2012

1. Myanmar - Promoting Rights at Work in Myanmar

   21 September 2012

   Donor – US Department of State The recently initiated political reform process in Myanmar has opened a window of opportunity for the international community to support the country’s peaceful transition towards democracy after years of military rule and international sanctions. Since 1999, Myanmar has not received technical cooperation from the ILO except for the purpose of combating forced labour. In its 101st session in 2012, the International Labour Conference decided to lift the restrictions and requested that urgent attention be given to technical cooperation priorities such as the effective and full realization of the right to freedom of association, as well as the elimination of forced labour. Today, it is of vital importance to support national constituents in their efforts to make freedom of association a reality – in law and in practice.

2011

1. Promoting pay equity in Jordan

   07 October 2011

   In Jordan, statistics show that the average monthly wage for women is 314 Jordan dinars (US$443), compared to 364 Jordan dinars (US$514) for men. Also significant is the fact that almost half of employed women in Jordan are professionals who earn 33 per cent less than their male counterparts. Since March 2010, the ILO has been working in Jordan in close collaboration with the Ministry of Labour (MoL) and the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) to build a knowledge base on pay discrimination that enables decision makers to formulate evidence-based policies to promote pay equity. The ultimate goal of this project is to contribute to the the country’s development goal of increasing women’s participation in the labour market. The creation and launch of a tripartite plus National Steering Committee for Pay Equity (NSCPE) in July 2011 has been one of the most important achievements of the project. NSCPE’s mandate is to promote cooperation among its members in implementing a National Action Plan on Pay Equity and to coordinate activities aimed at achieving equal pay for work of equal value. The NSCPE is fully operational and has created two subcommittees: a legal subcommittee, which focuses on enhancing policies and legislation for equal pay and making recommendations regarding legislative amendments; and a research subcommittee, which focuses on conducting in-depth research on pay-based discrimination in the private education sector to inform policy and programmes. In the framework of this project, the ILO has provided technical support for pro-pay equity provisions in the National Employment Strategy and the National Women’s strategy for 2011 – 2015. It has also provided training to members of the NSCPE to improve their understanding of the principle of equal pay for work of equal value and gender-neutral job evaluations methods.

2. Promoting gender equality and non-discrimination in Azerbaijan

   07 October 2011

   During 2011, the ILO undertook work in Azerbaijan as a follow up to two in-depth ILO studies on discrimination and gender which were commissioned in 2009-2010. The findings of these two studies confirmed the need for continued legislative reform, especially to prevent discrimination based on sex in Azerbaijan. The studies pointed to a need for awareness on the part of workers and employers on relevant legal norms. In May 2011, constituents validated these studies and agreed on the way forward to implement the recommendations emanating from them that will ultimately lead to establish new or modify laws, policies, action plans and/or programmes to be adopted and brought into line with international standards on non-discrimination, as well as implement an awareness raising strategy on non-discrimination. Two crucial activities have been undertaken to date: 1) an in-depth review of the labour code, and 2) translation into Azeri of the equal pay guide on gender neutral job evaluations.

3. Promoting equality at work in China

   07 October 2011

   The main objective of the project is to improve the legal and policy framework on non-discrimination and equality in employment. For this purpose, the project seeks to increase awareness and enforcement of labour standards on non-discrimination and equality in employment through the development of a compendium of court and labour arbitration cases on non-discrimination and a field study “Discrimination in Employment in China” undertook in 5 different Chinese provinces. The project has also organized awareness raising workshops for constituents and judges on the principles enshrined in ILO Conventions Nos. 100 and 111. The ultimate goal of the project is that constituents agree on and adopt an action plan on non-discrimination

4. Promoting equality in employment for the Dalit Community in India

   07 October 2011

   With a view to strengthening follow-up to the comments of the ILO supervisory bodies, US$200,000 has been allocated from the Special Programme Account by the Governing Body for NORMES and DECLARATION to work together in 2011 to strengthen national capacities to apply international labour standards on non-discrimination in employment and occupation and on freedom of association and collective bargaining. Within this framework, $100,000 has been allocated for work in India.

5. Promoting equal employment opportunities at the workplace in Morocco

   07 October 2011

   Through the Middle East Partnership Initiative, this pilot program was aimed at promoting employment equality at the workplace in Morocco based on a bottom-up approach.

6. Decent Employment for Women - India (DEW)

   07 October 2011

   With the main objective of improving the employability of poor women in the informal sector in India, the ILO implemented the pilot project “Decent Employment for Women in India Project (DEW)” from 2001 to 2005. This project was funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL). The main target group of this project was poor and often illiterate or semi-illiterate women living in slum areas in the metropolitan areas of Delhi and Bangalore.

