RINGING IN A NEW ERA

OF DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

THE ILO, ITS DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION STRATEGY - AND YOU

The change in terminology over the years from aid to technical assistance to development cooperation stems from the realization that development is a complex universal and long-term process which can succeed only if grounded on comprehensive, mutual and accountable partnerships. In addition to purely technical aspects, development cooperation encompasses, inter alia, elements of rights, dialogue, good governance, social justice, equality and capacity development. The Office therefore proposes to adopt “development cooperation” to replace the term “technical cooperation.”

ILO Governing Body, 322/POL/6, para. 10, 1 October 2014

© ILO/M. Crozet

With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, decent work has become a universal objective underlying many other Sustainable Development Goals. Recently, we have seen – also in the wake of the global financial and economic crisis – an increased sense of urgency among policy makers to deliver quality jobs along with social protection and respect for rights at work in order to achieve sustainable, inclusive economic growth, and eliminate poverty. Issues such as jobs for young women and men, the protection of migrant workers, the creation of sustainable businesses, informal economies, diversity and inclusion, and health and safety in the workplace – can now be seen as primary concerns for development actors anywhere.

At the same time, the global context for development cooperation is changing profoundly. Along with the adoption of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, new ways of resourcing development cooperation and partnerships are emerging.

With this in mind, the ILO’s Development Cooperation Strategy (2015-17) – in which we have increased our focus, re-emphasized our effectiveness, updated our approaches to capacity development, partnerships and resource mobilization – has been developed in full consultation with the ILO’s Governing Body members – representatives of governments, workers and employers.

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Decent work: A universal aspiration and global commitmentGrowth and jobs are two sides of the same coin – certainly not just any type of job or just any type of growth, but jobs that are decent and growth that is inclusive. Decent work also has a major role to play in the transition to a more environmentally sustainable growth pattern for an economy. The combination of decent work and inclusive and sustainable growth has enormous transformational potential.

With its Decent Work Agenda reflected almost in its entirety across the 2030 Agenda, the ILO is looking forward to putting its decades of knowledge and experience at the service of its constituents – workers, employers and governments – to support the attainments of the new goals.

We have the opportunity to effectively promote decent work and inclusive growth by engaging on the issue with workers’ and employers’ organizations, ministries of labour, finance, planning, environment, social development, national central banks, and with international development partners. This is where the Decent Work Agenda takes engagement to new partnership levels, including multi-stakeholder partnerships in the spirit of SDG 17 on partnerships for the goals.

The ILO is determined to meet the responsibilities of the 2030 Agenda. We are working intensively to ready ourselves as a strong UN player at the country, regional and global levels to provide well-integrated policy advice and effective development cooperation programmes in support of the Agenda.

Did you know? Today, the ILO has about 620 development cooperation projects in more than 100 countries – with 120 partners. Development cooperation can be funded from the ILO’s regular budget, as well through voluntary contributions from development partners. Voluntary contributions complement the ILO’s own resources and represent about 42 per cent of the overall funds available.

Multi-bilateral development partners

Domestic development funding

Public-private partnerships

Social partners

International financial institutions (Banks)

UN organizations and agencies

Other inter-governmental organizations

* As at 31 October 2015

Percentage share of the ILO’s extra-budgetary DC contributions by source of funds, 2014-2015*

60.5%

6%

5.5%

0.3%

5.4%

10.4%

11.9%

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EMPLOYMENT INTENSIVE INVESTMENTS FOR JOBS AND DEVELOPMENTEmployment intensive investments link infrastructure development with employment creation and sustainable local development.

� Timor-Leste: Since March 2012, the ILO’s R4D programme has created 330,000 work days of direct short-term jobs. This translates into a cash transfer into the local economy of about USD 2 million.

� Nepal: Since March 2014, the ILO has supported local infrastructure development in 33 districts – home to more than half of the population of Nepal. Following the earthquake in April 2015, the coverage has been extended to another three districts.

� Somalia: The UN Joint Programme on local governance and decentralized service delivery, where the ILO played a key role, led to the creation of 136,500 work days and benefited the most vulnerable. A project focusing on Somali refugee returnees and a youth for change initiative has provided almost 43,000 work days.

WORKERS AND BUSINESSES BENEFIT FROM BETTER SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORKILO has contributed to the development of modern occupational safety and health (OSH) systems in all regions, including Europe and Central Asia. At the policy level, ILO legal and technical advice has supported the improvement of national OSH programmes and laws in Albania, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Ukraine.

