ISLAMABAD
Punjab Labour Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar and ILO representatives in Islamabad and Delhi discussed the comprehensive programmes of first South Asian Labour Conference to mark International Labour Day.
During a video conference held at ILO office, Islamabad on Monday, it was announced that the three-day conference will be held from April 24-26, 2014 in Lahore, and would be inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will be the chief guest of the concluding ceremony.
Matters relating to plenary sessions, workgroup, country presentations, ministerial meetings, thematic aspects, side events, Labor Expo and other related agenda items of conference were discussed in detail. Raja Ashfaq Sarwar appreciated the close coordination of ILO, EU and members countries representatives for organizing the international conference on a befitting manner.
He said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had appreciated the initiative for organizing South Asian Labour Conference which will provide a common platform to all the stakeholders to deliberate their expert opinion about this important subject.
Time Staermose said that a final draft of the programmes of conference will be finalized within one week which would be circulated for further improvements.
It was discussed on the occasion that country papers of all the participating countries would be presented by the delegates; as the Secretary Labour Punjab, Muhammad Yousaf informed that Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan has confirmed their participation in the conference. All the Chief Ministers of the Provinces of Pakistan including AJK, Gilgit Baltistan would have also been invited to participate in the conference.
It was informed that a pre-conference session was held at Lahore which was participated 500 people representing various organizations.
