Mr Yoshiteru Uramoto (Japan)
Yoshiteru Uramoto, 1993, Master's in Public Administration
with a concentration on social policy in economics, Kennedy School of
Government, Harvard
University.
Since Oct. 2012, Regional Director, ILO Regional Office for
Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok,
at the Assistant Director-General level.
New ILO Regional Director for Asia Pacific takes up post
Mr Yoshiteru Uramoto (Japan)
took up his post as Regional Director of the ILO Regional Office for Asia and
the Pacific, based in Bangkok,
on 16 October 2012.
Until 2011, Mr Uramoto served as the Deputy to the
Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Vienna, Austria.
He spent 27 years with UNICEF, and his last position was as
Director of the UNICEF Office for Japan
and the Republic
of Korea.
He has also worked in New York
and in the former Republic of Yugoslavia
(Croatia), India, Indonesia,
Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Sudan.
http://www.ilo.org/asia/info/public/pr/WCMS_192043/lang--en/index.htm
An interview with Mr Yoshiteru Uramoto, Regional Director,
ILO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
http://www.ilo.org/asia/info/public/features/WCMS_194738/lang--en/index.htm
After his first few weeks in the post Mr Yoshiteru Uramoto,
Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific,
talks about his impressions of the region and his priorities. By Krisdaporn
Singhaseni, Information Officer, ILO Regional Office for Asia
and the Pacific
You worked for UNIDO and UNICEF for more than 30 years,
including in India, Japan, Myanmar and Timor-Leste. How do you
think that your experience with these agencies will help you in your new role?
I spend almost all of my 34 years in the field and had
first-hand experience of the situation in Asia,
particularly the informal economy and the rural poor. This first-hand knowledge
and experience helps me understand the poverty of workers in the informal
economy, the situation of migrant workers, children forced to work in difficult
circumstances and women working in servitude as domestic workers. I feel the
hardship they go through. Of course I also learned what it takes to achieve
results. I gained knowledge from the different national settings, how to get
the right policies and legislation in place to prevent exploitation, mobilize
resources and get action.
The ILO has a
supervisory role to ensure that governments follow international labour
standards through their national laws. The ILO is willing to serve as a
mediator and discuses complaints in its committees, which is unique. The ILO
also helps build the capacity of governments and partners so they are capable
of developing action plans and implementing them. It’s a challenging task in
this region as it involves 34 countries.
Asia
and the Pacific is full of dynamism and innovation. The region has achieved
unprecedented economic growth. We need to find ways and means to translate
these tremendous economic gains into social progress that benefits everyone.
Income gaps and inequality in the distribution of economic gains must be
tackled. However, I feel a sense of assertiveness and confidence in Asia when it comes to addressing these social and labour
market issues. I’m confident that we can build strong relations with
governments and social partners to overcome the gaps and spread out the
benefits of growth.
What do you see as the most important issues and areas of
work in this region?
We have to be ahead of the latest developments in the world
of work. For that we must have accurate data and models for analysis of the
labour market system. So we have to improve our analytical tools and our projections.
Another priority is
managing labour migration in ASEAN. There are five million migrant workers in
ASEAN and 30 million from ASEAN countries, and their plight requires urgent
attention. The ILO must play an advocacy role to alleviate the suffering and
protect the fundamental rights of these migrant workers. We need to introduce
the principles of decent work to these populations.
Asia
continues to provide an inexpensive labour force for many industries. While
promoting growth and job creation we have to advocate the importance of decent
work. It is the increasing number of people with decent work that will create
sustainable economic growth in the region. Inequality is widening in many parts
in Asia. This needs to be corrected as it
disrupts sustainable growth and may cause instability in society.
How are you going to harness political support for improving
working conditions in the region?
Political support is indispensable. I believe without
political support nothing works. It’s a challenge, but we have to advocate the
political benefits of promoting decent work for all. I’m sure good politicians
will understand that.
The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic
Community (AEC) will come into being in 2015. How should the countries of the
region prepare for this and what can the ILO do to help them?
This will be a historic move, making ASEAN a strong source
of growth, employment, and social benefits. In order to sustain growth ASEAN
must reduce inequality, provide social protection, social services and foster
good labour relations. ASEAN must keep improving its image and its ‘brand’ as a
responsible manufacturing base. With Myanmar emerging as an active
member of ASEAN, I’m sure this will inject additional stimulus to economic
growth and prosperity.
What do you hope to achieve during your tenure?
The year 2015 not only marks the beginning of the AEC but
also the end of the Asian Decent Work Decade, 2006-2015, in which the ILO
tripartite constituents committed themselves to improving key priority areas in
order to achieve Decent Work for All. These include action against child
labour, promoting youth employment, skills and employability, promoting
productive and sustainable enterprises, improving labour market governance and
better management of labour migration. These priorities have guided our
programmes in the region.
Much has been
achieved but more work remains ahead. There are many challenges and many
problems, but with determination and hard work, we – governments, workers and
employers — can work together towards realizing Decent Work for All.
photos
https://www.google.hr/search?q=yoshiteru+uramoto&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=GwBYUvTSDciI4gTr-4HoDQ&ved=0CE4QsAQ&biw=1024&bih=651&dpr=1
Yoshiteru
URAMOTO (Japan)
Deputy to the Director - General,
ODG/DDG
http://www.unido.org/fileadmin/user_media/About_UNIDO/DDG_ODG_CV_Uramoto.pdf
Mr.
Uramoto obtained a Master's degree in Public Administration with specialization
in
social policy and economic adjustment from the Kennedy School of Government,
Harvard University, USA.
Mr.
Uramoto is a career staff member of the UN Common System. He started his
career
in UNICEF Myanmar (Burma) in
1978 as Communications Officer and has since served in UNICEF's field offices
in Sudan
as Programme Officer and later as Zone Office
Representative
in India.
He also served in Croatia
and Slovenia
as UNICEF's Special Representative to Ex -Yugoslavian Emergency Operations.
After
serving at UNICEF Headquarters in New York as Senior Programme Officer for
Central Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, he moved to
Indonesia as Senior Programme Officer and then to Timor‐Leste as UNICEF's Special
Representative.
His
career also included assignments as Programme Officer in the Development
Studies Division of the
United
Nations University
in Tokyo and UNICEF's Special Representative to
the Japan
Committee for the
First
Earth Run, a global event to commemorate the 40th anniversary
of the United Nations and UNICEF.
Before
taking up his assignment in UNIDO in 2007, Mr. Uramoto was the Director for Japan and the Republic
of Korea in UNICEF, Tokyo. Most recently, he was Managing
Director, Programme Coordination and Field Operations Division (PCF). He is the
author of several publications in his area of expertise
Work
of the Regional Director for ILO Asia-Pacific
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77173826@N08/sets/72157635252989120/
Integración
productiva en América Latina y el Caribe - Honorable Se
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzQwJDExGRI
Intervención
del Director General Adjunto de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para el
Desarrollo Industrial (ONUDI), Honorable Señor Yoshiteru Uramoto, durante el
Foro: "Hacia la integración productiva en América Latina y el
Caribe", de la XXXVII Reunión Ordinaria del Consejo Latinoamericano,
realizado en Caracas-Venezuela, los días 19 al 21 de octubre de 2011.