Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2017, published 107th ILC session (2018)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Gabon (Ratification: 1961)

Articles 2 and 3(d) of the Convention. Equality of opportunity and treatment of men and women in the civil service. In its previous comments, the Committee noted that women were under-represented in all civil service categories and that they accounted for only 30 and 35 per cent, respectively, of staff in the top two categories, A1 and A2 (as at December 2006). The Committee notes the Government’s indication that the conclusions of the audit of the civil service are not yet available and that it is therefore unable to provide data on the number of women in category A as a whole. In view of the lack of information on this point, the Committee once again asks the Government for information on the specific measures taken to promote, in practice, equality of opportunity between men and women in the civil service, and, in particular, to increase the number of women in the top categories (A1 and A2), for example through further training. It also asks the Government to provide statistical data, disaggregated by sex, on the numbers of civil servants by category, once such data is available.

Article 2. Promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment without distinction on grounds other than sex. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that equal opportunities have been “a particular focus of Government policy” since 2016. The Committee therefore once again asks the Government to take steps to examine existing inequalities in the country and express its commitment in terms of action, and in the formulating and implementing of a national policy on equality of opportunity and treatment without distinction on the basis of race, colour, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin.

Non-discrimination and promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment. Indigenous peoples. The Committee notes that the Government’s report merely indicates that it “regrets that the Forest and Environment Sector Project (PSFE), which was the subject of public authority interest, did not achieve the desired results”. The Committee recalls that one of the objectives of the PSFE was to establish “conditions of legality and equality for the Babongo, Bakoya, Baka, Barimba, Bagama, Bakouyi and Akoa peoples (identity card)” and to develop a national policy for indigenous peoples. The PSFE identified a number of obstacles faced by indigenous peoples, including of an institutional, legal, technical and financial nature. The project highlighted the fact that a “national literacy strategy for Pygmies” had been drawn up, but the Government had still not adopted a “general policy on methods of assisting indigenous peoples to overcome poverty and to secure protection and respect for their dignity, their rights and their cultural origins”, and to ensure that they receive equivalent or better benefits in all areas of government action. Recalling that an effective equality policy needs to include measures to correct de facto inequalities of which certain population groups are victims, the Committee asks the Government to take the necessary steps to ensure equality of opportunity and treatment for indigenous peoples so that they are able, in law, and particularly in practice, to gain access to all levels of education and employment, including by carrying out their traditional and subsistence activities, and to receive equal treatment in relation to other population groups. The Committee also asks the Government to provide information on the measures taken in this respect, including the activities of the Ministry of Equal Opportunities in this area, and any statistical data, disaggregated by sex, on the situation of indigenous peoples in Gabon, distinguishing between traditional activities and paid employment.

Statistics. The Committee notes the Government’s reference, in its report on the application of the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100), to the establishment by presidential decree of the National Agency of Statistics and Demographic, Economic and Social Studies (ANSEDES), the responsibilities of which include producing, analysing and disseminating official statistics, conducting periodic or specific surveys of general interest in enterprises or households and measuring the main economic indicators of the country. The Committee trusts that the establishment of ANSEDES will enable the collection and analysis of employment data by economic sector and occupation, disaggregated by sex, including data on indigenous workers, and asks the Government to send this statistical information, once it is available.