JAKARTA (ILO News): To tackle the prospect of a prolonged global increase in unemployment, poverty and inequality and the continuing collapse of enterprises, the International Labour Organization (ILO), in collaboration with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), will organize a three-day expert conference on strategies for local employment recovery, skills development and social protection in Asia”, from 1 – 3 December 2009, at Santika Hotel, Malang, East Java, Indonesia.

The Conference titled “Routes out of the crisis - strategies for local employment recovery, skills development & social protection in Asia” brings together international, national and provincial level policy makers, employment and training services as well as practitioners from 15 countries worldwide to share experiences and develop effective ways to connect policy approaches on employment and skills development with local economic development. The Conference also highlights emerging good practices and challenges and facilitates the adaptation of local policy responses to the global economic crisis.

Local government and stakeholders in Malang are also actively involved in the conference by introducing on-going local economic development initiatives undertaken since 2008. Participants will join the opening of the “bromo Semeru Tengger Festival” in the sub district of Poncokusumo on 2 December, which aims to display local produce and offer an opportunity for local communities to promote their region and its tourism facilities. It is hoped the week-long festival will help develop synergies for trade and inward investment in agribusiness and tourism.

At the end of the Conference, the participants are expected to develop a set of documented cases of local policy responses and a set of key recommendations to national and local policy markers. The recommendations are going to be used as inputs to the bi-annual ILO Asian Regional Meeting of Labour Ministries, Employers’ and Workers’ Organizations in 2010 and will be reported on the 56th session of the OECD LEED Directing Committee in 2010.

Furthermore, they will be used to feed the development of Employment and Skills Strategies in South East Asia (ESSSA) initiative in providing further work orientations and will also be used in further ILO support to national and local response strategies in Asia.

Around 80 participants from 15 countries will attend the Conference. The participating countries, among others, include Pakistan, Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Philippines, Australia and Indonesia.

For further information please contact:

Matthieu Cognac
Chief Technical Adviser of ILO’s Job Opportunities for Youth (JOY) Project
Tel. +6221 3913112
Email

Janti Gunawan
Local Project Officer
Tel. +6231 5356363
Mobile: +62819 3846 8795
Email

Gita Lingga
Media Officer
Tel. +6221 3913112 ext. 115
Mobile: +628158845833
Email