AT UN, AUNG SAN SUU KYI APPEALS FOR AID, INVESTMENT TO BOOST DEMOCRACY IN
MYANMAR New York, Jun 14 2012 12:05PM
Highlighting the recent changes in Myanmar, Nobel laureate and pro-democracy
leader Aung San Suu Kyi today invited international aid and investment to
help build a better future for the South-east Asian nation, as she addressed
a United Nations labour forum in Geneva.
“Foreign direct investment that results in job-creation should be invited.
Investors should adhere to codes of best practices. Track records in regards
to internationally recognized labour standards and environmental
responsibility should be examined,” Ms. Suu Kyi told delegates at the annual
added.
In April, Myanmar citizens headed to the polls to vote for representatives
of 48 parliamentary seats, with Ms. Suu Kyi winning a position in the lower
house of parliament. The by-elections were part of a series of democratic
reforms led by President Thein Sein, which began last year.
Ms. Suu Kyi – who was released from nearly two decades of house arrest in
November 2010 – stated that her party, the National League for Democracy,
has repeatedly emphasized the need for rule of law and an end to ethnic
conflict in Myanmar.
“Unless these basic requirements are met, the foundation for healthy social,
political and economic growth cannot be laid down,” she said. “Strong
democratic institutions that will guarantee basic human rights are necessary
to ensure good governance based on transparency, accountability and
enhancement of integrity.”
Highlighting the problem of youth unemployment in her country, she noted
that “it is not so much joblessness as hopelessness that threatens our
future. Unemployed youth lose confidence in the society that has failed to
give them the chance to realize their potential.”
She stressed the need to equip young people with the skills needed to enter
the world of work.
“Vocational training linked to job creation is imperative if we are to
safeguard the future by giving our youth the capacity to handle effectively
that responsibility that will inevitably fall to them one day,” she said.
In her address to the 101st International Labour Conference, Ms. Suu Kyi
also pointed to what she called the years-long association she and the
National League for Democracy have had with the ILO.
“We cooperated to the best of our ability with the ILO and other interested
organizations and individuals over the issue of forced labour and child
soldiers,” she said.
Yesterday, the Conference lifted its restrictions – in place since 1999 due
to concerns over the use of forced labour – on the full participation of
Myanmar in its activities, and decided to review the progress on the
elimination of forced labour in the country next year.
The Government of Myanmar and the ILO have agreed to a joint strategy for
eliminating forced labour in the country. The Government acknowledges the
need for immediate action on this strategy with a view of implementing it
before the target date of 2015.
Following her visit to Geneva, Ms. Suu Kyi will travel to Norway, United
Kingdom, Ireland and France.
Nearly 5,000 government, employer and worker delegates from the ILO’s 183
member states have gathered in Geneva for the Conference, which is focused
on the global jobs crisis and its impact on youth, as well as social
protection and rights at work. It began on 30 May and ends on 15 June.
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