Ireland boosts partnership agreement with ILO with new €9 million grant, additional funds for fight against Child Labour and RBSA

Dublin – (ILO News) – Irish Aid, the development agency of the Government of Ireland, on 4 November 2008 signed an agreement with the International Labour Office (ILO) for a new grant of €9 million for 2008-2011 that will give a significant boost to its partnership with the labour organization.

Projects will continue promoting women’s entrepreneurship, inclusion and employment of people with disabilities, and action against forced labour.

Representatives of Social Partners, Mr. David Begg, General Secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and Mr. Turlough O’Sullivan, Director General of Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC), were present for the signing at the Irish Aid Volunteering and Information Centre.

The new funds will expand an already existing partnership allocation exceeding €12 million that supported ILO projects in three key areas, including the promotion of women’s entrepreneurship, promoting employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for persons with disabilities and supporting action against forced labour.

For the third phase of the programme, the Government decided to broaden the thematic coverage by adding ‘social partnership and advocacy to tackle child labour’ as a new component to the partnership.

As in the first two phases, a two-level approach to disability will promote decent work for people with disabilities through a Disability Inclusion Support Service, and the employability and employment of people with disabilities through effective legislation.

The two earlier phases of the programme supported among others the promulgation of employment of persons with disabilities legislation; campaigns, publications and research activities related to decent work for persons with disabilities; access to business development services for women entrepreneurs; networking of business women and gender mainstreaming in development strategies in Ethiopia.

Apart from the new grant, the Government of Ireland will donate €400,000 to the ILO’s Regular Budget Supplementary Account (RBSA), an innovative funding mechanism providing additional support to the activities undertaken under the Regular Budget, through a less earmarked and more predictable funding for technical cooperation directly linked to Decent Work Outcomes.

For more information, contact Donor Relations, Department of Partnerships and Development Cooperation, Secretariat +4122/799-7309, Fax: +4122/799-6872. codev@ilo.org