Under Suriname’s second Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) and in collaboration with the ILO, the tripartite constituents are working together to improve the national business landscape and increase productivity.

In early 2019, during the development of Suriname’s Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP), tripartite constituents in the country sought assistance with creating an enabling business environment for sustainable enterprises to start, consolidate and grow. During the exercise, constituents raised that the country required support to increase enterprise productivity and to remove barriers that hinder national productivity. As a first step toward achieving these goals, the International Labour Organization (ILO) agreed to undertake an Enabling Environment for Sustainable Enterprise (EESE) assessment with a special focus on the external factors affecting business productivity.

The ILO, with support from experts in the area of productivity and surveys, developed a standard survey to be used for an EESE assessment focusing on productivity, which capitalizes on the general EESE methodology of the ILO. This methodology was initially developed to assess, advocate and reform the environment in which enterprises start up and grow, and adapted to investigate productivity. It allows stakeholders to identify major constraints hampering business development and productivity and fosters dialogue between workers, employers and the government to reach shared policy recommendations. The assessment, available in English and Dutch, forms the basis for the adoption of reforms leading to unlocking entrepreneurial potential, supporting productivity enhancements and boosting investments that can help generate overall economic growth, create better jobs and reduce poverty.

The DWCP Monitoring Committee and invited experts gathered virtually on 24 May and 15 June 2021 to validate the findings of the country’s 2019 Enabling Environment for Sustainable Enterprise (EESE) Assessment, discuss and agree on priorities to inform the development of national action plans to advance the most important factors to enable sustainable enterprise development and productivity.

The discussion led to the production of 3 action plans, available in English and in Dutch. They were adopted on 15 June 2021 by the representatives from the Ministry of Labour, Employment Opportunity and Youth Affairs; the Vereniging Surinaams Bedrijfsleven (VSB) / Suriname Trade and Industry Association (STIA) and Raad van Vakcentrales / Council of Trade Unions in Suriname (RAVAKSUR).