GB.272/Inf.2
272nd Session
Geneva, June 1998

Employment and human resources development

1. Subregional Seminar on the Choice of Employment Generating Investment for the Countries of the Entente Council

Proposed date:

October 1998

Place:

Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$55,000

Geographical coverage:

Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger and Togo

Composition of participants:

(a) Governments:

15 (three from each country, including one from the Ministry of Labour, one from the Ministry of Planning and one from the Ministry of Public Works)

(b) Employers:

10

(c) Workers:

10

Observers:

Agence des travaux d'intérêt publique pour l'Emploi (Côte d'Ivoire)

Purpose:

(i) to orient national investment related policy and programmes in a way as to optimize their impact on employment;
(ii) to introduce or strengthen the mechanisms of concertation and the modalities of negotiation at both the central and decentralized levels in order to better integrate the dimension of employment in investment programmes.

Relevance to international labour standards:

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29); Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Labour Clauses (Public Contracts) Convention, 1949 (No. 94); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105); Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111); Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138); Rural Workers' Organisations Convention, 1975 (No. 141); and Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144)

Working language

French

2. Tripartite Seminar on the Management of Vocational Training for Selected Latin American Countries and Spain

Proposed date:

10-13 November 1998

Place:

Madrid, Spain

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$20,000; and CINTERFOR US$15,000

Geographical coverage:

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Peru, Spain, Venezuela

Composition of participants:

(a) Governments:

10

(b) Employers:

10

(c) Workers:

10

Purpose:

(i) to analyse the situation and the perspectives of vocational training in the Latin American region, with particular emphasis on the participation of workers' and employers' organizations and to share Latin American and European experiences in the administration and bipartite management of training;
(ii) to highlight the importance of collective bargaining within the framework of bipartite management in view of implementing policies, strategies and programmes of vocational training.

Relevance to international labour standards:

Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142); Human Resources Development Recommendation, 1975 (No. 150); Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154); and Collective Bargaining Recommendation, 1981 (No. 163)

Working language:

Spanish

3. Consultation on the Follow-up on the World Summit for Social Development for Selected Central and Eastern European Countries

Proposed date:

26-28 January 1999

Place:

Budapest, Hungary

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$76,000

Geographical coverage:

Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russian Federation and Ukraine

Composition of participants:

(a) Governments:

10

(b) Employers:

10

(c) Workers:

10

Observers:

European Commission;

International Monetary Fund;

United Nations Development Programme;

World Bank

Purpose:

(i) to review action taken and results achieved by selected transition countries concerning the follow-up to the Social Summit;
(ii) to examine the results for successes and failures, and to identify measures towards policy and institutional reforms that may be necessary to promote the goal of full employment;
(iii) to provide regional perspectives and support to the preparations of the Office for the International Consultation on Follow-up to the Social Summit, which would be held in Geneva, 2-4 November 1999.

Relevance to international labour standards:

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29); Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105); Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111); Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138).

Working languages:

English and Russian

4. Subregional Meeting on Comparative Country Employment Policy Review for Selected Countries of the European Union

Proposed date:

25-26 February 1999

Place:

Geneva, Switzerland

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$34,000

Geographical coverage:

Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Netherlands

Composition of participants:

(a) Governments:

8

(b) Employers:

8

(c) Workers:

8

Resource persons:

4 experts from research institutions

Observers:

European Commission;

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development

Purpose:

(i) to consider with governments and the social partners the results of ILO's Comparative Country Employment Policy Review within the framework of the follow-up to the Social Summit;
(ii) to highlight interesting experiences and propose solutions to employment and social problems; and
(iii) to contribute to the preparations for the International Consultation on the Country Employment Reviews later in 1999.

