President Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan sees the International Labour Organization as a strategic partner and stressed the need for a more practical and results-oriented partnership, with stronger technical support and resources for implementation at country level.
He said this while talking to Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, who called on him at Aiwan-e-Sadr.
The President said Pakistan attaches high importance to the ILO’s tripartite system and social dialogue. He highlighted the value of the Decent Work Country Programme 2023–27 and called for stronger implementation, particularly in employment, social protection, labour standards and workplace safety.
The President requested support for a comprehensive Pakistan Fair and Safe Labour Migration Framework covering recruitment, skills certification, employer matching, migration costs, contracts, protection abroad and reintegration. He also proposed an ILO-Pakistan partnership, “From Skills to Global Jobs”, to align technical and vocational training with the labour requirements of destination countries and facilitate decent employment opportunities for Pakistani workers.
President Zardari called for ILO facilitation in opening and strengthening labour-migration corridors with the Gulf, Europe, East Asia and other emerging destinations. He also sought ILO support to strengthen Pakistan’s labour-market information system, building on the country’s ratification of ILO Convention No. 160 on Labour Statistics.
The President appreciated the ILO’s work under Mr. Houngbo’s leadership, including the Global Coalition for Social Justice, the adoption of Convention No. 193 on Decent Work in the Platform Economy and efforts to promote fair recruitment and labour migration. He said these initiatives are relevant to Pakistan’s large young workforce and its growing digital and freelance economy.
He also highlighted Pakistan’s ratification of three important ILO instruments in March 2025: the 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention, the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 and ILO Convention No. 160 on Labour Statistics. He invited the ILO to support Pakistan in translating these commitments into effective implementation through technical assistance, institutional strengthening and better labour-market data.
The President said Pakistan is finalising a National Occupational Safety and Health Policy and its implementation framework with ILO support.
The President welcomed the ILO reform initiative aimed at making the organisation more effective while protecting its core mandate and technical expertise. He also stressed the importance of fairness to staff, geographical balance and minimum involuntary layoffs.
Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo appreciated Pakistan’s longstanding cooperation with the ILO and reaffirmed the organisation’s readiness to work with Pakistan on decent work, social justice, labour migration, skills development and occupational safety and health. He also briefed the President on the ILO’s priorities and its ongoing engagement with Pakistan.
The meeting was attended by ILO Senior Advisor Hitomi Nakagome and Director, ILO Country Office for Pakistan Gier Thomas Tonstol.
From the Pakistani side, Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Minister of State for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Mr. Muhammad Awn Chaudhry, Senator Sherry Rehman, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, Former Federal Minister Mr. Naveed Qamar, Federal Secretary Overseas and Human Resource Development Mr. Nadeem Aslam Chaudhary, Acting Foreign Secretary Mr. Nabeel Munir, President Employers Federation of Pakistan Mr. Majyd Aziz, Deputy Member (Workers) and ILO Governing Body Mr. Muhammad Saad were present during the meeting.
