Dhaka, Oct 21 (IANS): The Bangladesh government and the International Labour Organization (ILO) will launch a new programme to improve working conditions at garment factories in the country, the ILO said Monday.

It said the three-and-half year initiative will focus on improving safety of ready-made garment factory and workers' rights and their conditions in Bangladesh, reports Xinhua.

The programme will focus on work already under way since the devastating Tazreen factory fire in 2012 and the Rana Plaza building collapse almost six months ago in which over 1,100 workers lost their lives, the ILO said in a statement.

The programme will be launched in Dhaka Tuesday in presence of Bangladesh ministers and senior government officials, the ILO, and representatives of various workers' organisations, it added.

Bangladesh is the world's second largest garments exporter after China, producing global brands for customers around the world. Yet the country's garment industry has been severely criticised for safety concerns and labour unrest in recent years.

The country exports garments worth $20 billion annually, with its garment industry comprising about 5,000 factories employing more than four million workers -- of these, 80 percent are women.