What is the Meeting of the Technical Committee of Cinterfo/ILO

Objective: to examine and analyse the current status of training, discuss relevant topics, exchange experiences, make proposals for new co-operation activities contemplating the priorities of countries. The work programme of Cinterfor/ILO is considered and annual contributions by members are pledged.

"A Technical Committee must exist to assist the ILO Director General and ensure liaison between the Centre and international organisations, guide the Centre’s activities and more specifically consider and adopt its work programme – which has to be ratified by the Director General-, oversee and confirm its implementation, propose measures to upgrade it, apart from adopting its budget and commenting on its application". Thus reads the resolution of the 1^st Preparatory Meeting of Cinterfor (Colombia, 1962) describing the Centre’s activities and the duties of this fundamental meeting of the regional training community, whose 35^th edition will take place at Brasilia from August 30 through September 1, 2001. Nearly 37 years have elapsed since the first meeting, that was held at Rio de Janeiro in October 1964.

Year after year, different cities of the region have welcomed the delegations of the Cinterfor member countries. Rio de Janeiro was followed, up till 1993, by: Montevideo, 1965 (until now, the only other occasion on which the Committee has met at Cinterfor/ILO’s host city); Buenos Aires, 1966; Viña del Mar, 1966; Maracay, 1967; Cleveland, 1968; Bogotá, 1969; Lima, 1970; Brasilia, 1971; Kingston, 1972; Buenos Aires, 1973; San José de Costa Rica, 1974; Guatemala, 1975; Caracas, 1976; Asunción, 1977; Mexico City, 1978; Tegucigalpa, 1979: Brasilia, 1980; Washington, 1981; Caracas, 1982; Kingston 1983; Cartagena de Indias, 1984; San José de Costa Rica, 1985; Santo Domingo, 1986; Madrid, 1988; Salvador, Bahía, 1989; Curaçao, 1990; Isla de Margarita, 1991; Rio de Janeiro, 1992; San José de Costa Rica, 1993; Buenos Aires, 1994; Ocho Ríos, Jamaica, 1995. On this last occasion it was agreed that meetings should be held every two years, so that the 33^rd MTC took place at Santiago, Chile, in 1997and the 34^thMTC was held in Montevideo, in 1999.

Apart from considering matters established by its regulations (the Centre’s activities. programming and finances) the Meetings of the Technical Committee are a sounding board for the "forum for reflection, analysis and technical training" that the founders of this Centre "devoted to vocational training research and documentation" entrusted to Cinterfor. Usually, besides the activities of the MTC, a technical conference is held on crucial topics for the training of human resources, led by distinguished panel of experts.

Within the framework of the 35th. Meeting of the Technical Committee, a series of activities aimed to analyse the subject: Decent Work and Vocational Training will take place. To this effect two panels of specialists who will examine the subject in depth giving ground to the debate among participants are foreseen.

The presence of national authorities and experts from participating countries, representatives of governments, employers and workers, guest observers from national and international organisations, make the deliberations and presentations of the Meeting of the Cinterfor/ILO Technical Committee go beyond those directly involved in the training of human resources, reaching all levels of public opinion in the countries where they are held.. This turns TCMs into fraternal and creative encounters of peoples of the region pivoting round the ever-pressing topics of training for work and employment.