The International Labour Organisation (ILO) could help Bangladesh build a young and skilled workforce, said Chihoko Asada-Miyakawa, regional director for Asia and Pacific for ILO.

The region should prioritise social protection, social dialogue, employment generation, decent work, and ensure basic protection of the workers now, she said on Monday.  

She spoke at an event held at the office of the Bangladesh Employers' Federation (BEF) at Gulshan in Dhaka.

Bangladesh has been actively working to ensure workers' safety, social protection and decent work conditions in the last few decades, she said.

The country has also updated its rules and laws to make those sustainable and practical, Asada-Miyakawa also said.

In his speech, Ardashir Kabir, BEF president, highlighted how BEF and the ILO had been working together in Bangladesh on different issues, including skills development, occupational safety and health, social dialogue, industrial relations and decent work.

Kabir pointed out that Bangladesh's need to prepare its workforce to embrace the fourth industrial revolution.

He hoped the ILO would remain by Bangladesh's side as the country passes through different stages of economic development.

He believed the new regional director's guidance could take the region's as well as Bangladesh's partnership with the ILO to the next level.

ILO Bangladesh Country Director Tuomo Poutiainen and other senior officials from ILO Dhaka office were present at the meeting.