E-031/00
February 22, 2000

 

OAS HOSTS LABOR MINISTERS MEETING THIS WEEK

 

The hemisphere's ministers of labor will meet at the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington on February 24 and 25 to review decisions adopted at their Eleventh Inter-American Conference, held in Viña del Mar, Chile, in October 1998.

OAS Secretary General César Gaviria will inaugurate the meeting, and Conference Chairman, Germán Molina will deliver a progress report on the implementation of the Viña del Mar Action Plan.

The preliminary agenda includes five topics: reports from the working groups created by the Eleventh Conference; progress to date in implementing the Action Plan (and ministerial discussion); proposed labor policy areas for technical cooperation programs; the Summit of the Americas in Quebec, Canada; and the venue for the Twelfth Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor.

The Action Plan is based on principles and guidelines from the Second Summit of the Americas, as they pertain to state modernization and labor administration. The Viña del Mar Plan prescribes certain courses of action to support the modernization of labor ministries in light of the social and labor implications of economic globalization.

At their Washington meeting, the labor ministers will also review the progress made by the two working groups since they met in Peru and Costa, respectively, late last year.

 

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