The meeting addressed progress made on the establishment of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) and the implementation of the ASEAN Labour Ministers’ Work Programme (ALM-WP) for the 2010-2015 period.

It also examined measures to instill in the regional workforce a heightened awareness of the importance of economic competitiveness and concrete measures that need to be undertaken to boost the competiveness of goods and services produced in the region, within the context of realizing the ASEAN Community by December 31, 2015.

Ministers expressed their satisfaction with the progress of implementing the ASCC master plan and ancillary programmes in recent times, noting with great satisfaction the pace of development in the areas of labour market information, corporate social responsibility, labour relations, occupational health and safety, and HIV/AIDS prevention.

They appreciated Vietnam’s effort in organising a mid-term conference to review implementation of programmes in the 2010-2015 period in Da Lat City in April 2014. Its petitions and proposals on prioritised fields lay a firm foundation for labour cooperation in the future.

They agreed to promote intra cooperation and called on member countries to devise strategies and strive to build creative and dynamic labour forces, while supporting businesses in creating better jobs and a more harmonious working environment.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the ministers issued a joint statement, agreeing that Laos will the host the 24th event in 2016.

As acknowledged in the joint statement, the Vietnamese delegation was singled out for its active participation and contributions to debates at the conference, particularly in regards to measures to bolster labour cooperation among member countries and improve the competitive edge of the labour forces.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Chuyen met with the Lao labour minister on cooperative measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation.