Pastor Houlton Faasau,
Honourable Faleomavaega Titimaea Tafua, Minister for Commerce, Industry, and Labour,
Senior Officials of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Labour,
Chief Executive Officers,
Members of the Samoan Tripartite Forum,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps, including our colleagues from the ONE UN Family,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great honour for me to address you this morning at the official signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Samoan Tripartite Forum (Government, Employers, and Workers) on Samoa’s Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 2024-2028.
First and foremost, allow me to express my deepest gratitude for the warm hospitality extended to my delegation since our arrival at the beginning of this week. I wish to particularly recognize and sincerely thank the Rt. Hon. Afioga Fiame Naomi Mataʻafa for the courtesy extended to me and for the honour and privilege of presenting my credentials.
I would also like to extend my appreciation to the Samoa National Tripartite Forum (SNTF) for the opportunity to attend their meeting and witness firsthand a strong example of social dialogue in action.
The finalization and signing of the DWCP today serve as a testament to Samoa’s unwavering commitment to our shared vision of advancing social justice and decent work.
As you are aware, by committing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), nations around the world pledged under SDG 8 to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. However, achieving this vision requires deliberate, well-thought-out, and prioritized interventions by governments, in collaboration with social partners.
The signing of the DWCP today demonstrates the high value that the Government, workers, employers, and the people of Samoa place on structured and strategic action towards addressing employment challenges in the country.
Ladies and gentlemen, decent work is central to ensuring that the Sustainable Development Goals remain people centered. This means, among other things, that individuals from all walks of life must have a voice in shaping policy processes.
I can confidently say that the DWCP we are signing today meets this standard in several ways:
1. It has been developed jointly by the Government, workers, and employers under
the guidance of the Samoa National Tripartite Forum.
2. It is aligned with Samoa’s national development framework, the Pathway for the
Development of Samoa, which was formulated through extensive countrywide
consultations and reflects the aspirations of the Samoan people.
For the ILO, the DWCP will be our key programming instrument in Samoa. We are pleased that it clearly identifies the priorities of the Government, workers, and employers in promoting decent work. It also forms part of the ILO’s contribution to the broader UN effort in Samoa towards the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Indeed, the DWCP is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for the Pacific (2023-2027) and the Country Implementation Plan for Samoa, whose review I was privileged to participate in earlier this week.
By signing this MOU, the ILO reaffirms its commitment to working with you in implementing the DWCP 2024-2028, with a focus on the following three priority areas:
1. Promoting decent work at the core of Samoa’s post-COVID economic recovery
and response to climate change through inclusive and resilient economic
growth and employment development.
2. Enhancing workers’ rights and strengthening comprehensive social protection.
3. Improving labour market governance, including strengthening the capacity of
workers’ and employers’ organizations to effectively participate in social
dialogue and influence policy and decision-making processes.
I would also like to take this opportunity to invite our fellow UN agencies and development partners in Samoa to carefully review this DWCP and explore areas of collaboration.
Furthermore, I wish to commend Samoa for its leadership on the global stage in ratifying and domesticating international labour standards. To date, Samoa has ratified 9 out of 10 core ILO conventions, with the most recent being:
1. Convention 187 (Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health),
and
2. Convention 190 (Violence and Harassment in the Workplace).
I sincerely thank the Government, Employers, and Workers’ Associations, particularly the SNTF and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Labour (MCIL), for leading the charge in not only ratifying these conventions but also ensuring their effective implementation through national law and practice.
As the Samoan proverb goes:
“O le tele o lima e mama ai se avega” – Many hands make the load lighter.
I am confident that Samoa will fully achieve the expected outcomes of the DWCP if we work together—pooling our strengths, expertise, and resources. Let us continue fostering strong partnerships to advance decent work, economic resilience, and social justice.
Fa’afetai lava, ma ia manuia!
