ILO's Research Department and the Regional Office for Africa of the International Labour Organization (ILO) organised the ‘Africa Regional Training Course on Labour and Social Policies for Decent Work’ and hosted the ILO DWCT Cairo. The meeting was held in Cairo (Egypt) from 10-14 October, 2016.

Dr. Aeneas Chapinga Chuma (Regional Director, ILO Africa), Ms. Mona Wahba (Egyptian Undersecretary for Foreign Relations), Lawrence Jeff Johnson (Deputy Director, ILO Research Department), and Peter Van Rooij (Director, DWCT Cairo) opened the training Course.

Objectives of the Course:
To help strengthen the capacity of government officials from relevant ministries (labour, social security, etc.) and representatives of workers’ and employers’ organizations to contribute to labour and social policy development.
The course also presented the current evidence-based research and provided an opportunity for participants to share their knowledge and experiences.

Speakers:
There were 29 participants from the 13 African countries, which included the following:
Governments: Egypt, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Zambia
Employers: Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa,
Workers: Egypt, Eritrea, Lesotho, Mauritius, Nigeria, Uganda

The Course content reflected the current concerns of the ILO and its constituents such as:

• Introduction to ILO: The theme aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to participate in the activities of the ILO at local, regional and international level. It covered the history of the Organization, its mandate, key structures and its means of action. It also introduced the participants to the functioning of tripartism in the various organs of the Organization.
• Decent Work: This covered the concept of decent work and its measurement. Participants also looked at the connections between the four pillars of Decent Work, and discussed the synergies that can be obtained when social and economic issues are tackled together.
• Standards and fundamental principles and rights at work: A brief introduction to questions related to the adoption, ratification and enforcement of international labour standards was provided. Attention was also be given to the promotion of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its follow-up.
• Employment: The main goal here was to understand the ILO paradigm of employment, based on decent work opportunities for all, and the concept of economic growth with equity. Specific topics included sustainable enterprises, informal economy and the role of employment to promote economic development.
• Social protection: Access to an adequate level of social protection is recognized by the ILO as a basic right of all individuals. The course explored the concept of social protection floors and the social and economic role for sustainable development. 
• Social dialogue: Participants looked at social dialogue as an enabling right, and as a crucial mechanism to promote employment and social development. They reviewed the challenges posed by globalization and social change to the tripartite constituents, and discussed strategies and tools to strengthen the social partners and enhance their capabilities to contribute to the goal of Decent Work. Other cross cutting issues such as future of work, SDGs, migration, informal employment, Employment and Social Outlook, and minimum wage were discussed.