A/HRC/32/17 121. Singapore explained how it created better skills, better jobs and better careers as the best form of welfare for its workers. It recently implemented the SkillsFuture initiative to develop an integrated system of education, training and career progression, and foster lifelong learning. It provided grants and subsidies for training and support for leadership development, and fostered collaboration with employers and unions to meet industries’ future manpower needs. 122. The Workfare Income Supplement Scheme was a targeted scheme that helped lowincome workers be self-reliant through continued employment through cash supplements, retirement savings top-ups, and up to 95 per cent subsidies for training courses. For sectors facing depressed wages, the Progressive Wage Model set out training requirements in exchange for higher wages. Those efforts contributed to social mobility. 123. Singapore had one of world’s highest migrant worker concentrations. One in three persons in its workforce was foreign. Singapore valued their contributions and was committed to safeguarding their well-being and rights. 124. Surveys showed most migrant workers were happy with their work conditions, and would recommend to their families and friends to work in Singapore. Laws such as the Employment Act provided them the same avenues of justice as locals. Additional safeguards were provided through the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and the Employment Agencies Act. Those mandated, for instance, that employers give payslips, and that the withholding of passports against workers’ wishes was illegal. Fees that Singapore employment agencies could charge workers were also limited. 125. The Government shared complaints with relevant embassies in Singapore for investigations by local authorities. Singapore had taken a range of actions against more than 2,000 errant employers in 2015. Every complaint of abuse reported was investigated. Singapore was working with civil society to reach out to foreign workers about their rights and where they could seek help. 126. Singapore noted that all types of foreign worker housing must adhere to rules on safety and well-being. The longer-term direction was to improve workers’ living conditions towards larger dormitories with full facilities. 127. Singapore introduced a weekly rest day for foreign domestic workers, and the maximum penalties for abuses of such workers under its Penal Code were 1.5 times the norm. The Government worked with civil society to provide skills training on workers’ rest days. 128. France welcomed the accession of Singapore to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the signature of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. 129. Georgia highlighted policies to enhance social protection, especially for low- and middle-income citizens, and steps to improve education and health care. It welcomed the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities while encouraging ratification of the remaining international instruments. 130. Canada acknowledged accession to the Palermo Protocol. 131. Ghana welcomed the Inter-agency Task Force on Trafficking in Persons and the National Family Violence Networking System. 132. Greece highlighted the progress in access to education for all, women’s empowerment in public, corporate and civil society sectors, and the protection of child victims of violence. 12