Vietnam attends regional forum on economic crisis

Hanoi (VNA) - Representatives from Vietnam and more than ten other regional
countries are currently discussing the current global economic crisis, as well as
policies to maintain economic growth and employment rates at a forum in Manila ,
the Philippines , from Feb. 18-20.

The Vietnamese delegation consists of officials from the Ministry of Labour,
Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam 's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the
Vietnam General Confederation of Labour, and the Ministry of Finance.

Sachiko Yamamoto, director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)'s
Asia-Pacific region, said that regional countries should urgently monitor the
effect the current crisis is having on the region's workforce and that, for
policies to be effective, job creation and protection should be at the forefront
of every national plan.

The Director of ILO Vietnam, Rie Vejs-Kjeldgaard, suggested that social partners,
labour organisations and employers should all be fully engaged in the
policy-making process.

The forum was organised by the ILO, in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank
and the Department of Labour and Employment of the Philippines.-Enditem