Through the MATRA SOUTH Programme the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands supports activities that stimulate the democratic transition in the Arab region. This new contribution to the ILO will focus on the promotion of youth employment through two country-level components.The first component of US$ 300,000 will enable ILO assistance to Jordan to improve Jordan’s Employment, Technical, Vocational Education and Training System, which will increase employability and job opportunities for young people. The second component of US$ 1 million will support the implementation of regional Youth Employment Action Plans in four Governorates in Tunisia.
The MATRA SOUTH programme was established in 2012 to support and promote economic development, democratization and rule of law by supporting civil society and private sector initiatives as well as cooperation with local and national governments in the MENA region. "The emphasis is on activities that help bring about democratic transition” said Mr. Bert Meijerman, Programme Coordinator in the MENA Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “The MATRA partnership model has been successfully applied for over 15 years and draws on the experience of supporting transitions to pluralist and democratic states in Southeast and Eastern Europe”.
The Netherlands is one of the key strategic partners of the ILO and a major donor to ILO’s development programme. In 2012, it was ILO’s sixth largest governmental donor, with over US$10.5 million provided in voluntary funding.
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