The Blue Pacific Big Ocean States (BPBOS) Labour Platform plays a pivotal role in unifying the Pacific region on labor and employment matters, as well as International Labour Organization (ILO) agendas. Established in 2019, this initiative was launched by ILO member states in the Pacific under the guidance of Labour Ministers in Papua New Guinea.
Fiji was elected as the inaugural chair of the BPBOS labour platform during that initial meeting and continues to hold this position through its Minister for Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations. The Cook Islands government currently serves as the Secretariat for the platform.
Agni Deo Singh, Fiji’s Minister for Employment, Productivity and Workplace Relations and current chair of the BPBOS, emphasized the significance of this platform for enhancing the voice and visibility of the Pacific region at the International Labour Conference and within the Asia Pacific Group. He noted the Labour Ministers’ discussions at the last Pacific Tripartite High-Level Forum in 2019, which underscored the necessity of a unified voice for the Pacific on critical issues, including decent work, labor and employment challenges, and climate change.
To further the objectives of the BPBOS labour platform, a successful two-day meeting took place on August 26-27, 2024, in Auckland, New Zealand, where participants reviewed the draft Terms of Reference for the BPBOS Labour Ministers’ Platform.
Minister Singh expressed gratitude towards the Cook Islands government for its dedicated role as the Secretariat, acknowledging the participation of 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 for its ongoing support of the ILO Pacific Islands member states in their pursuit of social justice.
Singh was joined by Atish Kumar, Deputy Secretary for Employment, and Elina Vuniwa, Senior Ministerial Liaison Officer, along with support from the Fiji High Commission and the Fiji Trade Office in New Zealand.