18th African Regional Seminar for Labour-Based Practitioners

The theme of this edition is: "Towards sustainable and inclusive local development: local resource-based approaches and decent job creation".

The ILO initiated a Community of Practice (CoP) among practitioners of the labour- and local resource-based approach to public investments in Africa. Held for the first time at Mbeya in Tanzania in 1990, this CoP brings together practitioners at all levels including ministers, policy makers, planners, researchers, training and educational providers, funding and development partners, public sector operators from different technical ministries and local government, private sector consultants, contractors and suppliers, and representatives from local community-based and interest organisations.

African States have since long taken responsibility for organising and hosting the "African Regional Seminar for Labour-based Practitioners"; they are obtaining this role through an “Olympic” bidding process at the end of each seminar. The 18th Seminar will be organized by the Government of Tunisia in partnership with the ILO. It's planned to take place from 9 – 13 September 2019 in Tunis.

The two-day ministerial sitting including ministers from different parts of government, will review progress since their 2017 Addis Ababa Ministerial Declaration and discuss possible improvements to enlarge impact within their countries and the region contributing to the AUC’s Agenda 2063.

The estimated 500 seminar participants will, through different seminar plenaries, parallel sessions, groups and exhibitions over five days, share, discuss and evaluate ideas, knowledge and experience developed in terms of policies, practices and technologies with high potential of employment creation, decent work and quality works.

A “Call for Papers” has been issued in order to seek contributions to the above seminar under the major theme of local resource-based approaches and its contribution to decent job creation towards sustainable and inclusive local development. Those wishing to present papers are invited to send an abstract in French or in English before May 15, 2019.