation activities. Overall, it led to closer cooperation between the ILO and governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations.

These developments did take place against major threats and disaster that struck countries in the sub-region. The recent tsunami disaster brought death and destruction and affected jobs and livelihood of people in all the countries in the sub-region. New emergencies such SARS, bird flu and the HIV/AIDS pandemic added to long standing deficits in social protection coverage, widespread informal economic activities and high poverty levels. Globalization created opportunities and threats, prompting adjustments in economic and social policies and institutions to grasp the full potential of global markets and mitigate their turbulence. All this entailed new policy challenges for governments, employers’ and workers organizations.

The 2nd Subregional Tripartite Forum is an occasion to review decent work policies and programmes in the light of the changing context. Its objective is to take stock of the lessons learnt, and provide new momentum to cope with emerging challenges.

Decent Work is a development agenda and a programming tool. It provides direction and benchmarks. The discussion at the Forum will address both aspects.

It is hoped that the participants will provide suggestions on how decent work as a programming tool can be best used to make ILO activities more responsive and to enhance their impact.

It is also hoped that the Forum will prompt concrete initiatives to address critical development concerns for the subregion. A few common priority areas where progress could be made right away, will be discussed in detail at the Forum. They relate to the need to articulate the role of the ILO in responding to major crises, the need to strengthen the capabilities of the tripartite partners to cope with the challenges of globalization, the need to leverage workplace initiatives to address the HIV pandemic; and the need to set up national integrated approaches to improve occupational and safety and health across the subregion. It will of course, be up to the participants to identify other issues and suggest new initiatives and new approaches.

This 2nd Forum is organized in response to the desire of the participants to the Auckland meeting to “meet, exchange experiences and consider progress in implementing National Plans of Action for Decent Work, prior to the 14th Asian Regional Meeting” (Conclusion No. 12, Auckland Forum) . The deliberations of the Forum will be a contribution to the 14th ARM that will be held in Busan, Republic of Korea, in October 2005.

Ultimately they will contribute to improve prospects for decent work for all.