ILO joins UN-CEB Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity

News | 28 May 2010

On May 28 2010, ILO became an official member of the UN-CEB Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity. The UN-CEB Cluster, launched in 2008, is a key forum for UN agencies to discuss and coordinate their trade related activities. Its members to date are UNCTAD (chair), UNIDO, UNDP, ITC, FAO, WTO, UNEP, UNOPS, the UN regional commissions, and now ILO. ILO membership in the UN-CEB Cluster is an important step towards the mandate given to the Office by the 99th ILC to strengthen ILO's trade, investment, and industrial policy expertise and expand collaboration with other relevant agencies in this context.

The Trade and Employment Program is acting as a focal point for coordination with the UN-CEB Cluster at headquarter level. Currently, the main areas of activity in this context are:

- The preparation of an inter-agency project on aid for trade to least development countries financed by SECO and set up in the context of the enhanced integrated framework for aid for trade. This project is currently in its inception phase, and activities in the first country (Laos) are expected to begin before the end of the year. It will eventually cover up to 6 countries.

- Discussions on a joint UN-CEB Cluster approach in the design of the new UNDAF for Ukraine

Links:

UN-CEB Cluster homepage:

http://www.unctad.org/Templates/StartPage.asp?intItemID=4793&lang=1

Press Release: Launch of the UN-CEB Cluster

http://www.unctadxii.org/en/Media/News-Archive/Interagency-cluster-on-trade-and-productive-capacity-launched/2416/Press-release/