Relevance to international labour standards:

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); and Employment Promotion and Protection against Unemployment Convention, 1988 (No. 168)

Working language:

English

5. Latin American Regional Workshop concerning the Accreditation of Vocational Training Centres: Additional information ⁽²⁾

Former dates:

second half of 1997; and

second half of 1998

New date:

1999, to be determined

Place:

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Industrial relations

6. Subregional Tripartite Workshop on Conciliation and Mediation for Selected Central and Eastern European Countries

Proposed date:

28 September-3 October 1998

Place:

Dublin, Ireland

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$10,000; and Labour Relations Commission, Ireland US$15,000

Geographical coverage:

Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine

Composition of participants:

(a) Governments:

4

(b) Employers:

4

(c) Workers:

4

Resource persons:

Labour Relations Commission, Ireland

Purpose:

(i) to promote a better understanding of the principles and mechanisms of settlement of labour disputes in free market economy countries; and
(ii) to provide training in conciliation and mediation techniques, procedures and rules

Relevance to international labour standards:

Labour Relations (Public Service) Convention, 1978 (No. 151); and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154); Voluntary Conciliation and Arbitration Recommendation, 1951 (No. 92); and Examination of Grievances Recommendation, 1967 (No. 130)

Working languages:

English and Russian

7. High-Level Tripartite Meeting for the Promotion of Social Dialogue and Tripartite Cooperation for Countries of the Entente Council

Proposed date:

9-10 December 1998

Place:

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$20,000; and

Government of Belgium US$20,000

Geographical coverage:

Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Togo

(a) Governments:

10 (the Minister of Labour and the Director of Labour from each country)

(b) Employers:

10

(c) Workers:

10

Observers:

United Nations Development Programme;

West African Economic and Monetary Union

Purpose:

(i) to follow up the first tripartite meeting and to examine the present state of social dialogue in each country; and
(ii) to prepare the tripartite meeting of the West African Economic and Monetary Union, which is planned to take place during the first half of 1999.

Relevance to international labour standards:

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); and Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144)

Working language:

French

Labour administration

8. Subregional Tripartite Seminar on Labour Policy Development and Social Dialogue in Central and Eastern European Countries

Proposed date:

14-21 October 1998

Place:

Nicosia, Cyprus

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$20,000; and the Government of Cyprus US$25,000

Geographical coverage:

Albania, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia

Composition of participants:

(a) Governments:

9

(b) Employers:

9

(c) Workers:

9

Resource persons:

Tripartite constituents of Cyprus

Purpose:

(i) to promote a better understanding of the functioning and role of tripartism in industrial relations and labour administration in Central and Eastern Europe, in the light of recent experiences and current challenges; and
(ii) to strengthen the importance attached to the implementation of decisions taken at the various levels of the economy through labour inspection and social dialogue.

Relevance to international labour standards:

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (and Protocol, 1995) (No. 81); Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144); and Labour Administration Convention, 1978 (No. 150)

Working language:

English

9. Latin American Regional Meeting on Labour Inspection Systems

Proposed date:

26-31 October 1998

Place:

Antigua, Guatemala

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$75,000

Geographical coverage:

Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

Composition of participants:

(a) Governments:

20

(b) Employers:

10

(c) Workers:

10

Observer:

International Association of Labour Inspection

Purpose:

(i) to promote the ratification and application of related instruments; and
(ii) to identify those practical measures which helped the various countries to resolve the problems related to the organization and functioning of labour inspection.

Relevance to international labour standards:

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 [and Protocol, 1995] (No. 81); Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129); Labour Administration Convention, 1978 (No. 150); Labour Inspection Recommendation, 1947 (No. 81); Labour Inspection (Mining and Transport) Recommendation, 1947 (No. 82); Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Recommendation, 1969 (No. 133); and Labour Administration Recommendation, 1978 (No. 158)

Working language:

Spanish

10. ARLAC Seminar on the Role of Labour Administration in Employment Promotion in Small Enterprises: Additional information ⁽³⁾  

Former date:

25-29 May 1998

New date:

27-31 July 1998

Place:

Harare, Zimbabwe

Working conditions and environment

11. Interregional Seminar on Achieving Equality for (Im)Migrant Workers: Additional information ⁽⁴⁾

Former date:

22-24 June 1998

New date:

Fourth quarter 1998

Place:

Brussels, Belgium

12. Consultation for South-East Asian countries on Subregional Action against Child Labour: Additional information ⁽⁵⁾

Former date:

July 1998

Cancelled

Sectoral activities

13. Second ⁽⁶⁾ Latin American Subregional Seminar on International Labour Standards in the Maritime Sector

Proposed date:

22-25 September 1998

Place:

Viña del Mar, Chile

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$47,750

Geographical coverage:

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay

Composition of participants:

(a) Governments:

10

(b) Employers

10

(c) Workers

10

Observers:

International Maritime Organization;

International Shipping Federation;

International Transport Workers' Federation

Purpose:

(i) to follow up the first subregional seminar and to familiarize countries in Latin America with international maritime standards; and
(ii) to promote the implementation of these standards.

