Mainstreaming Employment into Trade and Investment in the Southern Neighbourhood (METI)

Project background

METI is a programme hosted in the DEVINVEST branch of the ILO’s Employment Policy Department,funded by the European Commission (EC) and implemented by the ILO. METI aims to better enable policy-makers in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to incorporate an employment perspective into trade and investment policies. This will support the design and implementation of investment strategies that optimize the quantity and quality of employment creation in the region. These objectives are all the more urgent in the context of post-COVID-19pandemic recovery.
The programme is facilitating the operationalization of the EU’s External Investment Plan (EIP)that aims to support inclusive and sustainable development of the Southern Neighbourhood region of the European Union. It aims to boost public and private investment to create more jobs and higher growth and work towards meeting other UN Sustainable Development Goals. METI was launched in the fall of 2020 and will continue to support policy-makers for a four-year period. The project collaborates closely with the Employment impact assessment to maximize job creation in Africa (STRENGTHEN 2), which covers related issues for countries in the sub-Saharan African countries.

METI at a glance

The METI programme is contributing to the knowledge on the impact of trade policies relevant to the region. This includes project support for the analysis of country-specific industrial and trade policies and measures (including infrastructure) to take advantage of potential employment opportunities, mitigate any negative effects, and propose targeted policy recommendations.

Objectives
- Regional- and country-level analysis of the impact of trade and investment policies on productive and decent employment in the partner countries is strengthened;
- Governments, social partners and other relevant stakeholders in the region are enabled to factor the employment effects of trade and investment into policy dialogue and development;
- Sectoral recommendations are developed with key stakeholders in the partner countries to take advantage of employment opportunities resulting from targeted trade and investment policies; and
- Assessments of the trade and employment impact of public infrastructure investments in the partner countries are discussed with key stakeholders to optimize employment creation.
Beneficiaries
- Workers, especially women and youth;
- Employers, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).