{"id":200193,"date":"2002-10-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T17:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?p=200193"},"modified":"2019-03-12T17:55:43","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T17:55:43","slug":"auto-insert-200193","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/auto-insert-200193\/","title":{"rendered":"Enhanced programme of technical cooperation for the OPT – Report of ILO Governing Body"},"content":{"rendered":"
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INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE
\nGoverning Body<\/strong> <\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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GB.285\/6<\/p>\n

285th Session<\/p>\n

Geneva, November 2002<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

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Enhanced programme of technical
\ncooperation for the occupied
\nPalestinian territories<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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I. The context<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t1.\t<\/span><\/strong><\/span>The Director-General, responding to the debate on the occupied territories that took place at the 284th Session of the Governing Body (21 June 2002), noted the strong mandate for the ILO’s proposals included in his Report to the 90th Session of the International Labour Conference,<\/span>1<\/sup><\/span> <\/span>and reiterated what he said in the introduction to that Report “to report to the Governing Body in November 2002 on the actions taken to enhance the ILO’s technical cooperation programme with Palestinian constituents”. The present note reports on the progress made to date and the plans for follow-up.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t2.\t<\/span><\/strong><\/span>The Director-General’s report proposed an expanded programme of technical assistance, tailored to the particular situation in the territories, which comprised action in four areas:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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  • Reassessment <\/strong>of existing projects focusing on emergency schemes related to employment creation through the reconstruction projects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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    • Technical assistance for the creation of the “Palestinian Fund for Employment and Social Protection” <\/i>(the Fund).<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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      • Capacity building <\/strong>for the social partners by supporting the Palestine General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), the Federation of Palestinian Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, and the Ministry of Labour.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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        • Creating a platform for Palestinian and Israeli constituents for social dialogue <\/strong>as a contribution to creating an atmosphere of mutual respect, trust building and easing of tensions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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          \n\t\t\t\t3.\t<\/span><\/strong><\/span>The International Labour Conference endorsed this approach, and the 284th Session of the Governing Body (21 June 2002) urged the ILO to implement technical cooperation programmes in the areas of employment, social protection and social dialogue, and asked member States to contribute generously towards the establishment of a <\/span>Palestinian Fund for Employment and Social Protection<\/i><\/span>.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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          \n\t\t\t\t4.\t<\/span><\/strong><\/span>In a letter addressed to the Director-General, Chairman Arafat expressed <\/span>“the support of the Palestinian National Authority for your intentions to launch an integrated programme of technical cooperation for the benefit of our workers in Palestine”<\/i><\/span>, and urged <\/span>“a speedy start of this programme”<\/i><\/span>.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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          \n\t\t\t\t5.\t<\/span><\/strong><\/span>The Director-General has established an interdepartmental task force to ensure the implementation of this programme.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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          \n\t\t\t\t6.\t<\/span><\/strong><\/span>Given the urgency of implementing this programme, the Director-General took the following immediate steps:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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          • Identification of needs: <\/strong>At the invitation of the Director-General, a tripartite delegation from the occupied territories visited the ILO on 11 and 12 July 2002. The delegation was headed by the Minister of Labour and included the Secretary-General of the PGFTU and the President of the Nablus Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The delegation conveyed to the Director-General their perceived needs and the priorities they assign to the different components of the technical cooperation package.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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            • ILO immediate assistance: <\/strong>The Director-General has allocated US$300,000 from ILO resources to meet key immediate needs of the Palestinian constituents for technical cooperation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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              II. Expanded programme of technical cooperation<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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              \n\t\t\t\t7.\t<\/span><\/strong><\/span>The present situation makes it difficult to think in terms of traditional technical cooperation programmes that assume normal conditions. An innovative approach is required taking into account:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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              • the present situation where mobility is extremely limited and infrastructure is in a bad state of disrepair;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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                •  <\/span>difficulty to import or export from the territories;<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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                  • fragility of the economy in the West Bank and Gaza and inability to generate sufficient demand for labour.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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                    \n\t\t\t\tIt is within this perspective that the ILO has been requested to assist in a number of areas especially the establishment of the Fund<\/i>.\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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                    A. The Palestinian Fund for Employment and Social Protection<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

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                    \n\t\t\t\t8.\t<\/span><\/strong><\/span>There is a consensus that, in the present circumstances, the creation of the <\/span>Fund <\/i><\/span>is the most effective mechanism for dealing with the mounting problems of unemployment and poverty. In fact, the Arab Labour Organization has passed a resolution calling on the ILO to contribute effectively towards the creation of such a fund.<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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                    \n\t\t\t\t9.\t<\/span><\/strong><\/span>The objective of this <\/span>Fund <\/i><\/span>is to provide the institutional framework for promoting decent work among Palestinians, especially youth, thus reducing the insecurity of the majority of workers by dealing with one of the root causes of violence: unemployment and loss of livelihood. To achieve this objective the <\/span>Fund <\/i><\/span>will have the following major components: <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

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                    • Youth training and employment programme: <\/strong>Three-month in-class vocational training for youth (age group to be determined) and three months’ apprenticeship in enterprises, with a subsidy (amount to be determined, for example, 80 per cent of minimum wage). <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

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