Japan’s support for ILO development cooperation: Japanese Government

Support for Asia and the Pacific

a. ILO/Japan Multi-bilateral Programs

The Asian Regional Women Labour Administration Seminar took place in Tokyo in 1974, and female labour administrators from 16 Asian countries participated in the seminar. With this seminar as the start, the Japanese government has implemented the ILO with various types of cooperation in the field of labour (such as employment, labour and management, occupational health and safety, women and children, and human resources development) by providing voluntary contributions. During the dawning of these initiatives from 1977 to 1986, one to two-year projects were implemented in Japan mainly in the field of occupational health and safety and labour standards. And after 1987, the Japanese government began to invest in regional projects, and its cooperation programs were remarkably expanded and enriched in content. These development cooperation activities, which are called the “ILO/Japan Multi-bilateral Programs,” contribute to the solution of various problems in the field of labour in the Asia and Pacific region.

For the projects carried out as part of the ILO/Japan Multi-bilateral Programs funded by the Ministry of the Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan, please see HERE.

Current projects (2020-) :
  1. Industry Skills for Inclusive Growth Phase 2 (InSIGHT-2)
  2. Towards Fair and Sustainable Global Supply Chains: Promoting Decent Work for Invisible Workers in South Asia
  3. Enhancing Occupational Safety and Health Standards in Construction Sector in Cambodia, Safety + Health for All Workers in Myanmar
  4. Achieving Reduction of Child Labour in Support of Education Programme to Reduce the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Agriculture
  5. Creating and Activating Implementing Legal and Institutional Framework, and Strengthening Organizational Capacity for New Industrial Relations Framework in Respect of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (NIRF Programme)
  6. Promoting and building social protection in Asia (3rd phase): Extending social security coverage in ASEAN (ESSA)

b. ILO/ Japan FuFund for Building Social Safety Nets in Asia and the Pacific (SSN Fund)

The SSN Fund, which exceeds four million dollars in total, provides various kinds of support that meet the needs of aid-receiving countries. Examples include enhancing the abilities of government survey and research institutions, which provide the foundation for developing safety nets in the Asian region, and helping their networking; supporting the activities of organizations related to labor relations; evaluating, guiding, and networking private aid organizations; and supporting in recovering from disasters. In November 2013, 500,000 dollars (approximately 50 million yen) were allocated to support the areas affected by Typhoon Haiyan (called Yolanda in the Philippines), which caused tremendous damage to the Philippines.

Support for Africa

c. Youth Employment Opportunities for Refugees and Host Community in Mauritania

The year 2018 witnessed a rapid increase of refugee inflows into Mauritania, due to intensified violence in Mali. Malian new arrivals amounted to more than 5,800 people. The Mbera Refugee Camp, located in the arid southeast department of Bassikounou, now hosts 54,957 Malian refugees (as of 31 January 2019). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan has allocated US$ 1,000,000 from its Supplementary Budget to support the ILO in improving the human security of refugees and host communities by promoting decent work and local economic development with employment-intensive construction works.

Global support

d. Junior Professional Officers (JPO) Programme

One of the international cooperation programs implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JPO is a system to send young Japanese professionals who aspire to work as an international civil servant in the future to international organizations such as ILO and other UN agencies. Expenses for dispatch are borne by the Japanese government, and if they are sent to the ILO, JPOs take charge of duties that suit their field of expertise at the ILO Headquarters and country offices. In principle, the JPO tenure is two years.  Factsheet : Japan-ILO Cooperation

e. Development and implementation of training programs at the International Training Centre (ITC )

Since 2013, the International Training Centre (ITC), located in Turin, Italy, has made the most of Japan’s knowledge and experience of employment and social security policy to develop and implement training programs. The training programs thus developed are contributing to improving employment and social security systems mainly in the Asia and Pacific region.