Proposed date:

26-29 September 2000

Place:

To be determined

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$25,000)

Geographical coverage:

Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

4

(b)

Employers:

4

(c)

Workers:

4

Resource persons:

1 international expert

Observers:

Government of Samoa

Government of Vanuatu

United Nations Children’s Fund

United Nations Development Programme

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to follow up on the regional meeting in Cambodia on the promotion of the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up, and to further elaborate on an action plan;

(ii)

to enhance the capacity of the tripartite constituents to participate actively in the promotion and application of international labour standards and fundamental principles and rights at work;

(iii)

to promote the issue of gender equality in the overall promotion of the Declaration.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29); Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105); Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111); Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138); Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

27 November-1 December 2000

Place:

Harare, Zimbabwe

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$35,000)

Geographical coverage:

Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan and Swaziland

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

7

(b)

Employers:

7

(c)

Workers:

7

Resource persons:

1 international consultant

Observers:

Ministry of Labour, Mozambique (Member of ILO but not yet member of ARLAC)

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to promote the understanding of the fundamental principles and rights under the Declaration;

(ii)

to design ways to implement and monitor the Declaration;

(iii)

to assess the reporting obligations under the Declaration;

(iv)

to identify the technical assistance, including training, strengthening the processes of implementation.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29); Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81); Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105); Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111)

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

18-23 September 2000

Place:

Harare, Zimbabwe

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$33,000)

Geographical coverage:

Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa and Zimbabwe

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

7

(b)

Employers:

7

(c)

Workers:

7

Resource persons:

1 international consultant

Observers:

Government of Mozambique (Member of ILO but not yet member of ARLAC)

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to examine the Conventions relating to child labour and the role labour inspectors could play in implementing the major aspects of these Conventions;

(ii)

to strengthen the role of labour inspection in combating child labour;

(iii)

to exchange information on best policies concerning child labour questions in labour inspection systems and to strengthen the role of tripartite partners monitoring child labour.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 [and Protocol, 1995] (No. 81); Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129); Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138); Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

October 2000

Place:

To be determined

Financing:

Government of Japan (US$146,000)

Geographical coverage:

Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

16

(b)

Employers:

16

(c)

Workers:

16

Resource persons:

1 independent resource person to prepare a technical paper

Observers:

Anti-Slavery International

Asian Development Bank

Association of South-East Asian Nations

Public Services International

Save the Children

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude

United Nations Children’s Fund

United Nations Development Programme

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

World Bank

World Vision International

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to strengthen the role of workplace monitoring in combating child labour;

(ii)

to exchange information on best practices of focusing on child labour issues in workplace monitoring;

(iii)

to strengthen the role of tripartite partners in monitoring child labour;

(iv)

to discuss the gender dimensions of child labour forms;

(v)

to identify strategies for workplace monitoring, especially in relation to the worst forms of child labour (including domestic work);

(vi)

to identify or introduce community mechanisms of involving other groups in child labour workplace monitoring.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138); Minimum Age Recommendation, 1973 (No. 146); Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182); Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation, 1999 (No. 190); Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 [and Protocol, 1995] (No. 81); Labour Inspectorates (Non-Metropolitan Territories) Convention, 1947 (No. 85); Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129)

Working language:

English

Former date:

August 2000

Former place:

To be determined

Cancellation:

It has been decided to cancel this meeting

Proposed date:

29-30 September 2000

Place:

Valetta, Malta

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$50,000)

Geographical coverage:

Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

13

(b)

Employers:

13

(c)

Workers:

13

Resource persons:

2 specialists from the European Union

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to assess the role of social dialogue in the accession countries for the promotion of both employment policies and equal treatment for men and women workers;

(ii)

to compare the situation between European Union Member States and candidate countries.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144)

Working languages:

English, French, German and Russian

Proposed date:

January 2001

Place:

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$86,000); and Government of Japan (US$37,000)

Geographical coverage:

Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

15

(b)

Employers:

15

(c)

Workers:

15

Resource persons:

1 representative of a workers’ organization and two representatives of NGOs and/or research institutions with expertise in the subject of sexual harassment

Observers:

Asian Development Bank

Asia Pacific Development Centre for Women

Committee for Asian Women

Isis International Women’s Information and Communication Service

United Nations Children’s Fund

United Nations Development Fund for Women

United Nations Development Programme

United Nations Population Fund

World Bank

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to enable the exchange of experience and increase awareness among ILO constituents and other concerned parties on effective means of combating sexual harassment in workplaces in the formal and informal sectors;

(ii)

to strengthen local and national initiatives against this practice.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111); Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Recommendation, 1958 (No. 111)

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

First quarter of 2001

Place:

Antigua

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$21,006); participating governments (US$31,968)

Geographical coverage:

Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago

Composition of participants:

26 (2 per country)

Observers:

ILO desk officers from the following territories: Anguilla, Aruba, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to provide training/refresher course to ILO desk officers on ILO standards and procedures as well as technical advice and assistance concerning country-specific issues and problems related to reporting obligations;

(ii)

to improve the quality and timeliness of government reports to the ILO;

(iii)

to assist desk officers in incorporating gender-specific information in reports on the application of standards, such as disaggregating statistics based on sex, showing how provisions affect differently men and women and how the gender differences are addressed.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29); Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105); Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111); Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138); Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

28 August-1 September 2000

Place:

Harare, Zimbabwe

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$35,000)

Geographical coverage:

Botswana, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

7

(b)

Employers:

7

(c)

Workers:

7

Resource persons:

1 international consultant

Observers:

Ministry of Labour, Mozambique (Member of the ILO and not yet a member of ARLAC)

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to share experience about basic elements of employment-generating policies;

(ii)

to examine the extent of unemployment and underemployment in Africa;

(iii)

to analyse the changes in employment by sector and type of activity and to consider ways to promote employment.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138); Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142); Job Creation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Recommendation, 1998 (No. 189)

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

20-21 November 2000

Place:

Geneva, Switzerland

Financing:

Government of the Netherlands (US$55,500)

Geographical coverage:

Bangladesh, China, Estonia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Thailand, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Viet Nam and Zambia

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

5

(b)

Employers:

5

(c)

Workers:

5

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to validate the prototype database on equal employment opportunity policies and practices, which is presently being developed by the ILO and which will be available on the Internet and on CD-ROM;

(ii)

to gather feedback from participants on usability issues, such as ease of navigation, screen design and layout, terminology and, most importantly, on the relevance of the contents of the database to their needs.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111); and Workers With Family Responsibilities Convention, 1981 (No. 156); but also Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Maternity Protection Convention (Revised), 1952 (No. 103); Social Policy (Basic Aims and Standards) Convention, 1962 (No. 117); Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); Maximum Weight Convention, 1967 (No. 127); Paid Educational Leave Convention, 1974 (No. 140); Rural Workers’ Organisations Convention, 1975 (No. 141); Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142); Termination of Employment Convention, 1982 (No. 158); Chemicals Convention, 1990 (No. 170); Night Work Convention, 1990 (No. 171)

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

February 2001

Place:

Manila, Philippines

Financing:

Government of Japan (US$80,000); Government of the Philippines (contribution to local costs, studies)

Geographical coverage:

Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

10

(b)

Employers:

10

(c)

Workers:

10

Resource persons:

2 independent experts to prepare background papers; World Bank specialists (at their own cost)

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to follow up the recommendations of the WB/ADB/ILO/MOLJ/JIL Seminar on Economic Crisis, Employment and the Labour Market in East and South-East Asia (Tokyo, October 1999);

(ii)

to review the country studies relating to the theme of this meeting, which are under preparation in the Philippines and the Republic of Korea;

(iii)

to discuss the ILO approach to unemployment insurance schemes and other forms of income support initiated by the World Bank;

(iv)

to consolidate the outcome and/or benefits of these schemes in the light of practical needs and the ability of governments to support such schemes.

