Poverty

Poverty anywhere is a threat everywhere

Breaking the cycle of poverty involves full employment and decent work. This has been a major thrust of the ILO approach. Evidence shows that decent and productive jobs, sustainable enterprises and economic transformation play a key role in reducing poverty. While development assistance remains important, countries that managed to pull themselves out of poverty were those that were able to move from low to higher productive activities, while strengthening institutions for governance and social protection for workers and their families. More on ILO's work on poverty reduction

Highlights

Haiti earthquake aftermath: 522 entrepreneurs in entrepreneurship training programmes, 53 new businesses established in the construction sector; 766 microenterprises set up focusing on debris recycling.
Bangladesh: Since 2011, over 100,000 women and men have benefited from apprenticeships within technical and vocational education and training (ILO TVET Programme).
The ILO has joined forces with the Africa Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund (AATIF) in a range of LDCs, including Burundi and Zambia to help assess social and environmental risks of investments in agriculture in Africa.
Better Work Programmes: through Transparency Databases, monitors accountability and transparency in the garment sector in Bangladesh, Haiti and Lesotho.
HIV/AIDS in Tanzania: 491 jobs created and 1201 businesses engaged to prevent the spread of HIV in transport corridors.