Bangladesh Leads Covid Response Committee in ILC

The Covid Response Committee of the 109th International Labour Conference has adopted a resolution concerning a global call to action for a human-centred recovery from the Covid-19 crisis, with an urge for an inclusive, sustainable and resilient recovery from the impacts of the pandemic.

The global call to action was adopted on Thursday after an intense negotiation in the Committee of the International Labour Conference (ILC) led by Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh in Geneva Md Mustafizur Rahman.

The foreign ministry revealed the information in a press release on Thursday.

The resolution calls for ensuring access to vaccines and personal protective equipment for workers, particularly to reduce the health risk of the health workers as well as salaries and allowances of all workers during the pandemic.

It strongly appeals for timely, affordable and equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines for all people in all countries for the revitalisation of the global economy and the world of work, reads the release, adding that it also urges the International Labour Organization (ILO) to play a more effective role for accelerating the support to States to address the increasing inequality between developed and developing countries.

The adopted resolution emphasised the expansion of the social safety net for recovery from the pandemic with a special focus on women, older persons and migrants. At the same time, it underscored the need for a gender-balanced, sustainable and people-centred post-pandemic recovery plan, said the press release.

Bangladesh also led the Asia and Pacific Group in the negotiation as the coordinator and stressed the need for addressing the specific challenges of the region.