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

May 2001

Place:

Bangkok, Thailand

Financing:

Government of the Netherlands (US$45,644)

Geographical coverage:

Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

14

(b)

Employers:

7

(c)

Workers:

7

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to enable government policy-makers from participating countries to apply newly developed ILO resource materials for evaluating and reforming the policy, legal and regulatory environment for promoting employment growth through the development of micro- and small enterprises;

(ii)

to share information and experience on the subject with a view to assisting others and enhancing the setting of priorities for follow-up action at the national policy level;

(iii)

to follow up several national tripartite training courses;

(iv)

to draw attention to the differential effects of policies and programmes on women entrepreneurs.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); Job Creation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Recommendation, 1998 (No. 189)

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

6-8 September 2000

Place:

New Delhi, India

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$12,000); and Friedrich Ebert Foundation (US$7,000)

Geographical coverage:

Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

5

(b)

Employers:

5

(c)

Workers:

5

Resource persons:

Officials of the Social Security Association of India (co-sponsoring the event) and one independent social security expert

Observers:

Friedrich Ebert Foundation

HelpAge India (member of HelpAge International)

International Social Security Association

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

To contribute to the development of policy in relation to the elderly in the context of:

(a)

increasing recognition of the problems and social protection requirements of this sector of the population;

(b)

the rapidly increasing proportion of the elderly in the countries of the subregion;

(ii)

To identify the particular needs of elderly women, who are the most vulnerable among the third age group, particularly widows and those lacking family support;

(iii)

To appraise the impact of activities implemented in the participating countries within the framework of the International Year of Older Persons.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952 (No. 102); Invalidity, Old-Age and Survivors’ Benefits Convention, 1967 (No. 128)

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

16-20 October 2000

Place:

Guyana

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$23,266); and participating governments (US$21,150)

Geographical coverage:

Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

21

(b)

Employers:

2

(c)

Workers:

2

Resource persons:

2 subregional resource persons

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to enhance the knowledge, skills and techniques of government labour and occupational safety and health inspectors with regard to labour and safety inspections in the construction and tourism industries;

(ii)

to promote and apply ILO standards and principles in safety inspections.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29); Safety Provisions (Building) Convention, 1937 (No. 62); Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105); Guarding of Machinery Convention, 1963 (No. 119); Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111); Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138); Working Environment (Air Pollution, Noise and Vibration) Convention, 1979 (No. 148); Labour Administration Convention, 1978 (No. 150); Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155); Occupational Health Services Convention, 1985 (No. 161); Working Conditions (Hotels and Restaurants) Convention, 1991 (No. 172); Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182); Occupational Safety and Health Recommendation, 1981 (No. 164); Occupational Health Services Recommendation, 1985 (No. 171); Working Conditions (Hotels and Restaurants) Recommendation, 1991 (No. 179)

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

19-25 October 2000

Place:

Nicosia, Cyprus

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$25,000); and Government of Cyprus (US$15,000)

Geographical coverage:

Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

15

(b)

Employers:

5 (including one from Cyprus)

(c)

Workers:

5 (including one from Cyprus)

Resource persons:

2 senior labour inspectors from high-performance inspection services of the EU Member States and several resource persons from Cyprus

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to develop strategies for reform and modernization of government labour inspection services in Central and Eastern Europe in line with ILO policies and principles as laid down in Conventions Nos. 81, 129 and 155;

(ii)

to present and promote the role of inspection services in market economies with regard to maternity protection and gender equality.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 [and Protocol, 1995] (No. 81); Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129); Labour Administration Convention, 1978 (No. 150); Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155)

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

February 2001

Place:

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Financing:

Government of Japan (US$88,000)

Geographical coverage:

China, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam

Composition of participants:

