Somali Government, Employers and Workers agreed on priorities for Decent Work Country Programme

[Deeq A.]

Mogadishu, Wednesday 11th December 2019: Marking consensus on the implementation of Somali Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP), the Government of Somalia, Employers’ and Workers’ Organizations have agreed on four priorities for coming five (5) years. These priorities include promoting fair opportunities for Jobs creation & skills development, extending social protection for all; institutional capacity for labour administration; and social dialogue for protecting labour rights.

The representatives of the Government of Somalia – including from the Federal Government and Federal Member States (FMS) along with the Somali Chamber of Commerce & Industries (SCCI) and Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU) agreed on these priorities in a 3-day workshop that concluded in Mogadishu today and also jointly worked out a detailed results-based implementation framework for next five (5) years.

The Federal Minister for Labour & Social Affairs, Mr Sadik Hirsi Warfa, appreciated the efforts by tripartite constituents to develop such a comprehensive programme which is fully aligned to the ground situation in Somalia and will help improve living conditions of existing and new workers.  He said that the Government of Somalia is keen to enhance employment and bring a positive change in the lives of Somali women and men through their access to decent working conditions.  He assured the support of the Government for the effective implementation of the DWCP.

Speaking at the occasion, the General Secretary of Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU) Omar Faruk Osman welcomed the consensus developed on DWCP priorities and expressed his hope for improving the working conditions of a large informal economy of Somalia.  He highlighted the plight of workers having no access to social protection, decent wages, and any other decent conditions at their workplaces.

Mr Saad Gilani, Head of International Labour Organization (ILO) – Somalia Office, congratulated the tripartite stakeholders to agree on the decent work country programme and appreciated the depth of discussion and dialogue took place on all technical dimensions of the programme.

The DWCP for Somalia is based on a wide-ranging consultation among key labour market stakeholders – which was informed by a systematic ‘meta-analysis’ for labour market situation of Somalia.  The DWCP will be aligned to the 9th National Development Plan for Somalia – particularly under its Economic and Social Development Pillars.  The DWCP also aims to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) mainly focusing SDG-8 on ‘Economic Growth & Decent Work’.

The DWCP seeks to make positive changes in the world of work through the application of normative actions.  It also responds to the socio-economic conditions of Somalia by creating more and decent jobs for women and men.

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