ILO training to account for loss of employment and income during future crisis

A training programme to build the capacity of local government, private sector, trade unions and NGO’s to better capture employment, livelihoods and social protection data in the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA).

News | 22 April 2015
An ILO expert team worked with the Department of Labour to develop the final report on Employment, Livelihoods and Social Protection which was submitted to the PDNA macro team based at the Prime Minister’s Office.

“The preliminary figures indicate that at least 270,000 work days have been lost due to Cyclone Pam, but if the economy does not recovery quickly, this number is likely to further increase”, said, Mr Julian Schweitzer. ” It is important to use the response to Cyclone Pam as an opportunity to strengthen the data collection capacities of our local partners and today’s PDNA training is part of that, further added Mr Schweitzer.

Mr Jean Luc Tawi represented the Department of Labour (DoL) and was also part of the task force to collect data on employment, livelihoods and social protection for the PDNA. “I knew it was important to collect this data but now I know how to. The templates and questionnaires provide and practical exercises in the training has heled me prepare better for the next crisis”, said Mr Tawi.
The PDNA training was also supported by Cecilia Aipira of UNWOMEN who highlighted the importance of collected sex disaggregated data during a PDNA.

Ms Julie-Anne Sala, the CEO of VANWODS, a micro finance institution also attended the training. VANWOODS has about 5,400 members, all of them women entrepreneurs – the mammas – that run micro enterprises in the four provinces affected by Cyclone Pam. It is estimated that 3,600 of them have been directly affected by the Cyclone resulting in an income loss of approximately 300 million Vatu.
This technical assistance by the ILO was aimed to strengthen existing capacity and systems to be better prepared for the future. ILO social partners also attended the training.