(a) Governments:

11 policy-makers responsible for OSH policy management

(b) Employers:

11

(c) Workers:

11

Resource persons:

6 independent technical experts on OSH

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to encourage participating countries to undertake voluntary action at the national and enterprise levels to promote safety and health as an integral occupational element through a coherent national occupational safety and health policy and the implementation of an action plan, which would be adopted by a meeting of experts in early 2001;

(ii)

to promote women to become members of occupational safety and health committees at the national and enterprise levels.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155); Occupational Health Services Convention, 1985 (No. 161)

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

18-23 September 2000

Place:

Bangui, Central African Republic

Financing:

Coopération française (US$38,805); PRODIAF (US$13,092); internal search is ongoing for a donor to finance US$21,451

Geographical coverage:

Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments

12

(b)

Employers:

12

(c)

Workers

12

Resource persons:

General Secretary of CAEMC and one representative of the European Commission

Observers:

Coopération belge

Coopération française

WAEMU [4]

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to share national experiences on the strengthening of social dialogue and tripartite cooperation;

(ii)

to identify the needs and the action to be undertaken to start a social dialogue at the level of the CAEMC;

(iii)

to discuss the participation of women in social dialogue at a high level.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144); Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154)

Working language:

French

Proposed date:

11-15 December 2000

Place:

Dakar, Senegal

Financing:

Coopération française (US$54,286); PRODIAF ^[5] (US$8,000); and internal sources to be identified for the remaining US$55,246

Geographical coverage:

Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea-Conakry, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo

Composition of participants:

(a)

Governments:

12

(b)

Employers:

12

(c)

Workers:

12

Resource persons:

11 consultants having prepared the national studies for PRODIAF

3 permanent secretaries of national structures concerning social dialogue

6 researchers with profound knowledge about social dialogue or persons who have played a decisive role in a successful social dialogue in their countries

Observers:

African Development Bank

Central Africa Economic and Monetary Community

Coopération belge

Coopération française

West African Economic and Monetary Union

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to set up a network of negotiators and practitioners of social dialogue in French-speaking Africa;

(ii)

to promote equality of opportunity and treatment in social dialogue and in those questions which it is called upon to resolve;

(iii)

to exchange experiences concerning ILO’s priority themes for the years to come with the help of experts identified by PRODIAF.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144); Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154)

Working language:

French

Former date:

After September 2000

New date:

24-26 October 2000

Place:

Beirut, Lebanon

Proposed date:

2-8 July 2000

Place:

Alajuela, Costa Rica

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$40,000); International Organization of Employers (US$10,000); and participating employers’ organizations (US$30,000)

Geographical coverage:

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela

Composition of participants:

Employers:

76 (4 from each country)

Purpose of meeting:

To reinforce the management skills of high-level officials of Latin American employers’ organizations

Working language:

Spanish

Proposed date:

23-24 August 2000

Place:

Lusaka, Zambia

Financing:

Government of Norway (US$31,000)

Geographical coverage:

Malawi, Mozambique, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia

Composition of participants:

Employers:

16

Resource persons:

1 consultant

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to consider the state of industrial relations in the participating countries on the basis of a paper prepared for that purpose;

(ii)

to develop common strategies and to develop proposals for training materials in industrial relations and human resources development.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Voluntary Conciliation and Arbitration Recommendation, 1951 (No. 92); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Consultation (Industrial and National Levels) Recommendation, 1960 (No. 113); Communications within the Undertaking Recommendation, 1967 (No. 129); Examination of Grievances Recommendation, 1967 (No. 130); Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154)

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

7-8 September 2000

Place:

Antigua, Guatemala

Financing:

Government of Norway (US$20,000)

Geographical coverage:

Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Peru

Composition of participants:

Employers:

8 (2 per country)

Observers:

United Nations Children’s Fund

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to exchange views on the implementation of the Norwegian project;

