The Department of Labor declared its support for the negotiations of commitments under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity's Trade, Supply Chain, Clean Economy and Fair Economy Pillars, which aim to strengthen international worker standards and advance labor rights.
The Labor Department highlighted the importance of labor rights globally by working closely with the Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to advance the Biden administration’s equitable trade and development goals in the Indo-Pacific region, according to a Sept. 9 news release.
“The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity is a new model for economic engagement that builds labor issues into our cooperation and integration with Indo-Pacific nations,” Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh said, according to the release.
The federal partners are addressing labor rights in all four pillars of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, he said, the release reported. The agency planned to join with participating countries, private sector employers, worker organizations and other stakeholders to provide economic development benefits for working people.
Four declarations for each of the four pillars of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity were released at the ministerial meeting in Los Angeles Sept. 8 and 9, with a focus on worker rights, the release said.
