INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION TECHNICAL COOPERATION
Project Implementation Agreement
Between the International Labour Office and the Government of Viet Nam
XB - Symbol: RAS/08/07M/JPN
Title: Effective Implementation of National OSH Programme for Improving Safety and Health at the Workplace in Vietnam
Region: Asia Pacific Region
Funding Agency: Japanese Government
Countries covered: Viet Nam
Lead Unit: ILO Office in Vietnam
Responsible ILO Officials: Tsuyoshi Kawakami (kawakami@ilo.org)
Senior Occupational Safety and Health Specialist, SRO-Bangkok
Collaborating ILO Units/Offices: ILO Hanoi, RO-Bangkok, SRO-Bangkok, SafeWork, TRAVAIL, PROTRAV
Implementing Agencies: Main implementing agency:
- Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA)
Other partner agencies:
- Ministry of Health (MOH)
- World Health Organisation (WHO)
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)
- Vietnam Chambers of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)
- Vietnamese General Confederation of Labour (VGCL)
- Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (VCA)
- Vietnam Farmers’ Union
- Vietnam Women’s Union
- Other relevant agencies and organizations
Target provinces: Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Dong Nai
Budget: 891,156 USD (297,052 USD per year)
National Contribution: 89,000 USD (in kind)
Duration: 3 years (January 2009 – December 2011)
Representative of the MOLISA
Tran Phi Tuoc, ICD Director
MOLISA,Vietnam
Date: 23 February 2009
Representative of the ILO
Rie Vejs Kjeldgaard, Director
ILO Office in Vietnam
Date: 23 February 2009
Witnessed by
Bui Hong Linh, Deputy Minister
Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Vietnam
Taro Muraki, Assistant Minister,
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan
Brief Description
The project aims to establish functioning national systems to improve occupational safety and health (OSH) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the effective implementation of the First National Programme on Labour Protection and Occupational Safety and Occupational Health (National OSH Programme) and the development of the Second National OSH Programme that should start in 2011. The project will also address OSH of informal economy and rural workplaces and large-scale enterprises located in the target provinces in an integrated manner. Inter-ministerial cooperation will be promoted to link the national labour protection system by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) with the community health system by the Ministry of Health (MOH) for the quality OSH service delivery and wider coverage. ILO and WHO will provide concerted technical inputs to support the efforts of Vietnam and develop a good example of the One-UN Policy. ILO’s OSH instruments and tools such as Promotional Framework for OSH Convention, ILO Guidelines on OSH Management Systems (ILO-OSH 2001), and WISE (Work Improvements in Small Enterprises) Programme will be widely applied at both national policy and workplace levels.
1. Background and Justification
1.1 Problem Analysis
Protecting workers from occupational accidents and diseases and promoting safe and healthy work environments are an increasingly important agenda of the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) in Vietnam. The reported occupational accidents have sharply increased from 840 cases in 1995, 3,405 in 2000, and to 6,026 in 2004. The number of occupational fatalities also increased from 264 in 1995, 406 in 2000 to 575 in 2004. These reported cases are mostly from large enterprises. It is believed that more accidents and fatalities have taken place in smaller workplaces without being reported to the government.
There is an acute need to strengthen OSH protection in small enterprises and informal economy workplaces in Vietnam. Many employers and workers in small enterprises in Vietnam are aware that occupational accidents and diseases have an impact not only on the lives of individual workers, but also on the productivity and profitability of their enterprises and ultimately on the welfare of the whole society. However, small enterprises and informal economy workplaces seldom receive practical support to improve OSH and productivity.
Vietnam launched the First National Programme on Labour Protection and Occupational Safety and Occupational Health Up To 2010, in short, the National OSH Programme. It should be noted that extending OSH protection into small enterprises is described as one of the seven priority action areas of the National OSH Programme. The National OSH Programme, referring to the ILO Promotional Framework for OSH Convention (No. 187, 2006), intends to strengthen national OSH systems and provide adequate OSH protection for all workplaces. The seven priority action areas of the national OSH programme are: (1) capacity building of the state administration on labour protection, (2) mining and construction and safe use of electricity, (3) agriculture and rural occupations, (4) small and medium-sized enterprises, (5) prevention of occupational diseases, (6) information, training and public awareness raising, and (7) application of scientific and technological advances.
Vietnam already ratified ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention (No. 155, 1981) and needs to implement the Convention effectively. Other key ILO OSH instruments, for instance, ILO Promotional Framework for OSH Convention (No. 187, 2006), Occupational Health Services Convention (No.161, 1985), or ILO Guidelines on OSH Management Systems (ILO-OSH 2001), will provide sound guidance for strengthening national OSH systems of Vietnam.
Vietnam needs stronger inter-ministerial cooperation mechanisms to effectively implement the National OSH Programme. For example, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) have large potentials to jointly develop stronger OSH protection mechanisms for small enterprises at provincial level. MOLISA has the strong access to employers and workers through provincial labour administration systems. MOH has well-organized health centre networks which can possibly provide basic occupational health services once trained appropriately.
The One-UN Policy has been promoted in various UN development actions in Vietnam. The possible cooperation between MOLISA and MOH in OSH has large potentials to provide another important opportunity for realizing the One-UN Policy. Both ILO and WHO have accumulated substantial cooperation experiences with MOLISA and MOH. MOLISA in cooperation with ILO took lead in the development of the First National OSH Programme and extended OSH protection with the support from employers’ and workers’ organizations within the framework of DWCP. WHO has strengthened workers’ health programmes through their health centre networks. The recent joint initiatives with the ILO to address health hazards of asbestos provide a good example in their joint actions. The concerted technical support from ILO and WHO to MOLISA and MOH will make the existing national OSH systems of Vietnam even stronger.
1.2. Justification
Vietnam has the strong political will to extend adequate OSH protection into small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and included this priority action area in the First National OSH Programme. The project will support this important national agenda. The ILO has a broad range of practical experiences in this area and will be able to provide useful technical support to the national efforts of Vietnam.
Within the project framework, the existing OSH service system and community health service system of Vietnam will work together for widening effective OSH service coverage to these sectors. ILO and WHO will collaboratively support this new approach. Practical international OSH service experiences including the donor country’s experiences will be exchanged with Vietnamese experiences. ILO’s participatory OSH training programmes including the WISE (Work Improvement in Small Enterprises) training programme for small enterprises, WISH (Work Improvement in Safe Home) training programme for home-based workers in informal economies, and WIND (Work Improvement in Neighbourhood Development) training programme for farmers will be widely applied as practical tools.
The proposed project will contribute to effective implementation of the First National OSH Programme which had been developed in line with ILO’s Promotional Framework for OSH Convention (No 187, 2006). The ILO will assist MOLISA in strengthening cooperation with other ministries and reviewing the progress of the National OSH Programme for better implementation. ILO and WHO will provide concerted technical inputs. These joint efforts will make existing national OSH systems stronger to provide quality OSH protection to all workplaces. The practical experiences and achievements will be shared with ASEAN countries for wider impacts.
The ILO through the ILO/Japan multibilateral programme and other programmes has long cooperated with Vietnam to strengthen its OSH capacities at both national policy and workplace levels. The recent ILO/Vietnam cooperation includes: developing the national OSH profile and national OSH programme, strengthening labour inspection systems, improving diagnostic capacities of work-related lung diseases, and extending practical OSH protection in agriculture by using the WIND (Work Improvement in Neighbourhood Development) training programme. The present project will be built on these accumulated cooperative experiences between Vietnam and the ILO, and ensure smooth and productive joint implementation.
1.3. ILO Capacity
The ILO has comparative advantage to achieve the project objectives through its networks with the government, workers’ and employers’ organizations, and its international OSH standards and programmes as well as its professional knowledge and expertise has been highly evaluated with best prestige. The ILO units involved in this project have worked closely and have the capacities to implement all the project activities effectively in the limited time framework.
1.4. Target Group and Partners
The direct target group is OSH officials and inspectors in selected target provinces and in the Bureau of SafeWork of MOLISA. Inter-ministerial cooperation will be promoted between the ministries responsible for OSH protection of different industries. The project will strengthen OSH capacities and networks at provincial level and support effective implementation of the National OSH Programme. Employers’ and workers’ organizations will be actively involved. The ultimate beneficiaries of the project will be employers and workers, in particular, in SMEs and informal economy and rural workplaces. They will improve safety and health through practical training and information sharing within the framework of the effective implementation of the National OSH Programme.
