APEC focuses on human resource development

Towards sustainable development

At the meeting, the APEC member countries issued a joint statement with the important objectives towards sustainable socioeconomic development through improving the quality of human resources.

Accordingly, the four priority objectives upon which ministers agreed include: 1) to promote inclusive, sustainable growth to address the social consequences of globalization, including equality issues and needs of vulnerable groups such as youth and the disabled; 2) to enhance the quality of human resources to meet the needs of supply chains; 3) to facilitate labor mobility and skills development; and 4) to enhance the participation of women in the economy.

To realize these objectives, APEC member countries were committed to promoting a safe working environment to minimize occupational diseases through the promotion, ratification and implementation of the International Labor Organization (ILO)’s conventions concerning occupational health and safety, and at the same time strengthen the capability of APEC labor inspection systems as well as other institutional agreements in order to create a safer working environment for employees.

Member countries stressed the importance of the exchange of skills and knowledge and institutional capacity building to support the integration of economies into the global supply chain while strongly supporting training programs and suggesting skills improvement to help employees meet the requirements of industries and employers.

To facilitate labor mobility and promote skills development, related parties have seen the need to continue building a capable, skilled workforce for the APEC.

To enhance the participation of women in the economy, the APEC ministers committed to promoting the empowerment of women in economic matters as a priority of the APEC economies.

Vietnam prioritizes human resource development

According to Minister Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh, Vietnam considers human resource development especially high-quality human resource development a strategic breakthrough for socioeconomic sustainable development towards the country’s industrialization modernization.

Vietnam is implementing economic restructuring so employee skills improvement is increasingly significant. In its general development policy, Vietnam considers human resources most important to build and develop the country. Vietnam will continue to have policies to promote human resources training programs in accordance with integration demands.

Vietnam is in the "golden population" period and this is clearly an opportunity and advantage that Vietnam should promote to improve its national competitiveness. The country’s integration process is moving rapidly towards an ASEAN Community in 2015, a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and a free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU, which will put a higher human resource quality pressure on Vietnam. Vietnam will have to prepare a high quality workforce to take the coming opportunities./.

By Hung Cuong & Nguyen Hoa