Regional Seminar

19th Regional Seminar for Labour-based Practitioners

Sharing views, experiences and reviewing developments in employment-intensive approaches to creating communities that are resilient to socio-economic, environmental and climate change hazards.

The 2023 ILO Regional Seminar for Labour-based Practitioners was hosted by the the Ministry of Public Service and Labour, government of Rwanda in Kigali from the 15th to the 19th May under the theme: “Promoting skills and productive (decent) jobs for our common better future”. More than 1000 participants from 49 countries came together to discuss and share experiences, policies and strategies on how to create communities that are resilient to socio-economic, environmental and climate change hazards and ensuring just transition through labour intensive approaches. They included ministers of labour, TVET, education, policymakers, development partners, employers’ and workers’ associations, labour-based technology practitioners, various bilateral and multilateral organizations, NGOs, academic and research institutions, and the private sector.

gathering of delegates at the opening ceremony — Ministers and Heads of Delegations from African region together with ILO RD of ROAF and ADG Andre Bogui, that attended the Opening Ceremony on 15 May 2023.

In total, about eleven high-level communications were presented on the sub-themes as follows:

Innovation in employment intensive technology, approach and work methods relating to the development of rural and urban infrastructure
Enabling policy, legislative and institutional frameworks for the promotion of inclusive public employment programmes and green works in job-rich sectors
Skills and competencies for transformative infrastructure and sustainable livelihood
Employment intensive works in the context of fragility (i.e., natural disasters, conflict and refugee situation, economic decline, etc.)

The Ministers deliberated on the advancements achieved since the 18th Regional Seminar in 2019. They acknowledged the encouraging efforts undertaken by most participating countries and released a Statement that reaffirmed their their commitment to promoting skills development and the use of labor-intensive approaches which align with the objectives set forth in the 2019 Abidjan Declaration and the AU Agenda 2063.

The event highlighted the relevance of the skills development and life-long learning and the use of labour-based approaches to promote social justice for young women and men.

For over 30 years, the Employment Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP) of the ILO has lead the regional seminars for labour-based practitioners in the African region. The aim is to bring together practitioners, policy makers, planners, implementers, researchers and academics from the all over the world to share experiences including innovative approaches and to exchange views on specific themes related to employment intensive investments and labour-based technology. Around 70 low and middle-income countries including 40 African countries, have participated in this ILO programme.

The 20th Regional Seminar for Labour-based Practioners will be held in 2025 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.