Opening address at the Monitoring, evaluation and learning workshop for workers’ organizations

By Mr Khalid Hassan, Director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines at the Monitoring, evaluation and learning workshop for workers’ organizations, 2 August 2022, Manila, Philippines

Statement | Manila, Philippines | 02 August 2022
  • Brothers and sisters from workers organizations;
  • Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, good morning!
Welcome to the Monitoring, evaluation and learning workshop for workers’ organizations. The United States Department of Labor (US DOL) supports this workshop, which we appreciate.

Monitoring and evaluation are integral parts of programme management, advocacy and policymaking.

It helps projects be responsive, relevant, efficient, and effective.

Evidence from monitoring and evaluation informs policymaking, reform, and decision- making.

Monitoring and evaluation are part trade unions and workers organizations’ collective bargaining, effective organizing, social dialogue, and membership services.

Many of you are probably not aware that you are already using monitoring and evaluation methodologies in your work such as problem analysis, development of results framework and indicators, and regular monitoring and evaluation.

This three-day MEL workshop aims to harness these techniques and improve M&E systems in your organizations to deliver better results; anticipate trends, issues and manage risks, and develop a culture of continual learning.

The workshop encourages participants to collaborate, share and learn from each other’s experiences on M&E.

It also builds and improves M&E existing capacities and skills in the context of promoting labour standards compliance, occupational safety and health, and gender equality.

Many of you have participated in the Baseline Study and Sectoral Assessment of the ILO Project on Improved Workers' Rights in Rural Sectors of the Indo-Pacific with a Focus on Women. Results of the baseline study and sectoral assessments give us a glimpse of working conditions in rural sectors, and underscore the importance of data and evidence for prioritizing and addressing decent work deficits in the sector.

We have also seen how data guides the United Nations’ work, especially during COVID-19.

Data helps the UN and the ILO in their efforts for an inclusive, sustainable, and resilient recovery based on the ILO’s Global Call to Action.

Data also supports governments achieve better outcomes, enhance policies that better address the needs of the people, and improve efficiency and service delivery.

The use of data and evidence is central to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Reform, which aims to improve delivery of the mandate, including that of the ILO.

This is part of the UN Secretary General’s Data Strategy, which envisions a UN-wide data ecosystem for better decisions and stronger support for people and planet.

With the knowledge, tools, and processes we learn in this workshop, we will be able to better gather, manage and share data and evidence on decent work conditions. This helps achieve the Decent Work Country Programme, in line with the SDGs.

I hope that after this workshop, you will be able to integrate your plans and what you have learned to promote labour standards compliance, OSH and gender equality.

In closing, I would like to thank all of the participants, and we look forward to your contributions. I wish everyone a successful and fruitful discussion.

Thank you.