Turkey Adopts Kayseri Statement in Support of the Seoul Declaration

KOSHA attends the 25^th OSH Week of Turkey

May 9, 2011

On May 4 (Wed.) 2011, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) attended a ceremony held on the occasion of the 25^th OSH week of Turkey. The event was held in Kayseri, Turkey and the Kayseri Statement in support of the Seoul Declaration was adopted.

<Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work>

In June 2008, during the 18^th World Congress on Safety and Health at Work held in Seoul, Korea 46 representatives of workers, employers, and governments around the world adopted and signed the “Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work.” The Seoul Declaration is a universal charter on safety and health, which recognized safety and health as workers’ fundamental right as well as the means to achieve economic development. The Seoul Declaration is a collective commitment made by each member of the society to keep workers safe and healthy in workplaces.

Director General Dae-Yul Choi for Training and Public Relations of KOSHA attended the signing ceremony of Kayseri Statement in support of the Seoul Declaration, which was organized by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security of Turkey. On behalf of KOSHA, which is one of the key organizations in formulating the Seoul Declaration, Director General Choi addressed a keynote speech to highlight the importance of the Seoul Declaration. Also, the representatives of the ILO, ISSA and KOSHA signed the statement as witnesses, laying the foundation for the spread of the Seoul Declaration in Turkey.

The signing ceremony was held on the occasion of the 25^th OSH week of Turkey organized by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, in order to promote the implementation of the Seoul Declaration through the Kayseri Statement. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security of Turkey is the organizer of the 19^th World Congress on Safety and Health at Work to be held in Istanbul in September, 2011.

With the participation of some 300 workers, employers and the government including the Minister of Labor and Social Security, 11 representative signed and adopted the support statement, while the representatives of the ILO, ISSA, and KOSHA also signed the statement as witnesses. 

During the keynote speech, Director General Choi said “Turkey’s voluntary action to organize a signing ceremony supporting the Seoul Declaration is very encouraging and meaningful development. I hope the ideas of the Seoul Declaration are well understood across the country and contribute to preventing accidents in workplaces.” He also called for close collaboration among workers, employers and the government so that various activities related to safety and health at work take place in Turkey.

Thanks to the signing of Kayseri Statement in Turkey, the total number of signatories and supporters of the Seoul Declaration increased to 1,633 organizations, including 271 overseas organizations and 1,362 Korean organizations. Many government agencies and professional OSH organizations are actively implementing safety and health activities under the spirit of the Seoul Declaration.