ILO Asia-Pacific Forum Calls for Fair & Resilient Supply Chains, Launches Evidence Hub
SSDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Institutions: Ministry of Labour & Employment
The International Labour Organization (ILO) convened a forum in Bangkok titled "Resilient supply chains and equitable growth in a changing world of work: Advancing Decent Work through regional cooperation in Asia and the Pacific." The event, which included a session on "Emerging trends in supply chains in Asia-Pacific," brought together over 200 participants from 20 countries, including government, employer, and worker representatives.
Discussions underscored that while supply chains are powerful engines of growth, stronger governance, sound policies, and coordinated regional action are needed to ensure they also become engines of decent work, equity, and resilience. The forum emphasized stronger due diligence frameworks, gender-sensitive procurement, social dialogue, and SME capacity-building to ensure fairness across all tiers of supply chains. Participants agreed that supply chains should not only deliver efficiency but also guarantee dignity, protection, and opportunity for workers.
Two important knowledge initiatives were launched:
Three new policy briefs spotlighting evidence on opportunities and challenges for advancing decent work in agriculture, manufacturing, and minerals supply chains, with sector-specific strategies for labour protections.
The Supply Chains Evidence Hub, an online platform consolidating insights from 500+ publications over the past decade, translating complex research into accessible knowledge for policymakers, employers, workers, and development practitioners.
Together, these outcomes highlight a pivot towards evidence-driven, sector-tailored strategies for fairer supply chains in the region.
For India, these commitments signal that future trade competitiveness will depend not only on cost but on verified labour and sustainability standards. The Evidence Hub and sector briefs provide templates India can use to align export-oriented agriculture, textiles, and mineral sectors with international expectations of fairness and resilience.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How can India integrate insights from ILOβs new Evidence Hub and sectoral policy briefs into its labour, MSME, and trade policies to ensure its agricultural, manufacturing, and mineral supply chains meet global decent work standards?
Follow the full news here: https://www.ilo.org/resource/article/transforming-supply-chains-engines-fairness-and-resilience-asia%E2%80%93pacific