JAKARTA, Aug. 16 -- The ASEAN Secretariat organised a two-day High-Level Policy Dialogue on Labour and Environment in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) on August 15-16 to discuss the linkages between trade, environment and labour.
In his opening remark, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Socio-Cultural Community Kung Phoak highlighted that in recent years the world has witnessed the broadening of scope and coverage of FTAs beyond market access. He added that 'there is a growing realisation of the need for ASEAN to be more proactive in looking into its concerns and positions on such issues."
The dialogue underscored the importance of labour and environmental considerations in relation to trade and the potential contribution of trade to their...