The cross-border social dialogue dimension of this Free Trade Agreement (FTA), in force since 1 January 2021, relates to the FTA’s Chapter 13 on Trade and Sustainable Development, which provides for the establishment of a “Civil Society Forum” tasked to "conduct a dialogue encompassing sustainable development aspects of trade relations between the Parties."
The Forum, which meets annually, features participation of representatives of civil society organizations from the two countries, including national employers’ and workers’ organizations, which are members of the Domestic Advisory Groups (DAG). According to the Agreement, DAGs are mandated "with the task of advising on the implementation" of Chapter 13 and submit "views, opinions or findings" on its implementation.
More broadly, Chapter 13 states that the Parties reaffirm the commitment to effectively [implement] the ILO Conventions that they have ratified respectively.” The Parties will also make "continued and sustained efforts towards ratifying the fundamental ILO Conventions as well as the other Conventions that are classified as ‘up-to-date’ by the ILO".