INTERNATIONAL TRAINING CENTRE OF THE ILO, TURIN (ITALY)
Employment and Skills Development Programme
- In collaboration with the International Labour Office,
UN-HABITAT and ILO/ASIST -
“Better Services and More Jobs”
Sub-regional workshop for the promotion of tools and good practices in
improved urban service delivery and employment creation
in Eastern and Southern Africa
Nairobi, 14 – 17 October 2002
Background
Cities in Eastern and Southern Africa are experiencing growing poverty linked to
unemployment, environmental degradation and the breakdown of urban services. Yet the
economies of scale in cities offer great opportunities for improving service delivery and
creating simultaneously employment to tackle poverty. Experience has shown that
public/private partnerships offer great opportunities for both improved service
delivery and employment creation, particularly through community-managed labourbased approaches and small enterprise involvement.
For providing effective answers to urban poverty cities need to improve their capacities for
planning and implementing appropriate local strategies and initiatives. The ILO’s
International Training Centre in Turin plans to address these needs through the
development and implementation of a sub-regional training event in October 2002. This is
a jointl initiative by the Employment Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP), the Boosting
Employment through Small EnterprisE Development Programme (SEED) - both at ILO
Geneva - and the ILO-ASIST regional programme based in Harare. The UN-HABITAT’s
Urban Management Programme and Sustainable Cities Programme support this workshop
and provide technical inputs.
Objective and approach of the workshop
The underlying thesis of the proposed workshop is that employment-focused infrastructure
upgrading and service delivery will go a long way in responding to the multidimensional
crisis faced by many cities world-wide. The objective of the workshop is, therefore, to
strengthen participants’ capabilities in planning and implementing citywide employment
initiatives that contribute directly to poverty reduction through the creation of sustainable
jobs and improved services.
Participants will share practical ideas and tested tools to analyse urban employment
problems, define possible solutions and propose targeted strategies. They will learn about
good practices in employment promotion and service delivery for poor people living in the
cities. During the final part of the workshop, and based on the outcome of earlier sessions,
participants will define a possible framework for action to be discussed at local level with a
broader range of stakeholders for adaptation and implementation.
The workshop content will be kept as practice-oriented as possible, building on the
premise that participants already subscribe to the above-mentioned thesis. Presentations
will show proven practices and what successful implementation and mainstreaming require
at institutional (municipal) level and in terms of community involvement and small
enterprise support.
The workshop is intended to complement and reinforce relevant, existing and future
country level training and other initiatives aiming at employment generation in urban areas,
and will enrich the participants’ knowledge of how to adapt and utilize proven practices
from elsewhere.
Participants’ profile
This sub-regional workshop is specifically directed at municipal and department
managers, city planners (capital and main secondary cities), leaders of community-based
organisations (CBOs) and selected small business associations, as well as some
practitioners from related local support institutions and organisations.
National training institutions will also be targeted as well as a number of ILO’s tripartite
partners representatives (Ministry of Labour, Employers’ Organisations, and Workers’
Organisations).
Main subjects
The workshop will focus on two key strategies for urban poverty reduction through the
promotion of decent work. These are:
I. Community-managed labour-based urban infrastructure upgrading
II. Service delivery through small enterprises
The workshop will give particular attention to the importance of developing effective
Public-Private Partnerships in the implementation of these strategies.
Indictative programme:
DAY 1: Background
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Problem identification and context: urban poverty and unemployment; exclusion; poor
working conditions; disadvantaged groups; degraded economic and social facilities and
services; a growing, unproductive informal sector; unfavourable environment for the
development of small contractors.
Key elements for effective employment promotion: regulatory framework; appropriate
planning; local-resource-based approaches; access to land, premises, credit; proemployment investments; infrastructures and skills upgrading; private sector development;
contractual approaches empowering local communities and ensuring respect for
fundamental labour standards.
City development strategies: emphasis will be given to strategies favouring a participatory
approach and considering the employment and social dimensions of development.
DAY 2: Community managed labour-based urban upgrading
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Employment-intensive investment programmes and community involvement in
identifying, planning, executing and maintaining labour-based interventions for urban
upgrading
Field visit to selected sites.
DAY 3: Service provision through small enterprises
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How municipal governments can use small enterprises as a tool for employment
creation. The focus will be on how strategies may effectively impact on income
opportunities and access to services for the urban poor
Enabling local frameworks for small enterprise development
Support services for small enterprises (financial and non-financial)
Governance aspects of privatised service delivery.
DAY 4: A framework for action
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The elements of the previous days will be brought together in a structured format for a
municipal employment promotion strategy
The strategy will possibly presented and discussed to a panel of invited guests from the
local government and the local private sector.
Venue and dates
The seminar will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from Monday 14 October to Thursday 17
October 2002. The exact venue will be communicated later.
Methodology
The workshop will provide for class work as well as field visits to selected urban projects. It
will be facilitated by the ITC with the assistance of specialists from ILO and UN HABITAT
(Urban management Programme and Sustainable Cities Programme). Reference will also
be made to other relevant training institutions and courses.
The workshop will adopt a highly participatory approach allowing for the active intervention
of all participants and a constructive exchange of ideas and information. During the
seminar, continuous feedback will facilitated between the trainers and the participants
through individual and group exercises.
At the end of the course, an evaluation form on the pedagogical, organisational and
technical aspects of the programme will be distributed in order to allow participants to
express their opinion on the seminar.
Costs and Financing
Participation in the workshop is free. ILO will finance the costs of board and lodging in
Nairobi. Air or bus fare to and from Nairobi, taxi fares and any other additional expenses
must be covered by the participants and their sponsoring organizations.
How to apply
Interested persons should write to any of the addresses hereunder, preferably by e-mail. A
more elaborated application form will then be sent to the incumbents for final application.
International Training Centre of the ILO Employment and Skills Development
Programme
Viale Maestri del Lavoro, 10
10127 Turin, Italie
Tel. : +39.011.6936999
Fax : +39.011.6936451
E-mail : emp@itcilo.it
http://www.itcilo.it
ILO/ASIST Africa - Advisory Support, Information
Services and Training
P.O. Box 210 - Harare, Zimbabwe
Tel. : +263.4.369824-28
Fax : +263.4.369829
E-mail : asist@ilosamat.org.zw
ILO/EIIP, Geneva
E-mail: vanesch@ilo.org
ILO/SEED, Geneva
Email : vanderree@ilo.org