Thank you, Chair!

Distinguished delegates of the resumed 109th session of ILC,

1. I am speaking on behalf of ASPAG. ASPAG would like to commend the Office for preparing the report and the suggested points for discussion on skills and lifelong learning.

2. Given the challenges and opportunities in a changing world of work which is further impacted by COVID-19 pandemic, we believe skills development and lifelong learning should play an indispensable role in following up the Centenary Declaration and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through investing in human capacities and the institutions of work to shape a fair, inclusive and secure future of work with full, productive and freely chosen employment and decent work for all. Meanwhile, skills development and lifelong learning could also act as a key enabler to achieve human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. 

3. ASPAG strongly supports ILO to play a leading and coordinating role in this area by taking full advantage of its normative function, tripartite structure and unique expertise while strengthening its partnerships with all stakeholders including the UN Development System, international financial institutions, regional organizations and development partners. We are glad to see the progress achieved by ILO to support constituents in this regard by means of knowledge sharing activities, technical advice, capacity building and development cooperation programs. In particular, we noted with satisfaction that a dedicated outcome was developed under the framework of Program & Budget in line with the Centenary Declaration and the ILO’s Strategic Plan for 2022-25.     

4. Chair! Standing at this crucial juncture, ASPAG would like to renew its commitment to engage with all the delegates of ILC and contribute to this pivotal discussion with the purpose of developing a comprehensive and strategic vision on skills and lifelong learning for a human-centred post-crisis recovery and beyond based on tripartite consensus and ensuring the impactful delivery by the ILO for years to come. Moreover, we also hope the ILC could harness the opportunity of this general discussion to complement and enrich the standard-setting discussion on apprenticeships and the third recurrent discussion on employment in the near future.

I thank you, Chair!