Activity report 2012: Promoting decent work agenda
The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) overarching goal is the promotion of social justice and internationally recognised human and labour rights. Its mission is to help women and men around the world to find decent work in conditions of freedom, equity, security, and human dignity. The ILO hopes to achieve this through its Decent Work Agenda, which encompasses the ILO’s four strategic objectives: (1) creating jobs; (2) guaranteeing rights at work; (3) extending social protection; and (4) promoting social dialogue.
In Tanzania, the ILO’s work is specifically guided by the Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP),
ILO’s framework for action at country-level. The DWCP for Tanzania, which was jointly developed by
ILO’s constituents and is fully aligned with Tanzania’s national poverty reduction strategy (MKUKUTA/
MKUZA) and the United Nations Development Assistance Programme for Tanzania (UNDAP), has the
following three priority areas: (1) poverty reduction through the creation of decent work opportunities
with a focus on young women and women; (2) reduction of incidence of child labour, in particular its
worst forms; and (3) mitigation of the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS at the workplace. In order to
implement the DWCP and promote the DWA, ILO’s role over recent years, including in 2012, has been
to advocate for an employment-centred development strategy; a comprehensive package of social safety
nets and social transfers for the vulnerable; enhancing institutional capacity, laws, and regulations; and
developing practices to address structural causes of decent work deficits and poverty in the country.
ILO’s interventions in the three proposed areas that the DWCP has focused made a difference in the lives of
Tanzanians and some examples have been highlighted. People have been trained in entrepreneurship, which
has resulted in new skills for starting new businesses; improved running of businesses; and expansion of
existing businesses.
ILO’s framework for action at country-level. The DWCP for Tanzania, which was jointly developed by
ILO’s constituents and is fully aligned with Tanzania’s national poverty reduction strategy (MKUKUTA/
MKUZA) and the United Nations Development Assistance Programme for Tanzania (UNDAP), has the
following three priority areas: (1) poverty reduction through the creation of decent work opportunities
with a focus on young women and women; (2) reduction of incidence of child labour, in particular its
worst forms; and (3) mitigation of the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS at the workplace. In order to
implement the DWCP and promote the DWA, ILO’s role over recent years, including in 2012, has been
to advocate for an employment-centred development strategy; a comprehensive package of social safety
nets and social transfers for the vulnerable; enhancing institutional capacity, laws, and regulations; and
developing practices to address structural causes of decent work deficits and poverty in the country.
ILO’s interventions in the three proposed areas that the DWCP has focused made a difference in the lives of
Tanzanians and some examples have been highlighted. People have been trained in entrepreneurship, which
has resulted in new skills for starting new businesses; improved running of businesses; and expansion of
existing businesses.