Percentage share of the ILO’s voluntary non-core expenditure by region, 2014-2015**

** As at 31 October 2015

AFRICA

ASIA

EUROPE

ARAB STATES

GLOBAL

INTERREGIONAL

27.4%

9.4%

34.1%

3.7%

3.1%

21.3%

0.7%

AMERICAS

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Social justice and development anchored in labour standardsAs the world’s only labour standard setting organization, and the only UN agency with a tripartite membership that spans workers, employers and governments, the ILO is uniquely positioned to support the international community faced with present-day challenges.

The ILO already has a significant bank of acutely relevant knowledge, theory and world of work experience to share. Over the years, the ILO has registered the ratification and supervised the implementation of a large body of international labour standards, including those defined as Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. These should serve as the basis for guiding international action towards the attainment of the SDGs, in areas such as child and forced labour, social protection floors, youth employment, gender, and labour migration. Social dialogue is a huge asset in policy making, partnership building and designing effective monitoring and follow-up systems.

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Its standard-setting function anchors development cooperation even more firmly in international labour standards, at the same time making sure that an integrated approach to all dimensions of decent work is maintained.

By leveraging this knowledge, and working in close partnership with other players, there is an opportunity to ensure that labour standards are not only agreed and upheld, but also universally applied in ways that have the required impact on the individuals we aim to help – thereby contributing to the achievement of global development goals and targets.

And the ILO is poised and ready to make a difference. While it’s clear that the ILO is the authority on labour standards and decent work, the power to make a true difference lies in the strength of our partnerships.

FIGHTING CHILD LABOUROver the past 15 years, nearly one million children have been withdrawn or prevented from entering child labour by virtue of ILO projects in almost 110 countries around the world.

The total number of girls and boys in child labour dropped 30% from 246 million in 2000 to 168 million in 2012.

The ILO has launched Alliance 8.7 against child and forced labour under the umbrella of Agenda 2030. It is a platform for all those actors already involved in the struggle against child labour and forced labour, and for those who would like to join it.

© ILO/M. Crozet

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EXTENDING SOCIAL PROTECTION FLOORS FOR ALLOver the past ten years, the ILO has supported the development of:

Social protection floors in 136 countries

National social protection strategies in 34 countries

Health protection in 30 countries

Child benefits in 21 countries

Maternity benefits in 20 countries

PROMOTING WORKERS’ RIGHTSIn some countries, workers are denied the right of association, workers’ and employers’ organizations are illegally suspended or interfered with and, in some extreme cases, trade unionists and representatives of employers are arrested or killed. ILO standards, in conjunction with the work of the Committee on Freedom of Association and other supervisory mechanisms, help find solutions to these difficulties and ensure that this fundamental human right is respected.

For example, by removing barriers to collective bargaining in the public sector, in Saint Lucia a three-year agreement on public wages was reached, and in Colombia the development of a specific decree and local-level bargaining led to 89 agreements in 2013.

© ILO/M. Crozet

© CIAT/N. Palmer

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© ILO/Truong Van Vi

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How our building blocks support development cooperationThe ILO’s Development Cooperation Strategy has four building blocks as a foundation to secure better decent work outcomes at all levels, through improved services to constituents, as follows.

Focus on priorities: By transitioning towards greater focus and fewer outcomes, the ILO will become more agile and be able to concentrate its attention on those areas that will have the most impact for the largest number of people or deeper results and long-term impact. Flagship programmes will enable us to work more efficiently and scale up the impact of our development cooperation efforts. ILO development cooperation operates in least developed countries, in countries facing fragility, and labour crises, and collaborates in UN responses to natural disasters.

Effectiveness for impact: The ILO’s development cooperation is managed for results and cost and value conscientiousness. This is possible by relying on national systems and expertise in our development cooperation operations and by pursuing value for money principles. Improved accessibility to data on ILO’s development partners,

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on ILO spending (where, when, and how), is part of our transparency efforts. Our investments in capacity-building of staff in the field and at HQ increase our effectiveness.

Capacity development for policy change: Capacity development is critical for sustaining development cooperation operations, as it places constituents in a position to influence national policies. Therefore, dedicated capacity-building programmes and a holistic approach that simultaneously addresses technical, organizational and institutional competencies will enable constituents and other players in the world of work to translate the sustainable development goals into achievable national actions. The ILO’s International Training Centre offers longstanding know-how, innovative learning approaches and paths. Bottom-up and needs-based approaches are vital to sustain impact. Strengthening national statistical capacities is paramount to keeping track of achievements. The ILO is more than ready to engage in this effort.

