Presented by Mostefa Boudiaf Turin, 9 July 2007

1. The ILO Global Employment Agenda (GEA): Strategies and implementation Presented by Mostefa Boudiaf Turin, 9 July 2007 Prepared by Maria Sabrina De GobbiILOEmployment Policy Unit - Employment Strategy Department « Trade Union Training on Employment Policies with a focus on Youth Employment »

2. 2.How the Global Employment Agenda was conceived • The United Nations General Assembly called upon the ILO to develop an international strategy for the promotion of freely-chosen, productive employment. • '... the Agenda considers that the best way to promote productive employment is to promote decent work at one and the same time ....'

3. 3. Decent Work and the four ILO strategic objectives • Strategic Objective 1: Standards and Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work • Strategic Objective 2: Employment • Strategic Objective 3: Social Protection • Strategic Objective 4: Social Dialogue

4. 4.The seven pillars of the Global Employment Agenda • Decent Work as a productive factor. • A pro-employment macroeconomic framework. • Entrepreneurship and private investment. • Improving the productivity and opportunities of the working poor. • Ending discrimination in the labour market. • Environmentally and socially sustainable growth. • Employability and adaptability.

5. 5. Two principles underlying all of the Agenda:Decent work as a productive factor • The Agenda views the ILO's strategic objectives in their positive relation to employment: Fundamental rights, such as freedom from discrimination, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, or freedom from forced or child labour, are of moral worth, but lead also to: • more productive job matches and • higher productivity.

6. 6. Two principles underlying all of the Agenda:Decent work as a productive factor The Agenda views the ILO's strategic objectives in their positive relation to employment: Social protection responds to people's need for security, but in so doing can improve labour market functioning. Good health contributes to • good working capacity, and • high productivity.

7. 7. Two principles underlying all of the Agenda:Decent work as a productive factor The Agenda views the ILO's strategic objectives in their positive relation to employment: Social dialogue expresses workers' and employers' right to freedom of association and participation in decision making through collective bargaining, but can also: • find more durable solutions to problems; • increase commitment and transparency; and • speed adjustment to change.

8. 8.Two principles underlying all of the Agenda:Ending discrimination in the labour market The economy as a whole pays the cost of discrimination through: • the under-utilization of human resources; and • less productive job matches.

9. 9. Implementation of the Global Employment Agenda ILO constituents (governments, workers and employers) monitor the implementation of the GEA in different countries. How: • through reports presented to the ILO Governing Body (in the past); and • through reports by selected countries presented by national governments, workers and employers at the ILO Governing Body (since March 2005). In March 2005, tripartite delegations from Ghana and Argentina reported at the ILO Governing Body on the efforts made to implement the GEA in their respective countries.

10. 10. Implementation of the GEA in Ghana The government said: Efforts made so far and successes achieved: • National policy targets were implemented through decentralization and local authorities. • Local committees composed of local stakeholders including social partners were formed. • Local committees made inputs for plans and budgets for poverty reduction strategies and covered issues such as productive employment, informal economy, entrepreneurship, social protection and labour standards.

11. 11. Implementation of the GEA in Ghana The government said: What is to be done in the future: • More efforts are needed to make employment central in the national poverty reduction strategy. • More coordination between existing labour programmes is needed. Planned initiatives for 2005 include: • a national employment survey; • the modernization of the labour market information system; • the adoption of a national human resources development and employment policy; • a Presidential Employment Summit; • the review and introduction of legislation; • the completion of a living wage study; and • youth employment programmes.

12. 12. Implementation of the GEA in Ghana The workers said: Efforts made so far: Five areas for policy development have been identified by social partners: • employment generation including through SMEs and addressing the problems of the informal economy; • creation of new employment opportunities and development of skills for employment; • maximizing the employment benefits of infrastructure development; • integrating persons with disabilities; and • increasing productivity and fair distribution through wages and incomes policy.

13. 13. Implementation of the GEA in Ghana The workers said: What is to be done in the future: Priority issues remain: • the respect of labour standards; • improving labour market information systems; and • implementing the new labour law which does not address the informal sector.

14. 14. Implementation of the GEA in Ghana The employers said: Efforts made so far: • the private sector has been seen as the engine of growth. • Social partners were in a position where they could influence government policies in the areas of employment, productivity, enterprise development and labour markets.

15. 15. Implementation of the GEA in Ghana The employers said: What is to be done in the future: • balancing the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of employment; • strengthening the idea that productivity has the potential to increase living standards through equitable distribution of gains and non-inflationary growth.