Guatemala
As part of the UN response to the catastrophe provoked by the Hurricane Stan in October 2005, ILO worked closely with UNDP under the Flash Appeal Framework to rehabilitate basic infrastructure using an employment intensive methods. In areas already affected by very high levels of poverty and much dependant on subsistence agriculture damaged by the hurricane, this provided much needed income to those most affected, allowing them to rebuild their livelihoods.
The ILO contributed a team of experts that worked closely with national authorities (SEP, CONRED, SEGEPLAN), FAO, IMO, WFP and the UNDP, in addition to local institutions like the COVIAL, DGC, FONAPAZ, FIS and COCODE. The objective of the ILO component was to promote labour intensive employment programmes for men and women from the affected communities, to provide them with employment, and capacity building and local level planning skills. The initial focus was on municipal rural roads and small bridges; and later on water canalization and housing.
Over a period of 6 months, the ILO carried out 106 projects in the Departments of Sololá and San Marcos, providing over 150,000 days of direct employment to over 5,000 heads of households. As a result of a combination of simple clearing works and the collaboration with municipalities and FONAPAZ regarding material provision and technical supervision for more complicated works, 80% of the total budget was spent on salaries for unskilled workers.
Since June 2006, an ILO expert in the field of employment creation is posted with UNDP, working on the incorporation of employment intensive technologies and enterprise development in UN and Government reconstruction projects, especially housing and roads. The expert is furthermore working together with the Government in the development of national employment policies with an impact beyond reconstruction. To this end a three day training course for high level Government and UN officials was held in December 2006 together with UNDP and the International Training Centre of the ILO.
At the request of the Ministry of Economy, a study was carried out aimed at strengthening the sector of micro and small enterprises (MSE) through the creation of decentralised Enterprise Development Service Centres (CSDE). The resulting project document foresees the creation or strengthening of 8 CSDE with the objective of improving the supply side by activating the local market for enterprise development services, as well as responding to the demands of enterprises through technical assistance, training, and market information. A complementary initiative is currently being developed for the capacity building of municipal and departmental authorities in the application of labour-based technologies and local contracting in their public investments.
Further reading
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