The Asean Confederation of Employers (ACE) and South Asian Forum of Employers (SAFE) signed recently a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The MOU primarily seeks to further the relationship between ACE and SAFE for the mutual benefit of both organizations. The ACE is currently chaired by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) under the leadership of ECOP President Emeritus Ancheta K. Tan. Under the MOU, ACE and SAFE have agreed to:
- establish cordial relations between the two organizations through increased interactions and cooperation among the members and Secretariat staff of the two organizations;
- share, exchange and disseminate relevant and appropriate information such as in the areas of human resource development, employment and social policy, labor laws, industrial relations, and productivity and wages that could lead to better understanding and learning among the employers in the region;
- arrange country visits of employers in cooperation with designated government organizations, and the respective diplomatic entities to learn from one another as well as to open up possible business opportunities;
- promote the objectives, proposals, recommendations, and conclusions of relevant inter-regional consultation meetings;
- provide mutual support to each other in promoting their products and services to their respective member organizations; and
- seek the support and assistance of the International Organization of Employers (IOE) and the ILO for the programmes of the two organizations
ACE, which is the representative body of employers in the ASEAN countries comprising of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Brunei Darussalam, Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations, Employers’ Association of Indonesia, Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Malaysian Employers Federation, Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, ECOP, Singapore National Employers Federation, and Employers Confederation of Thailand. SAFE, on the other hand, is the representative body of the industrial and commercial establishments of SAFE countries comprising of Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bangladesh Employers’ Federation, All India Organization of Employers, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Employers Federation of Pakistan, and Employers Federation of Ceylon. Signatories to the MOU are ACE President Ancheta K. Tan and SAFE President Majyd Aziz with APINDO’s Eko Nugroho and SAFE Vice President Kanishka Weeransinghe as witnesses.