SACU Trade Union Training Workshop, Piggs Peak, Swaziland, 5-8 December 2006

1. SACU Trade Union Training Workshop, Piggs Peak, Swaziland, 5-8 December 2006 ILO’s Decent Work Country Programming: new approaches to ILO programming Presentation by: Mohammed Mwamadzingo, Ph.D., Regional Specialist on Workers’ Education, ILO Office Pretoria, South Africa. Wednesday, 6 December 2006

2. Country programming • National development ’visions’, plans, and programmes • Joint exercises involving development partners and recipients • Different frameworks • Need for alignment and partnership • National governments should take the lead in coordinating development partners’ contribution

3. Decent Work Country Programmes • “The overall goal of the ILO is decent work for women and men in all countries… Decent work country programmes put ILO’s knowledge, instruments and advocacy at the service of our tripartite constituents to advance the decent work agenda within the fields of competence of the Organisation” ILO Director General’s Circular No. 599 (20 May 2004)

4. DWCPs (cont.) • Field driven :designed and implemented by Field Offices • Official guidance on DWCP: DG circulars 598 & 599 • Field Offices can obtain support from other ILO units to country programmes • Joint evaluation

5. DWCPs (cont.) • Contributing to national development plans • Time-bound and resourced programmes: tools for effective decentralisation of responsibility • Providing a coherent framework of action • Applying a results-based management approach • Promoting tripartism and social dialogue as means of functioning • Gender-sensitive

6. DWCPs (cont.) • The process 1. Scoping NDP UNDAF CCA ILO SPF 6. Monitoring and Evaluation 2. Agreeing on the Priority Areas of Co-operation 5. Implementation 3. Design : outcomes and resources 4. Approval

7. DWCPs (cont.) • Programme content: 6 elements • Problem(s) to be addressed • Past cooperation and lessons learned • Priority area(s) of cooperation • Intended medium-term and short-term outcome(s) • Implementation plan, including outputs, activities and resources • Performance monitoring and evaluation arrangements

8. Example 1: PRSP in Tanzania • Prior 2003 • Trade unions not invited to participate in PRSP Development during 2000 • Trade unions did not participate in reviewing PRSP September 2001 • No trade union participated and contributed in any way at all in the PRSP evaluation process within and outside the formal structure during the consultative meetings • Environment of mutual mistrust • Poor conception of trade union roles • Absence of appropriate structures for trade union participation • Inadequate capacity at trade unions • Inadequate preparations for PRSP process

9. Example 1: PRSP in Tanzania • The process after 2003 • The end of the first phase PRSP in 2003 and the beginning of revision was marked by the production of a major nationally-produced report • Wide circulation of the revised PRSP proved important to ensuring the broadest understanding of the latest information on trends in poverty • Following the production and dissemination of the national analytical report, the government produced a guide to the revision process. • Consultative processes involved hundreds of stakeholders and the full process required a minimum of 18 months

10. Example 1: PRSP in Tanzania • The process after 2003 • The ILO engagement in the processes was strong in Tanzania because of the presence of an office and staff. ILO Constituents were invited to PRSP discussions helped by the more structured processes than those for the preparation of the first PRSP. • Lesson learnt • Setting clear guidelines and frameworks for stakeholders use in preparing written inputs can help both the consultative and the synthesis processes. • Technical support for working groups can help to improve their policy analysis, planning and budgeting. • Transforming the large number of stakeholder submissions into a coherent and affordable strategy is challenging and some stakeholders will, no doubt, feel that inadequate attention to their issues of concern are given in the final PRSP document. • The gatekeeper role of the government’s coordinating unit for PRSP revision is enormous and respect for this should be retained.

11. Example 2: DWCP in Zimbabwe • DWCP is an embodiment of outcomes and outputs which forms the basis of ILO work in Zimbabwe • The success of DWCP Zimbabwe will be measured at the end of the 2006-07 biennium • CWCP Zimbabwe is in line with the country’s national development plans, country programming and the MDGs

12. Example 2: DWCP in Zimbabwe • The lengthy process • Preliminary study by independent consultant • ILO/SRO Harare organised small teams that met with all the stakeholders in October and November 2005 • Aim of the meetings was to tease out national priorities that will eventually be financed and supported by Zimbabwe’s development partners • 14 consultative meetings held with various stakeholders: 10 government ministries, EMCOZ and ZCTU • Draft DWCP produced

13. Example 2: DWCP in Zimbabwe • The final document • A meeting of all stakeholders was held on 14 December 2005 to discuss the draft decent work outline • The stakeholders agreed on main country priorities for Zimbabwe on which the DWCP-Zimbabwe will be based: • - Poverty reduction through employment creation; • - Social Protection and Reduction of the impact of HIV and AIDS at the workplace; and • - Upholding and strengthening of social dialogue and tripartite consultation.

14. Example 3: Towards a DWCP in South Africa • The South African positive context • Modern, well-diversified economy in which agriculture, mining and manufacturing contribute significantly to the national wealth • The largest economy in Africa • Impressive economic growth since 2003 • But … • Main challenges facing the South African economy are poverty, inequality, unemployment and access to basic services. Income distribution in South Africa is highly skewed, with nearly one-third of the population below the poverty line.

15. Example 3: Towards a DWCP in South Africa • But … • Depending on various definitions, unemployment in South Africa is estimated to be somewhere between 26.5 – 40.5 percent as of March 2005 • The employment challenge is complicated, inter alia, by the gap between education/training and the skills needed by the labour market; an influx of migrant workers (both legal and illegal); low levels of education (40% of population is illiterate). • Structural constraints, such as the ‘dualism’ in the labour market associated with the past apartheid policies through the disproportionately low investments in agriculture and protection in selected manufacturing and trade sectors

16. Example 3: Towards a DWCP in South Africa • Towards a DWCP for South Africa • ILO Office in Pretoria is proposing a two-step prong towards developing a DWCP for South Africa. The first step shall comprise of a multi-disciplinary brainstorming workshop composed of ILO officials in the field and in Headquarters. The aim of this step is to have an internal but a common understanding of the dynamics and approaches towards social and economic policy framework for South Africa. The intended outcome of this step is to strategically integrate existing development agenda for South Africa within the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda. • The second step shall be present the outcome of step one (above) to a larger audience in a roundtable workshop composed of the ILO’s Constituents in South Africa, as well as other partners.

17. Example 3: Towards a DWCP in South Africa Expected output of DWCP for South Africa “the practical way forward in contributing to addressing the second economy, poverty alleviation and (youth) employment opportunities in South Africa”

18. Thank you for your attention