GENEVA – The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has significantly expanded its partnership agreement with the International Labour Organization (ILO) with a new grant of DKK 60 million (approximately US$ 12,5 million) for 2008-09.
The new infusion of funds will expand an already existing partnership allocation of DKK 40 million that tackled poverty reduction, child labour, trafficking and promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples. The new projects are to promote decent work and improve job quality including in particular the strengthening of tripartism in a number of African countries and explore the possibility of learning from the Danish model of “flexicurity” in Viet Nam. An additional gender component will assure effective mainstreaming of the gender issues within the projects of the partnership.
The new Technical Cooperation projects were designed with inputs and suggestions from the Tripartite Permanent ILO Committee in Denmark, the Danish Ministry of Employment, Danish Embassies and the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the United Nations in Geneva.
Following the 50 per cent increase of funding for the biennium 2008-09, three new components have been added to the Partnership Agreement. Those include two new projects in Africa; one focused on improving job quality through concerted efforts by governments, employers and workers, and another supporting the Decent Work Country Programme in Ghana.
Recognizing the important role of the social partners in the ILO’s unique structure, the new ILO/Denmark Partnership Agreement sets aside additional resources, to help mainstream tripartism and strengthen the role of the employers’ and workers’ organizations within the two new projects in Africa.
Further the third component, “Balancing Flexibility and Security in Viet Nam”, will explore the possibilities of applying the achievements and lessons learned from the Danish labour market model in developing countries, and will be implemented jointly with the ILO International Training Centre in Turin.
The Government of Denmark was the first to enter into a partnership agreement with the ILO and in the years 1997-2007 was the ninth largest donor, with a total extra-budgetary contribution to ILO programmes and projects of more than US$50 million.
For more information, contact Donor Relations, Department of Partnerships and Development Cooperation, Secretariat +4122/799-7309, Fax: +4122/799-6872. codev@ilo.org
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