Given the profound changes in economies of the region as a result of structural adjustment policies and globalization, rural communities which compose at least 50 % of the workforce and engaged in subsistence-farming or as wage-earners are hard-hit. Through a previous ILO project to enhance women's participation, some progress has been made by rural workers' organizations in helping women workers to know their rights and to find strategies to meet basic needs through special services and action at national level to promote their rights such as access to land and credit.
This project is to consolidate these efforts and to promote a wider knowledge among rural workers of their rights and responsibilities as union members through an integrated training programme to focus on international labour standards related to agriculture, freedom of association and collective bargaining, equality of opportunity and treatment as well as sustainable development issues affecting the environment and relating to rural workers.
Target group(s):
Members of rural workers' organizations in the concerned countries, both men and women, including wage-earners and the self-employed as defined in Convention 141.
Main activities:
national planning activities;
sub-regional seminar to analyze situation of RWOs in region and action to be taken;
strategic planning and evaluation workshops;
training and activities to develop and strengthen "special services" such as cooperatives and income generation;
exchange visits between RWOs for practical training skills;
production of trade union education training material.
