| News |
 |
| ILO, Moldova to promote Decent Work |
CHISINAU, Moldova (ILO news) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Republic of Moldova will work together to address labour market challenges and create more and better jobs, under a new partnership agreement announced here on 10th December 2008.
The ILO, the Ministry of Economy and Trade of Moldova and the organizations representing employers and workers in Moldova launched the new “Decent Work Country Programme” (DWCP) for Moldova covering the 2008 – 2011 period in the presence of the country’s UN Resident Coordinator. The agreement, which promotes decent work as a key to national development, is based on the previous successful cooperation between the ILO and Moldova.
 |
Launch of the DWCP of Moldova: Ms Anne Knowles, ILO Senior Specialist for Employer's Activities;
Mr Sergiu Sainciuc, Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade of Moldova;
Ms Ala Lipciu, ILO National Coordinator of Moldova;
Ms Svetla Shekerdjieva, ILO Senior Specialist for Worker's Activities;
Ms Kaarina Immonen, Resident Coordinator of UN in Moldova
|
The Programme, which was developed with the participation of the Moldovan government, trade unions and employers’ organization, focuses on three key priorities.
The first is to strengthen the capacity of government institutions and the social partners to improve the governance of the labour market. This includes reforms of labour administration and labour inspection, and the establishment of an effective dispute settlement mechanism. The Programme also aims to strengthen workers’ and employers’ organizations and to improve the quality and coverage of labour statistics. In order to effectively address social and economic issues, the ILO will provide technical assistance to the tripartite Commissions for Consultation and Collective Bargaining at the national, territorial and sectoral level.
The second priority focuses on effective employment policy formulation. The ILO will work with government officials, employers’ and workers’ organizations to strengthen their capacity to formulate and implement gender-sensitive active employment policies and programmes addressing the needs of disadvantaged groups, including workers in the informal economy. The ILO will also help its constituents set up a viable institutional and regulatory framework for the effective management of labour migration, to prevent human trafficking and labour exploitation and to encourage the investment of migrant workers’ remittances into income generating activities.
The third priority is to improve the effectiveness of social protection by developing sound social security policies based on social dialogue. The ILO will continue to assist the tripartite constituents in developing and implementing national occupational safety and health plans as well as HIV/AIDS workplace policies and programmes. The ILO will also support efforts to stop the trafficking of children and hazardous child labour, particularly in agriculture and street work, through education and other services.
A major contribution to national and international development agendas
In recent years the socio-economic situation in the Republic of Moldova has improved significantly. Real GDP has grown by an average of 5.9% each year, with a cumulative growth of 49.5 % since 1999(1).
However, this economic recovery has not created more jobs. High and long-term unemployment, combined with few decent work opportunities and high numbers of workers engaged in the informal economy have caused widespread poverty and increasing migration flows, hitting the younger population in particular.
Child labour has also increased, since poor families depend on the earnings of working children. Migrant parents are very often replaced by children in their jobs at home. Moldova remains one of the most important sending and transit countries for labour migrants from South East Europe. An estimated 600,000 to 1 million Moldovans work abroad, and the country’s dependence on remittances is the second highest in the world.
With 35.1% in 2006, a high share of the working population is employed in the informal economy.
The DWCP supports the Republic of Moldova in meeting its commitments arising from international and regional development agendas, including the ratification of international labour standards, the Millennium Development Goals and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).
The Programme also supports Moldova in implementing its National Development Strategy for 2008-2011, and the country’s efforts to have closer ties with the European Union.
*************************
1. National Bureau of Statistics data
Press release in Moldovan in pdf
Moldova Decent Work Country Programme 2008 - 2011 in pdf in English
and in Moldovan
Further information:
Ms Edit Horváth
tel. +36 (1) 473 2656
|
|
|
| The ILO Budapest Newsletter |
|
|
| Events & campaigns |
On the occasion of the 8th European Regional Meeting, the ILO is launching the Albanian, Romanian, Serbian and Ukrainian versions of the Decent Work Flash
|
|
