Pakistan has ratified three key International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, reinforcing its commitment to strengthening workers’ rights and improving labour protections.
The move aims to enhance evidence-based policymaking and support decent work standards.
The instruments of ratification for the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930, the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006 (as amended), and the Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160) were officially handed over by Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain to ILO Director General Gilbert F. Houngbo in Geneva. The ratification took place during the annual session of the ILO Governing Body.
The Protocol of 2014 strengthens the Forced Labour Convention, which Pakistan ratified in 1957, reinforcing global efforts to combat forced labour, human trafficking, and exploitative labour practices.
By adopting the protocol, Pakistan reaffirms its commitment to eradicating forced labour and aligning with international human rights principles and Sustainable Development Goal 8, which focuses on promoting decent work and economic growth.