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OUTLINE

ICTSD/QUNO Dialogue The Mode 4 Issue and LDCs: Reaping development benefits through building competitive capacities and tackling market access difficulties WMO, Geneva Switzerland 26 February 2009.

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OUTLINE

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  1. ICTSD/QUNO DialogueThe Mode 4 Issue and LDCs: Reaping development benefits through building competitive capacities and tackling market access difficultiesWMO, Geneva Switzerland26 February 2009 Facilitating Temporary Labour Mobility in African LDCs: addressing Mode 4 related supply-side constraints

  2. OUTLINE • Background • Focus of paper, structure and methodology/approach • Main messages • Conclusion

  3. BACKGROUND • Follow up to LDC requests on Mode 4 • TOR central concern with building productive capacity • Focus on African LDCs* and supply side issues • Biggest problem lack of data

  4. FOCUS OF PAPER, STRUCTURE OF PAPER AND APPROACH/METHODLOGY • Existing studies tend to focus on the end product – specific trade/non-trade agreements and their related management issues • Many cross-cutting issues, hence ‘joined-up policy’ approach • Therefore focus of this paper on the skills dimension and the ‘pre’-mode 4/TLM considerations

  5. FOCUS OF PAPER, STRUCTURE OF PAPER AND APPROACH/METHODLOGY • Examples of types of issues paper explores: - To what extent are African LDCs are in a position to supply trading partners with temporary low skilled workers?- What are the main policy and institutional constraints on the supply-side?- To what extent is mode 4/TLM recognised in national development plans? How is it addressed regionally? - How can the development impact be maximised and costs minimised? - Are there good practices?

  6. FOCUS OF PAPER, STRUCTURE OF PAPER AND APPROACH/METHODLOGY • Structure of paper:- Main features of labour market- Specific skills related challenges- Overview of whether TLM is being used in the skills development context - An assessment of existing regional policy mechanisms- Considerations for a revised Mode 4 request- Recommendations

  7. MAIN MESSAGES: Overall themes • Various policy and institutional issues/constraints related to mode 4 supply side need to be addressed for development benefits of market access at trade level to be realised • Mode 4/TLM should be embedded in a broader skills development strategy. • Therefore TLM should be used as a policy tool for facilitating training, work experience, work values and up-skilling with a view to ensuring consistency with the needs of the sending economy.

  8. MAIN MESSAGES: Skills dimension • Existing education and training (formal and non-formal) is not meeting needs of African LDC economies due to weak labour market analysis and lack of overall coherent strategy • Little comprehensive assessment of the skills challenge despite skills shortages in a range of areas: • Private sector/business; vocational; agricultural; high end; service related; public sector; also basic and transferable etc

  9. MAIN MESSAGES: TVT • Due to the importance of the informal sector and low skilled labour, particular focus on role of TVT. • Overview of TVT: lack of practical experience in training programmes; management issues; relevance; poor infrastructure and materials; funding; actors. • Some positive TVT initiatives: Rwanda, Gambia, Mozambique, Mauritania, Benin, Senegal, Zambia, Ethiopia.

  10. MAIN MESSAGES: Priority of mode 4/TLM at national level & links to skills • Based on PRSPs/DTISs/NDPs for Uganda, Zambia, Senegal, DRC, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania, Benin, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Malawi and Mauritania - commonalities: job creation/cross cutting issue (social sector); TVT; migration hardly discussed and TLM not mentioned; no overall strategy- contrasts: visions

  11. MAIN MESSAGES: Existing policy and institutional capacity to facilitate mode 4/TLM • Policy initiatives at downstream level covering specific aspects • Changing landscape: new generation of development cooperation on TLM (eg. Senegal, Cape Verde*) • Existing work shows that the most positive TLM arrangements are those which are specific, transparent, take a holistic approach and have shared mutual responsibility by both sending and receiving countries • Examples: Philippines, Bangladesh, Pacific region, Abu Dhabi Declaration

  12. MAIN MESSAGES: Regional policy frameworks • AU Migration Policy Framework • AU Strategy to Revitalise Technical and Vocational Training in Africa • AU Framework for Post-conflict Reconstruction and TVT • NEPAD, Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa, Education Institutions, Dakar Declaration • RECs (COMESA, SADC) • Limited regional cooperation on the ground: lack of capacity, expertise, resources, fragmentation and lack of prioritisation

  13. MAIN MESSAGES: GATS • Prospects for mode 4 low skilled further limited by current economic climate: expectations should be realistic • Flexibility and readiness to share responsibility • Existing work shows that development dimension can be addressed in GATS architecture • Skills development agenda can also be pursued through other GATS provisions such as Articles 4, 7 and 8 of the LDC modalities on attaching conditions • Knock-on effects, eg. TVT, mode 2

  14. MAIN MESSAGES • Recommendations at National Level: 1. Develop core vision for skills development 2. More emphasis on TVT 3. Assess relevance and applicability of TLM in context of national development plans/skills development agenda 4. Address policy and institutional gaps

  15. MAIN MESSAGES • Recommendations at Regional Level:1. Facilitate information systems 2. Training, teaching materials and curricula needs3. Qualifications framework?4. Harmonisation of education policies to address skills shortages

  16. MAIN MESSAGES • Recommendations at GATS level:- More specific based on priority areas- Target trading partners whose needs are in common interest with LDCs- Extend definition of CSS to CSS-2- Possible use of a model framework for addressing development dimension- Consider how other modes can be used for skills development

  17. MAIN MESSAGES • Role of international community and donors:- Capacity building, diagnostics, funding, implementation and monitoring- EIF, ODA and other bilateral agreements- Provide MA for LDCs in mode 4 areas of interest

  18. THANK YOU sabrinavarma@gmail.com

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