Events in the international community

High-Level Panel on Poverty and Employment in Africa
New York, 30 May 2001

An ILO preparatory meeting on the ECOSOC High-Level Segment on Africa (Geneva, 16-18 July 2001): Employment as the key to policy in Africa on poverty eradication and sustainable development

The ILO is organizing, in collaboration with UNDP, UNIDO, the World Bank and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, a preparatory meeting for the 2001 ECOSOC High-Level Segment on Africa (the role of the United Nations in support of the efforts of African countries to achieve sustainable development). The panel meeting will be held in the Chamber of the Economic and Social Council at United Nations Headquarters, New York from 10.30 to 12.30 on 30 May 2001.

The objective of the High-Level Panel is to bring together political leaders, policy-makers, business and labour leaders, academics and senior officials of the United Nations system to reflect on the role of employment in combating poverty and the way forward.  Specifically, it will aim to identify –

• the action needed to place employment at the center of public policy and national action, both in principle and in practice;
• the conditions and instruments for promoting decent work opportunities for both men and women workers;
• the specific measures required to strengthen the capacity of governments to formulate and implement effective labour and employment policies and ensure coordination among government agencies;
• the policy measures and institutional arrangements required to facilitate the expansion of the informal sector and private investment and promote employment-intensive growth;
• the action needed to improve coordination by UN agencies and ensure that their programmes and those of other development partners are employment-sensitive;
• the measures needed to extend social protection to the unorganized and informal sectors.

It is hoped through this process to initiate a revitalized operational stimulus for employment creation in Africa.  An analysis of the outcome of the panel will be prepared, based on papers to be presented and on a record of the discussion, and will be published in time for the High-Level Segment. After the ECOSOC session, concerted efforts will be made to translate concepts and commitments into strengthened practical employment creation initiatives within countries by governments and their social partners.

Four high-level panelists will make initial 10-minute presentations from political, academic and human development perspectives, followed by a moderated 90-minute exchange between panelists and participants.

His Excellency Ambassador Martin Belinga-Eboutou, Permanent Representative of Cameroon to the United Nations, has kindly agreed to Chair the Panel, and it will be moderated by Ms. Regina Amadi-Njoku, ILO Regional Director for Africa.  

The panelists (subject to contingencies and confirmation) will include former President Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, and Mr. Fackson Shamenda, President of the Zambia Confederation of Trade Unions and President of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU).

For further information on the High-Level Panel on Poverty and Employment, please contact Ms. Regina Amadi-Njoku (ILO Abidjan) or Gareth Howell (ILO New York).