January 2006

• 26-27 January 2006 - Russian stakeholders call for National Anti-Trafficking Plan of Action.
  Trafficking in humans is one of the most cruel and malicious types of organized crime, and it is rapidly developing into a very large-scale criminal activity. Effective action against trafficking requires a focus on its forced labour outcomes, on demand aspects in the destination countries as well as on supply in the origin countries, says the memorandum adopted at the conference organized by the ILO on 26-27 January in Vatutinki, Moscow region.
  
• 25 January 2006 - ILO Director-General warns of "unprecedented jobs crisis", hails World Economic Forum focus on job creation.
  The world is facing an "unprecedented global jobs crisis of mammoth proportions", the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) said today in a statement issued for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) taking place here.
• 24 January 2006 - ILO Annual jobs report says global unemployment continues to grow, youth now make up half those out of work.
  The number of people unemployed worldwide climbed to new heights in 2005, as robust economic growth failed to offset an increase in people seeking work - especially among the vast and growing legion of jobless youth, the International Labour Office (ILO) said in its annual Global Employment Trends released today.

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• 13 January 2006 - Tripartite Declaration on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work signed in Russia.
  The Russian Ministry of Health and Social Development, the Coordinating Council of Employers' Associations and the Russian Federation of Independent Trade Unions - parties to the Tripartite Commission on the Regulation of Social and Labour Relations - called to join efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS and to collaborate in preventing HIV/AIDS at the workplace.
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  5 January 2006 - Taxation named as a serious impediment to business development in Tajikistan.

  
  DUSHANBE , 5 January, Avesta news agency - Tajik employers called taxation a most serious impediment to business development. This conclusion is contained in a study prepared by the ILO together with the National association of small and medium-size business under the project on Capacity building of employers' organizations for competitiveness and production increase. The survey results were presented in Dushanbe on Thursday.
  The project has been implemented in Tajikistan since March 2005. The survey covered 450 respondents in Khatlon, Sogdi regions and the city of Dushanbe. The respondents were asked to rate various problems with 1 point given to the most serous ones, to 5 points for problems that did not impede business development.
  According to the survey, 'unofficial payments' to the Government officials represent another major obstacle for the growth of the transition economy. The report notes that such payments create a ground for an unfair competition.
  In the course of the survey entrepreneurs were also asked to assess the State's interference in the private sector. Only 10 per cent of the respondents believe that such interference is gradually decreasing. The overwhelming majority consider State intervention as 'stable' (43%) and 'not changing from year to year' (62,%).
  According to the Tajik entrepreneurs, the main impediments to the business development in Tajikistan are high taxes, financial problems, corruption and the lack of legal knowledge among the businessmen.