7. Women's Empowerment through Employment and Health (WEEH)- Bangladesh

   07 October 2011

   From 2001 to 2005, the ILO with financial support of the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) implemented the Project “Women’s Empowerment through Employment and Health (WEEH)”. The project comprised two sub-projects; 1) Women’s Empowerment through Decent Employment (WEDE), and 2) Micro-Health Insurance for Poor Rural Women in Bangladesh (MHIB). The WEDE sub-project included two components: Gender and Employment (G&E), and Private Sector Initiative (PSI). The G&E component promoted skills development and awareness raising, and provided training for micro and small women entrepreneurs. The PSI component promoted decent work in the formal sector, i.e., tea plantation in particular, through training and awareness on gender and women’s rights at work, and supported local dialogue between employers and employees. The MHIB sub-project also included two components: Micro-Health Insurance Schemes (MHIS), and Knowledge Development and Advocacy (KDA). The MHIS component provided affordable and quality primary health care services to targeted poor rural women and their families through micro-health insurance schemes. The KDA component increased support for MHI policy makers and partner organizations, and promoted the application of MHI best practices and lessons learned.

8. Improvement of Labour Relations and the Promotion of Women's Economic Equality in Colombia, 2001-2005

   07 October 2011

   Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), the project “Improvement of Labor Relations and the Promotion of Women's Economic Equality in Colombia” was implemented by the ILO, from November 2001 to September 2005. The project had two components: 1) labor relations and 2) women's economic equality. Labour relations component: The activities undertaken under this component were oriented to the promotion of fundamental principles and rights at work through national and regional fora and training activities. Women's Economic Equality component: Under this component, the project developed a microenterprise/gender training methodology in collaboration with its social partners. The project organized five regional methodology transfer seminars where 133 professionals representing 15 public and private institutions received microenterprise/gender training. Moreover, the Presidential Council on Women's Equity initiated a program using the microenterprise/gender methodology in ten universities, where business and economics students would conduct microenterprise/gender training for women in low-income communities, as part of their curriculum. The major impact of training was the empowerment of female entrepreneurs at the personal as well as the household level. Women's groups learned how to prepare project proposals, including business plans. As a result of this training, some women received funding from the government for the proposals they developed.

9. Convention de Partenariat entre l’Organisation Internationale du Travail (OIT) et la haute autorité de lutte contre les discriminations et pour l’égalité (HALDE) 2008

   07 October 2011

   En 2008, l’OIT et la HALDE ont signé une convention de partenariat dont l’objectif a été de développer, dans la limite des ressources disponibles, des initiatives de recherche, d’études et d’échanges afin d’observer, évaluer et comparer les pratiques des entreprises françaises à l’égard de la non-discrimination et la promotion de l’égalité.

10. Programme d'appui à la mise en oeuvre de la Déclaration de 1998 (PAMODEC)

    07 October 2011

    Financé par le gouvernement français, le Programme d’appui à la mise en œuvre de la Déclaration de 1998 (PAMODEC) a été lancé en 2000, il se trouve maintenant à sa troisième phase d’exécution qui a commencé au début de 2012. PAMODEC III couvre 17 pays situés en Afrique Centrale, en Afrique de l’Ouest et à Madagascar : Bénin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, République Centrafricaine, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinée Bissau, Guinée Conakry, Guinée Equatoriale, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritanie, Niger, Sénégal, Tchad et Togo ; ainsi que 6 pays de l’Union pour la Méditerranée : Maroc, Tunisie, Algérie, Liban, Syrie et Jordanie.

11. Promoting Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work in Bangladesh

    01 October 2011

12. Promoting Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining in the Philippines

    27 September 2011

13. Reducing Vulnerability to Bondage in India through Promotion of Decent Work

    01 April 2011

    The overall objective of the project is to reduce vulnerability of workers to bondage situations in brick manufacturing and rice mill sectors in Tamil Nadu by achieving a significant improvement in living and working conditions for women and men workers and their family members.

2010

1. Prevention of trafficking in persons through improved management of labour migration in Sri Lanka

   24 September 2010

   The overall goal of the project is to promote decent work in “conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity” for women and children employed as domestic or unskilled workers abroad, reducing their vulnerability to rights violations as victims of trafficking for labour exploitation.

2. Business Case Studies on Forced Labour

   20 September 2010

   The overarching theme is that business can and must play a central role in fighting coercive labour practices. The broader aim of the project is to showcase the effective engagement of companies (both MNEs and their suppliers) as they address challenges that are faced by many companies in the global economy.

3. Eradicating forced labour from global supply chains through social dialogue

   17 July 2010

   The project will strengthen management capacity of Brazilian suppliers and U.S. buyers to reduce risks of trafficking and forced labor, while enhancing the National Pact to Combat Forced Labor, launched in 2005.

4. Development of a comprehensive anti-trafficking response in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia - Second Phase

   22 June 2010

   The project seeks to contribute to the progressive reduction of trafficking in human beings in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia through capacity building and provision of protection and assistance to actual and potential victims.

5. ESF/XENOS-Project "Berlin Alliance against Human Trafficking into Labour Exploitation"

   28 May 2010

   Joint project between the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Berlin Senate Department for Integration, Work and Social Issues (SenIAS)

2009

1. Support to the Government of Zambia for the Implementation of Policy and the National Plan of Action against Human Trafficking

   04 November 2009

   Recognising the value of coordinated and collaborative programmes of support to the Government of Zambia, the UN Country Team has established a joint programme against human trafficking, involving ILO, IOM, and UNICEF. The objective of this programme is to contribute to the protection of people (especially children and women) from the harmful effects of trafficking by supporting implementation of Government’s policy and action plan against trafficking.