Shared resources and partnerships: By sharing funding, expertise, knowledge and other resources with development partners, much more becomes possible. In 2014, the ILO received USD 269 million in voluntary funding from development partners, of which USD 32 million were fully un-earmarked core resources. In past years, voluntary funding has accounted on average for 43 per cent of overall ILO resources.

The ILO partners with multi-bilateral donors, the UN, the European Commission and other intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, non-state actors and civil society, as well as with social partners at the global, national and local level. Domestic development funding is growing with more Member States committing their own resources to partner with the ILO. Furthermore, the ILO gives full support for South-South and Triangular Cooperation.

These building blocks will be applied in all of our development cooperation work.

Our flagship programmes

Better Work see: www.betterwork.org

The International Programme on the Elimination of Child and Forced Laboursee: www.ilo.org/ipec

The Occupational Safety and Health Global Action for Prevention see: www.ilo.org/osh

Jobs for Peace and Resiliencesee: www.ilo.org/crisis

The Social Protection Floor see: www.social-protection.org

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RESPONDING TO DISASTERThe ILO contributes to building the resilience of nations and people caught in fragile and disaster situations. The ILO and the g7+ group have joined forces in areas such as job creation, skills development, social protection, South-South and triangular cooperation, migration, and labour market monitoring.

Almost six million people were affected by Typhoon Haiyan, which ripped through the Philippines in November 2013. Of these, 2.6 million people were already living at or near the poverty line. Much of the livelihood infrastructure was destroyed by the disaster. ILO teams were on the ground from day one, supporting emergency employment and helping stricken communities rebuild themselves better than before.

The loss of 1,136 lives when Rana Plaza collapsed on 24 April 2013 sent shockwaves worldwide. Coming just months after the fatal fire at Tazreen Fashions in which 112 died, it was clear that the Bangladesh Ready Made Garment (RMG) sector had reached a crucial juncture. Following the collapse, the immediate priority was to inspect all 3,508 export-oriented RMG factories in Bangladesh for structural, fire and electrical safety. By the end of March 2015, 2,500 factories had been inspected.

Growth of trade unions in the Bangladeshi RMG Sector End of 2012: 132 March 2015: 437

ENSURING DECENT WORK IN FACTORIESBetter Work – an ILO/IFC programme set up in 2009 – has improved conditions in factories employing more than 3 million workers by engaging with more than 60 global garment brands and 1,200 factories.

Some Results

� Jordan: Migrant workers are now represented in an industry-wide collective agreement; factories have seen a 50% improvement in compliance with occupational safety and health requirements and 100% improvement in paying correct minimum wages and benefits.

� Cambodia: Programme impacts are multiplied, as many of the 500,000 workers send their earnings home to help their families, who in turn use these funds to pay for education for younger siblings and medical bills.

� Lesotho: Better Work has helped ensure that 100% of the factories involved have eliminated HIV/AIDS discrimination.

� Viet Nam: 65% of Better Work factories have seen a rise in total sales, 62% have increased production capacity, and 60% have expanded employment.

© Better Work Jordan

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Partnering with the ILOThere is a clear need for global multi-stakeholder collaboration to drive the implementation of SDG 8 and other decent work outcomes of the 2030 Agenda. A strong partnership between the ILO and your organization could work as a global platform to galvanize political support, funding, and a technical means of implementation.

For more information on how to partner with the ILO, get in touch with your nearest ILO country office or the ILO Partnerships and Field Support Department. Contact us today and let’s start discussing how we can work together for mutual benefit, greater global impact and to ensure that decent work for all is no longer a concept, but a reality.

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PROMOTING DECENT WORK FOR YOUTHOn 18 November 2015, the UN Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) endorsed a new global initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth, which aims to scale up action in support of youth employment – one of the main global challenges and priorities of our times. The Initiative can be seen as a template for assisting Member States implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and an inspiration for collaboration and partnership among all key actors, including the social partners, youth organizations and the public and private sector.

Partnerships and Field Support Department (PARDEV) International Labour Organization

4, Route des Morillons CH-1211 Geneva-22 – Switzerland

Tel: +41 22 799 7309 Fax: +41 22 799 6668

E-mail: pardev@ilo.org

www.ilo.org/pardev

In the regions: www.ilo.org/global/regions

International Training Centre of the ILO

Viale Maestri del Lavoro, 10 10127 Turin – Italy

Tel: + 39 011 693 6111 Fax + 39 011 6638 842

E-mail: communications@itcilo.org

www.itcilo.org

© ILO

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THE ILO, ITS DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION STRATEGY - AND YOU