Relevance to international labour standards:

Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1976 [and Protocol, 1996] (No. 147); Labour Inspection (Seafarers) Convention, 1996 (No. 178); Recruitment and Placement of Seafarers Convention, 1996 (No. 179); Seafarers' Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships Convention, 1996 (No. 180); Labour Inspection (Seafarers) Recommendation, 1996 (No. 185); Recruitment and Placement of Seafarers Recommendation, 1996 (No. 186); and Seafarers' Wages, Hours of Work and the Manning of Ships Recommendation, 1996 (No. 187)

Working language:

Spanish

Labour statistics and information

14. Subregional Workshop on Labour Force Sample Surveys for Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)

Proposed date:

14-19 September

Place:

Moscow, Russian Federation

Financing:

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe US$42,351

Geographical coverage:

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Composition of participants:

(a) Governments:

24 (two participants from the Central Statistical Office of each country)

(b) Employers:

3

(c) Workers:

3

Resource persons:

Netherlands Statistical Office (2)

International Sampling Consultant (1)

Observers:

General Confederation of Trade Unions

Purpose:

to expose the participants to international concepts, definitions and techniques applicable to the design and implementation of labour force surveys

Relevance to international labour standards:

Labour Statistics Convention, 1985 (No. 160); and Labour Statistics Recommendation, 1985 (No. 170)

Working languages:

English and Russian

15. Latin American Regional Training Workshop for Statisticians on the Elaboration of Inquiries concerning Child Labour: Additional information ⁽⁷⁾  

Former date:

9-12 June 1998

New date:

14-18 July 1998

Place:

Cartagena de Indias, Colombia

Employers' activities

16. Subregional Employers' Seminar for Andean Countries on the Design and Planning of Institutional Development Programmes

Proposed date:

20-22 July 1998

Place:

Madrid, Spain

Financing:

Government of Spain US$35,000

Geographical coverage:

Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

Composition of participants:

Employers:

10

Resource person:

Spanish Confederation of Employers' Organizations (CEOE)

Purpose:

(i) to analyse the lessons learned from the project, which aimed at the strengthening of employers' organizations;
(ii) to design action plans for employers' organizations; and
(iii) to improve inter-institutional coordination.

Working language:

Spanish

17. Latin American Employers' Course of ILGO ⁽⁸⁾

Proposed date:

23-29 August 1998

Place:

Alajuela, Costa Rica

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$40,000; International Organization of Employers US$10,000; and participating employers' organizations US$30,000

Geographical coverage:

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela

Composition of participants:

Employers:

76 (four from each country)

Purpose:

to reinforce the management skills of high-level officials of Latin American employers' organizations

Working language:

Spanish

18. Subregional Employers' Seminar for Central American and Caribbean Countries on the World of Work at the Beginning of the Third Millennium

Proposed date:

10-11 September 1998

Place:

Mexico City, Mexico

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$22,000

Geographical coverage:

Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama

Composition of participants:

Employers:

18 (two from each country)

Purpose:

to analyse with the employers of the region the situation and the evolution of the labour market as of the year 2000

Working language:

Spanish

19. Subregional Workshop on Strategic Planning of Employers' Organizations in Central Africa

Proposed date:

October 1998

Place:

Yaoundé, Cameroon

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$40,000

Geographical coverage:

Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe

Composition of participants:

Employers:

11

Observers:

Union syndicale interprofessionnelle des entreprises de Djibouti

Purpose:

to promote the concept and the tools of strategic planning for employers' organizations in order to promote:

(i) the adoption of a proactive management while taking into account the role of the employers in a market economy; and

(ii) the strengthening of the institutional capacity of employers' organizations concerning the formulation of enterprise policy.

Working language:

French

20. Subregional Forum of Coordinators of Labour Commissions of Employers' Organizations from Selected Central American and Caribbean Countries

Proposed date:

26-27 November 1998

Place:

Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$5,500

Geographical coverage:

Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama

Composition of participants:

Employers:

7

Purpose:

(i) to coordinate the labour policy of the entrepreneurial sector of Central America and the Dominican Republic;
(ii) to follow up the document containing ILO's subregional objectives; and
(iii) to analyse the labour legislation of the countries in the area.

Working language:

Spanish

21. Subregional Training Workshop for Employers' Organizations for Selected Countries in Asia and the Pacific

Proposed date:

30 November-10 December 1998

Place:

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$23,000

Geographical coverage:

Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Viet Nam

Composition of participants:

Employers:

11

Resource persons:

one person from the Singapore Institute of Management

Purpose:

to improve the training abilities of officials of employers' organizations and thus enable them to better deliver a wide range of services to members of these organizations

Working language:

English

22. East African Business Forum

Proposed date:

to be determined

Place:

Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$10,000

Geographical coverage:

Kenya, United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda

Composition of participants:

Employers:

30

Purpose:

(i) to encourage cooperation between East African businesses; and
(ii) to develop links with the East African Cooperation in Arusha.

Working language:

English

23. Subregional Conference for Employers' Organizations of Portuguese-speaking Countries on Regional Integration and Competitivity, Opportunities and Challenges for Enterprises

Proposed date:

to be determined

Place:

Praia, Cape Verde

Financing:

ILO regular budget US$20,000

Geographical coverage:

Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe

Composition of participants:

Employers:

10

Purpose:

(i) to sensitize employers' organizations to the economic and social changes which resulted from the creation of regional blocks and to analyse their impact on enterprises; and
(ii) to assist employers' organizations in strategically planning their future development .

Working languages:

French and Portuguese

Workers' activities

24. Subregional Advanced Training of Trainers' Course on Trade Union Organization and Leadership Development

Proposed date:

1-20 September 1998

Place:

Kathmandu, Nepal

Financing:

Government of Denmark US$70,000

Geographical coverage:

India, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka

Composition of participants:

Workers:

20

Purpose:

(i) to introduce management principles and strengthen the participants' skill to analyse the internal and external environment of trade union organizations;
(ii) to enable participants to set up management training programmes, to use advanced training materials and to assist trade union leadership in designing strategic plans and actions.

Relevance to international labour standards:

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111); Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); Workers' Representatives Convention, 1971 (No. 135); Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144); and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154)

Working language:

English

25. Regional Seminar on Globalization and Trade Unions for Workers' Organizations in Central and Eastern Europe

Proposed date:

23-25 November 1998

Place:

Budapest, Hungary

Financing:

Government of the Netherlands US$45,000

Geographical coverage:

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Republic of Yugoslavia, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine

Composition of participants:

Workers:

45

Resource persons:

representatives of the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; the European Trade Union Confederation; the Netherlands Trade Union Confederation; and the Confederation of Christian Trade Unions in the Netherlands

Purpose:

to increase the capacity of trade unions to address issues that arise out of the processes of trade liberalization, increasing foreign investment and the development of a more global economy

Relevance to international labour standards:

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 No. 29); Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105); Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111); Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138); and Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144)

Working languages:

Czech, English, Hungarian, Polish, Russian and Serbo-Croate

26. ILO/PSI Transcaucasus Subregional Conference for Public Sector Workers on the Role of Trade Unions in Restructuring Public Services: Additional information ⁽⁹⁾

Former date:

7-9 May1998

New date:

9-11 July 1998

Place:

T'bilisi, Georgia

27. ILO/RENGO Subregional Orientation Workshop for French-speaking African Countries on the Advantages for Workers of Productivity Improvement: Additional information ⁽¹⁰⁾

Former date:

July 1998

New date:

first half of 1999

Place:

Dakar, Senegal

28. South-East Asian Subregional Training of Trainers Course on Participatory Training Methodologies on Women Workers and Child Labour Issues: Additional information ⁽¹¹⁾

Former date:

20-26 April 1998

New date:

26 July-1 August 1998

Place:

Karnchanaburi, Thailand

29. Latin American Subregional Seminar for Workers' Representatives on Trends and Contents of Collective Bargaining: Additional information ⁽¹²⁾

Former date:

second half of 1998

New date:

18-20 November 1998

Place:

Quito, Ecuador