The International Labour Organization (ILO) and China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) have renewed their partnership to strengthen skills development, expand social protection, and deepen South–South cooperation, as noted in a joint statement. The agreement follows annual steering meetings held on February 12, 2025, where officials reviewed recent progress and mapped out next steps for 2026 under two joint initiatives.
The partnership has already shown strong results over the past year. Highlights include the adoption of a new Skills Development Law in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the continued growth of the Belt and Road Initiative’s Skills Development Network, and impressive performances by students from Cambodia and Lao PDR at the latest WorldSkills ASEAN competition—supported by Chinese technical institutions.
China has pledged an additional US$1 million to scale up the regional skills program, with Indonesia joining as a new partner country. Plans for the coming year include expanding the popular “Skills for Dream” workshops, strengthening coordination among partner countries, and raising public awareness of the program’s impact in advancing the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda through cooperation among developing nations.
Progress is also clear in the social protection project. With ILO support, Lao PDR launched its first social security mobile app to make benefits easier to access, while a Kenyan delegation visited several Chinese cities to learn from the country’s digital and community-based approaches to extending social coverage. Both efforts aim to bring more informal workers under reliable social security systems.
“The partnership remains at the heart of the ILO’s work to promote decent jobs and social justice,” said Tuomo Poutiainen, Deputy Regional Director of the ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. Leaders from MOHRSS echoed this view, emphasizing that the collaboration demonstrates how South–South cooperation can produce lasting, inclusive results across the region.
