The International Labour Organisation (ILO) will finance 4.56 million USD for new projects to support sustainable employment in Vietnam , according to Quan doi Nhan dan (People’s Army) newspaper.

ILO announced the funding-benefited projects at the first meeting of the Vietnam National Steering Committee on Sustainable Employment in Hanoi on September 24.

Of the sum, about 3 million USD will go to the first phase (2012-16) of the project supporting the development of labour relations and salary policy reforms, including the drafting of a Law on Minimum Salary and the implementation of the Labour Code and the amended Trade Union Law.

About 1,246 million USD will be used to help small- and medium-sized enterprises increase productivity and access to the market and promote rights of and opportunities for workers and people with disabilities.

The Government of Luxembourg has recently contributed 980,000 EUR (1.27 million USD) to ILO to support the job generation for young rural labourers in four countries, including Vietnam .

Speaking at the meeting, ILO Country Director in Vietnam Gyorgu Sziraczki said that creating sustainable employment for everybody, including the poor and vulnerable, is a key to Vietnam’s success in poverty reduction and human resources development./.