ILO-EU project led to better coordination of social protection and employment policies in Burkina Faso, Cambodia and Honduras
The ILO and the European Commission concluded their joint project "Improving social protection and promoting employment” in a workshop organized in Brussels. The project, signed in 2009, supported Burkina Faso, Cambodia and Honduras in the development of integrated social protection and employment policies.
People living in these three countries face similar challenges of poverty, income inequality and gender inequalities. The countries lack comprehensive labour market and social security institutions and are confronted with ineffective social dialogue and fragmented employment and social protection policies.
The project, funded by the European Commission and managed jointly by the ILO and the European Commission, built on the idea that social protection should be linked to employment promoting interventions. That way, a "virtuous cycle” would be established, in which investing in social protection leads to better education, health and stability, which leads to more people having a decent job, which leads to economic growth, which allows more investments in social protection.
The ILO and the European Commission successfully supported the countries in developing action plans to integrate their employment and social protection policies. As an example, Cambodia signed its national employment strategy and established a “single window service” where citizens can go to look for a job and to obtain social protection. The Government of Honduras signed a national action plan strengthening the social protection and security system, and Burkina Faso started to build up a social protection floor for its youth.
The ILO, the EU and the three concerned countries formulated recommendations for other countries wanting to coordinate their employment and social protection policies. They stressed the need for linking employment and social policies at the strategic country level, for strengthening national and local government institutions, for installing a well-functioning social dialogue, for financing social protection and employment policies and for foreseeing the necessary legislation.
The project, funded by the European Commission and managed jointly by the ILO and the European Commission, built on the idea that social protection should be linked to employment promoting interventions. That way, a "virtuous cycle” would be established, in which investing in social protection leads to better education, health and stability, which leads to more people having a decent job, which leads to economic growth, which allows more investments in social protection.
The ILO and the European Commission successfully supported the countries in developing action plans to integrate their employment and social protection policies. As an example, Cambodia signed its national employment strategy and established a “single window service” where citizens can go to look for a job and to obtain social protection. The Government of Honduras signed a national action plan strengthening the social protection and security system, and Burkina Faso started to build up a social protection floor for its youth.
The ILO, the EU and the three concerned countries formulated recommendations for other countries wanting to coordinate their employment and social protection policies. They stressed the need for linking employment and social policies at the strategic country level, for strengthening national and local government institutions, for installing a well-functioning social dialogue, for financing social protection and employment policies and for foreseeing the necessary legislation.