2. Strategy and Logical Framework
2.1 Description of the Project Strategy
1) Supporting country efforts to implement the National Programme for Labour Protection and Occupational Safety and Occupational Health Up To 2011(National OSH Programme):
The project respects the initiatives of Vietnam and support the national efforts to implement the National OSH Programme that had been developed referring to ILO Promotional Framework for OSH Convention (No 187, 2006). The ILO will play a facilitator role in effective implementation of the National OSH Programme.
2) Using national technical institutions and expertise
The project activities will be built on the previous national OSH experiences and expertise. National technical institutions will be used as much as possible to expand workable OSH protection measures based on Vietnamese experiences. National resource mobilization for good sustainability of the project outputs will also be pursued.
3) Promoting inter-ministerial, multi-agency cooperation:
The project facilitates MOLISA’s cooperation with Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and with other partner agencies. These cooperative actions are required to meet the project aim to extend OSH protection into small enterprises and informal economy workplaces.
4) Realizing the UN-One Policy through ILO-WHO cooperation:
ILO closely works with WHO to provide joint technical support to MOLISA and MOH. This project has a sister project to be implemented by MOH with the technical backstopping from WHO. The two projects organize training workshops and national seminars together for greater impacts under the spirit of the UN-One Policy.
5) Enhancing action-oriented, good practice approaches:
The project will learn from existing local good practices of Vietnam at both national policy and workplace levels to promote practical improvement actions. The collected local examples will be used
as practical examples to support other workplaces and strengthen national OSH policy.
6) Applying ILO instruments
ILO’s key OSH instruments will be fully applied and promoted. C187 (Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health) is the main instrument to be promoted in the project. ILO Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (ILO-OSH2001) will be applied for developing national OSH management systems guidelines and assisting small enterprises in establishing practical OSH management systems. Three participatory training programmes (WISE, WISH and WIND) will be used for extending OSH protection into small enterprises, informal economy workplaces and agriculture. Other ILO OSH Conventions including C81 (Labour Inspection), C155 (Safety and Health), C161 (Occupational Health Service), C162 (Asbestos), C167 (Construction), C170 (Chemicals), C174 (Major Industrial Accidents), C176 (Mining) and C184 (Agriculture) will be referred to for developing and implementing national OSH programmes.
7) Build on Vietnam-ILO cooperation experiences and achievements
The project will be built on the joint OSH experiences and achievements between Vietnam and ILO. The previous achievements and experiences of the ILO/Japan OSH projects concerning the National OSH Programme developments, and participatory training knowledge for small enterprises and agriculture will provide good basis for further developments. By using the past project achievements, networks and experiences, the project will aim at smooth implementation and greater impacts.
8) Strengthening cooperation with ASEAN-OSHNET
Vietnam is the focal country to enhance the National OSH Programmes in ASEAN-OSHNET. The project achievements will be actively exchanged with other ASEAN countries through meetings and workshops. The project activities will be conducted in coordination and cooperation with ASEAN-OSHNET for effective implementation and strengthening their network. The conclusions adopted in the ASEAN-OSHNET Workshop on Effective Implementation of the National OSH Programmes held in Hanoi in May 2008 will be used as guidelines for implementing the project.
s:
Tsuyoshi Kawakami (kawakami@ilo.org)
Senior Occupational Safety and Health Specialist, SRO-Bangkok
Collaborating ILO Units/Offices:
ILO Hanoi, RO-Bangkok, SRO-Bangkok, SafeWork, TRAVAIL, PROTRAV
Implementing Agencies:
Main implementing agency:
- Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA)
Other partner agencies:
- Ministry of Health (MOH)
- World Health Organisation (WHO)
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)
- Vietnam Chambers of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)
- Vietnamese General Confederation of Labour (VGCL)
- Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (VCA)
- Vietnam Farmers’ Union
- Vietnam Women’s Union
- Other relevant agencies and organizations
Target provinces:
Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Dong Nai
Budget:
891,156 USD (297,052 USD per year)
National Contribution:
89,000 USD (in kind)
Duration:
3 years (January 2009 – December 2011)
View all Agrement click here Source:
RAS/08/07M/JPN | 