(ii)

to promote the ratification of Convention No. 182 within the framework of a global ratification campaign;

(iii)

to educate women about the dangers of hazardous work and to counsel them not to allow their children to take part in it.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182); Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation, 1999 (No. 190)

Working language:

Spanish

Proposed date:

13 September 2000

Place:

Tallinn, Estonia

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$10,600); Government of the Netherlands (US$10,000)

Geographical coverage:

Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine

Composition of participants:

Employers:

15

Resource persons:

Representatives of the International Organization of Employers, the Union of Industrial and Employers’ Confederations of Europe, the European Commission and Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation

Observers:

Representatives of 20 other national employers’ organizations from western Europe

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to discuss EU enlargement and the social acquis as well as the role of social dialogue in the EU accession preparations;

(ii)

to promote active relations and contacts between European employers’ organizations.

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

15-22 October 2000

Place:

Madrid, Spain

Financing:

Government of Denmark (US$15,000)

Geographical coverage:

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia

Composition of participants:

Employers:

6 (2 per country)

Purpose of meeting:

To inspire employers’ organizations to become more effective by adopting more appropriate structures, practices and management

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29); Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105); Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111); Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138); Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)

Working languages:

Russian and Spanish

Proposed date:

19-20 October 2000

Place:

San Salvador, El Salvador

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$8,000)

Geographical coverage:

Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama

Composition of participants:

Employers:

7

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to inform the labour coordinators about the activities of the ILO for the year 2001;

(ii)

to determine the participation of employers in ILO projects, and in particular in those which are designed for employers;

(iii)

to develop strategies for the social responsibility of employers;

(iv)

to present the experiences made in Guatemala and Costa Rica with regard to the Action against Child Labour.

Working language:

Spanish

Proposed date:

28-29 November 2000

Place:

New Delhi, India

Financing:

Government of Norway (US$67,000)

Geographical coverage:

China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mauritius, Philippines, Sri Lanka, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Composition of participants:

Employers:

10

Resource persons:

7 national consultants for the project

Observers:

Government of Norway

United Nations Environment Programme

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to exchange project experiences with a view to improving impact and further developing activities;

(ii)

to review the project and to draw lessons for future work in the subject area.

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

November 2000

Place:

Zagreb, Croatia or Sofia, Bulgaria

Financing:

Government of Denmark (US$4,600) and Government of the Netherlands (US$2,900)

Geographical coverage:

Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Slovenia

Composition of participants:

Employers:

6

Purpose of meeting:

To define a strategy and a workplan for participating employers’ organizations in view of the activities of the Stability Pact and the ILO Regional Conference

Working language:

English

Proposed date:

5-7 October 2000

Place:

Panama

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$20,000); Spanish Confederation of Employers’ Organizations and International Organization of Employers (US$30,000)

Geographical coverage:

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela

Composition of participants:

Employers:

20

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to prepare the contribution of employers’ organizations to the Summit of Latin American Heads of State and Government on two priority subjects of the ILO: the fight against poverty and child labour;

(ii)

to familiarize Latin American employers’ organizations with the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

Working language:

Spanish

Former date:

August 2000

New date:

12-14 July 2000

Place:

Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia

Proposed date:

18-21 September 2000

Place:

Antananarivo, Madagascar

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$30,500); Indian Ocean Commission and European Union (US$10,500)

Geographical coverage:

Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion and Seychelles

Composition of participants:

Workers:

20

Resource persons:

2 regional consultants

Observers:

European Union

Indian Ocean Commission

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to strengthen the capacity of the trade unions to participate in the socio-economic dialogue of the subregion and to react to the challenges of regionalization and globalization;

(ii)

to examine the effect on women of regionalization and globalization.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Migration for Employment Convention (Revised), 1949 (No. 97); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1975 (No. 143); and Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144)

Working language:

French

Proposed date:

September or October 2000

Place:

Peru or Bolivia

Financing:

Government of Spain (US$23,000)

Geographical coverage:

Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela

Composition of participants:

Workers:

14

Resource persons:

Expert of the Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), Spain

Expert of the General Union of Labour, Spain

Expert of the Spanish Confederation of Entrepreneurs’ Organizations (CEOE), Spain

Observers:

Consejo Consultivo Laboral Andino

Consejo Consultivo Empresarial Andino

Instituto Laboral Andino

Presidencia de la Reunión de Ministro de Trabajo de la Comunidad Andina

Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comunidad Andina

Institutos de Formación Profesional del ASEC Andina

Agencia Española de la Cooperación Internacional

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to analyse the situation of vocational training in the subregion;

(ii)

to facilitate the exchange of experiences concerning vocational training systems in the region and in Europe within the framework of tripartite social dialogue;

(iii)

to consider the vocational training of women, with particular emphasis on those who have limited access to training.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142); Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144); Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154)

Working language:

Spanish

Proposed date:

September or October 2000

Place:

Uruguay

Financing:

Government of Spain (US$15,000);

Geographical coverage:

Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay

Composition of participants:

Workers:

15

Resource persons:

Experts of the Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), Spain

Expert of the General Union of Labour, Spain

Expert of the Spanish Confederation of Entrepreneurs’ Organizations (CEOE), Spain

Observers:

Coordinadora de Centrales de Cono Sur

Representatives of professional secretariats

Agencia Española de la Cooperación Internacional

Purpose of meeting:

To permit reflection and exchange of experiences concerning the participation of workers in the formulation of employment policy and vocational training with particular emphasis on collective bargaining and the training of women

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142); Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144); Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981 (No. 154)

Working language:

Spanish

Proposed date:

October or November 2000

Place:

Peru or Colombia

Financing:

Government of Spain (US$40,000)

Geographical coverage:

Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela

Composition of participants:

Workers:

24

Resource persons:

Experts of the Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), Spain

Expert of the General Union of Labour, Spain

Expert of the Spanish Confederation of Entrepreneurs’ Organizations (CEOE), Spain

Observers:

Representatives of professional secretariats

Agencia Española de la Cooperación Internacional

Purpose of meeting:

To analyse the trends in social dialogue within the context of globalization and the processes of integration and to construct a basis for a tripartite strategy of labour relations with a view to promoting economic growth with equity

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144)

Working language:

Spanish

Proposed date:

October or November 2000

Place:

Costa Rica

Financing:

Government of Spain (US$20,000)

Geographical coverage:

Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama

Composition of participants:

Workers:

15

Resource persons:

Experts of the Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), Spain

Expert of the General Union of Labour, Spain

Expert of the Spanish Confederation of Entrepreneurs’ Organizations (CEOE), Spain

Observers:

Agencia Española de la Cooperación Internacional

Representatives of the professional secretariats

Purpose of meeting:

To analyse the situation of women in the labour market, their participation in the formulation of policies and programmes of employment and to exchange experiences concerning the conditions of labour in the subregion

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122); Workers’ Representatives Convention, 1971 (No. 135)

Working language:

Spanish

Proposed date:

11-12 December 2000

Place:

Santa Fé de Bogotá, Colombia

Financing:

ILO regular budget (US$18,956)

Geographical coverage:

Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela

Composition of participants:

Workers:

18

Observers:

Consejo Laboral Andino

Purpose of meeting:

(i)

to examine and analyse the present state of the trade union movements in the Andean countries as well as their participation in the development of their nations;

(ii)

to evaluate the impact of ILO programmes;

(iii)

to exchange information and experiences and to design a subregional programme of action for trade unions;

(iv)

to examine the participation of women in workers’ organizations.

Relevance to international
labour standards:

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention, 1948 (No. 87); Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949 (No. 98); Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144)

Working language:

Spanish

Former date:

9-11 May 2000

New date:

September 2000

Place:

Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic