Part I. Human Resources Development

Chapter VI. The technical co-operation programme of the ILO and its complementarity with the standards

307. In Part XIV, Recommendation No. 150 advocates international co-operation in planning, elaborating and implementing vocational guidance and vocational training programmes, with particular emphasis on the participation of governmental and non-governmental, regional and international organisations, as well as non-governmental national organisations (Paragraph 74). It sets out the possible aims of such co-operation (Paragraph 75) and the advisability of establishing centres for a region or group of countries (Paragraph 76). The government reports have supplied little information on technical co-operation projects and their aspects relating to human resources development. However, as pointed out in the introduction to the general survey, the ILO, through its vocation, competence and programmes, is fully committed to carrying out these provisions of the Recommendation on a multilateral basis. For this chapter, the Committee will draw extensively on the information available to the ILO and its technical services.

308. After the initial period, when training centres were created and instructors were trained, the technical co-operation programme has greatly diversified, in some cases with the participation of non-governmental organisations. It is now focusing on analysing training needs and designing training structures, whether within an institutional framework, within enterprises, or at national or sectoral level. Given the international environment, which calls for structural adjustments and a reorientation of macroeconomic policy objectives, and which is marked by the decline in certain sectors and the growth of new activities, the ILO's technical contribution also goes to support programmes which meet specific needs in apprenticeship, further training, in-service training, or retraining. The activities are characterised by the particular attention paid to training needs in the agricultural and non-agricultural rural sector, (Endnote 1) increased interest in the informal sector, and the emphasis placed on the role of women in development.

309. The Committee notes with interest the vocational training activities carried out in the framework of technical co-operation. The following information shows that hardly any of the countries eligible for technical assistance from the United Nations system have not, at some time, received such aid from ILO.

310. First, in Africa, many countries have thus used ILO technical co-operation to strengthen their vocational training programmes and institutions; these countries in particular include: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Chad, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo and the United Republic of Tanzania. Training programmes targeting vulnerable population groups have been implemented in countries including Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Lesotho and Somalia. Management development programmes have been started and small enterprises promoted with success particularly in Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritius, Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia, Tunisia, Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe. A subregional project to upgrade vocational skills to ensure self-sufficiency has been put into operation, covering seven countries in eastern and southern Africa, including Lesotho, Swaziland and Uganda.

311. In the Latin America and Caribbean area, most countries have benefited from technical co-operation to set up their central training body. Most recently, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay and Suriname have been among the beneficiaries of aid to strengthen their programmes' administrative and technical structures.

312. In Asia and the Pacific, human resources development projects, some of which cover rural areas, management development or are sometimes specifically targeted at women, have been launched in such diverse countries as Bangladesh, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, the Republic of Korea, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, the Syrian Arab Republic, Thailand, Vanuatu, Viet Nam and Yemen, for example.

313. In Europe, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Malta, Portugal, Turkey and the USSR have particularly benefited from ILO technical co-operation for certain aspects of human resources development.

314. One of the most highly developed technical co-operation programmes for training, employment and income generation, using major multi-bilateral financing, (Endnote 2) is the programme to establish infrastructures, particularly in rural areas. This is usually referred to as "special labour-intensive public works programmes". They provide varied training and teaching aids, and their activities increasingly aim to train small entrepreneurs. Furthermore, ILO co-operation with the World Food Programme (WFP) and other food aid donors helps to strengthen the link between standards and technical co-operation activities not only within the WFP but also with regard to the training of women and rural youth.

315. Among the sectoral training schemes (Endnote 3) not included in the statistics found in Appendix IV, a special and increasing share of resources is being devoted to technical co-operation in the hotel business, catering and tourism, generally a growth sector which both creates jobs and constitutes a source of foreign currency. The training component in such projects is generally a determining factor.

316. Other technical co-operation projects cover the shipping industry, the training of ships' officers and crew, (Endnote 4) advice on creating national training or retraining programmes for unemployed seafarers, the training of fishing and inland waterway workers, or even port labour (in particular projects concerning the handling of cargo, taking into account new technology, safety and port management). (Endnote 5) In 1989, technical co-operation projects for the training of workers at sea and in ports were operational in several countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. (Endnote 6) The Committee notes that with regard to merchant shipping, national and regional seminars on ILO maritime standards have been held for senior government officials and the heads of shipowners' and seafarers' organisations, in order to encourage their ratification and application.

317. The management development programme (Endnote 7) aims to provide further training for middle management, supervisors and executive staff in enterprises, including women in positions of responsibility. The projects encourage increased productivity (Endnote 8) in both the public and private sectors. They focus on creating and strengthening management development institutions by training trainers or supplying teaching aids (Endnote 9) and improving management competence in certain sectors such as construction, distribution and road transport. The programme helps to further the development and efficient management of small enterprises, in the light of their leading role in creating jobs and mobilising savings. (Endnote 10) It should also be noted that in April 1989, an international management development network (INTERMAN) was established using existing networks, the secretariat being the ILO.

318. With regard to the vocational rehabilitation of handicapped and disabled persons, the ILO is helping governments to set up specialised services, train personnel and formulate suitable guidance and training methodologies and techniques. Over the past 20 years or so, a series of technical co-operation activities have been undertaken in some 60 developing countries, ranging from the creation of national vocational rehabilitation services, to pilot centres or rural rehabilitation services with the active participation of local communities. Over the last decade, great emphasis has been placed on integrating disabled persons into society outside an institutional framework, and informing and raising the awareness of the general public, employers and workers. The number of technical co-operation projects for disabled persons has grown, given the impetus provided by the adoption of the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159), which has been ratified by 34 countries, and the accompanying Recommendation (No. 168), and the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992). These projects increasingly involve employers' and workers' organisations in training and providing jobs for disabled persons.

319. With regard to technical co-operation in general, the ILO provides considerable aid to purchase specialised equipment, prepare equipment lists, even to build and improve training institutions, (Endnote 11) particularly in the form of loans from development banks. Special training programmes have been implemented to acquaint officials from developing countries with purchasing practices and procedures on the international market and defining specifications in compliance with the Guarding of Machinery Convention, 1963 (No. 119), and the Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration) Convention, 1977 (No. 148), in particular.

320. In collaboration with technical services both at ILO headquarters and in the field, the International Training Centre of the ILO in Turin provides fellows with advanced training in their area of specialisation, particularly trainers and administrators of training institutions. The Turin Centre also organises management development and trade union training programmes, and deals with the administration of fellowships in general and the development of teaching aids. It gives invaluable support to all ILO training activities.

321. The regional centres -- in particular the Asian Pacific Skill Development Programme (APSDEP), the Inter-African Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CIADFOR) (Endnote 12) and the Inter-American Research and Documentation Centre on Vocational Training (CINTERFOR) (Endnote 13) -- provide a framework for promoting technical co-operation activities related to training between developing countries. Technical co-operation between developing countries, particularly in Latin America, has developed with regard to the training of personnel working at sea and in ports, for example, in the form of exchange of staff and teaching aids.

322. In conclusion, the Committee believes that in general, and in accordance with Article 5 of Convention No. 142 concerning the co-operation of employers' and workers' organisations in formulating and implementing vocational guidance and vocational training policies and programmes, such organisations should be involved more closely in the projects. This is essential if any programme is to be efficient and realistic, since it seems that the success of any human resources development policy largely depends on effective participation by the social partners. A specific objective of technical co-operation could therefore be to help to set up tripartite advisory, programming and management bodies. Whilst the projects are running, tripartite meetings could be planned on a regular basis to examine their progress and results in the light of the objectives laid down by standards.

323. The responsible regional advisers also have an important role to play in strengthening tripartism within the framework of the 1976 Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention (No. 144) and the Tripartite Consultation (Activities of the International Labour Organisation) Recommendation (No. 152). Mention should be made of the agreement reached in 1974 between the UNDP Administrator and the Director-General and Governing Body of the ILO, which invited governments to take measures with a view to establishing tripartite participation in projects financed by UNDP and carried out by the ILO, and also of the fact that the agreement is still valid.

324. The Committee has noted that measures to publicise and apply international labour standards are in progress, their objective being to strengthen the ties between the ILO's standard-setting activities and the technical co-operation programme. The practical experience gained in different countries and regions can enhance the standard-setting process and enable standards to be applied more efficiently, whilst ILO standards in turn provide a valuable and necessary framework for technical co-operation. In this context, technical co-operation projects can and should be used more systematically so that the social message contained in ILO standards can be reflected in the formulation of policies and programmes.

Endnotes

Endnote 2

Endnote 3

Endnote 4

Endnote 5

Endnote 6

Endnote 7

Endnote 8

Endnote 9

Endnote 10

Endnote 11

Endnote 12

Endnote 13

Cross references
Constitution: Article 19
Constitution: Article 22
Constitution: Article 35
Conventions: C119 Guarding of Machinery Convention, 1963
Conventions: C144 Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976
Conventions: C148 Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration) Convention, 1977
Conventions: C159 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983
Recommendations:R152 Tripartite Consultation (Activities of the International Labour Organisation) Recommendation, 1976
Recommendations:R168 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Recommendation, 1983