14th ILO Regional Seminar for Labour-based Practitioners

This seminar is bringing together ministers, practitioners in labour-based works, policy makers, planners, researchers and academics from around the world to discuss employment-intensive policies and practices under the theme “Public Works for Decent Jobs and Poverty Reduction: Policies and Practices”.

“Public Works for Decent Jobs and Poverty Reduction: Policies and Practices”

As the financial and economic crisis hits the world, many countries resolved to invest in infrastructure to create jobs. It has been widely accepted that infrastructure investments are not only needed to fill the backlog of infrastructure to facilitate economic and social development, but that opportunities for direct and indirect employment creation can be significant. Analyses show however, that even if infrastructure investments were one of the most efficient measures to meet the crisis, countries were far from achieving their employment generation potential.

The 14th Regional Seminar for Labour-based Practitioners will look at the widespread and cost-effective use of employment-intensive approaches to infrastructure development that result in sustainable assets and optimize creation of employment opportunities.

Organized by the Government of Ghana (Ministries of Roads and Highways; Employment and Social Welfare; and Local Government and Rural Development) in collaboration with the Employment-Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP) of the International Labour Office (ILO) the seminar will take place in from the in Accra, Ghana, from 5 to 9 September.

African Ministers to scrutinize Public Works for Decent Jobs

Ministers from some fifteen African countries will also be meeting to review the implementation of their Kampala Ministerial statement - a statement in which they committed to setting up a coordinating function at the highest level of government and to financing policy formulation, sectoral implementation strategies and regular maintenance through national budget allocations.

The Regional Seminar for Labour-based Practitioners is jointly organized every two year since 1990 by a different African host country and the International Labour Organization (ILO). It offers practitioners and policy-makers from African and Asian developing countries an opportunity to share know-how and experience in extracting a maximum of decent work for people out of investments in construction, utilities and services delivery.