The Blue Pacific Big Ocean States (BPBOS) Labour Platform plays a crucial role in unifying the Pacific region on labor and employment matters, as well as aligning with International Labour Organization (ILO) agendas. Established in 2019 during a meeting of ILO Pacific member states’ Labour Ministers in Papua New Guinea, Fiji was the first nation elected to chair the BPBOS and currently maintains the chairmanship through Agni Deo Singh, the Minister for Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations. The Cook Islands government serves as the Secretariat.
Minister Singh emphasized that the platform is vital for Pacific Islands to amplify their voices and concerns at the International Labour Conference and within the Asia Pacific Group. He noted the Labour Ministers’ emphasis during the last Pacific Tripartite High-Level Forum in 2019 on the necessity of a unified perspective from the Pacific, particularly regarding decent work, labor issues, and climate change.
To further advance the BPBOS Labour Platform, a two-day meeting took place on August 26-27, 2024, in Auckland, New Zealand, where participants reviewed the draft Terms of Reference for the Labour Ministers’ Platform. The meeting was deemed successful, culminating in the completion of the review process.
Minister Singh expressed gratitude for the commitment and contributions of the Cook Islands government, represented at the meeting by Anne Herman, Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Miriama Herman, Social Impact Fund Officer. He also thanked the ILO Office for the Pacific Island countries for funding the meeting and their ongoing support for the ILO Pacific Islands member states in promoting social justice.
Singh was joined by the Deputy Secretary for Employment, Atish Kumar, and Senior Ministerial Liaison Officer, Elina Vuniwa, with robust support from the Fiji High Commission and Fiji’s Trade Office in New Zealand.