African countries pledge to integrate decent work in development strategies

Forty-five African countries have underlined the importance of productive and decent employment and pledged to integrate decent work into their national sustainable development strategies

Delegates from the countries, including workers and employers, made the pledge to integrate decent work into their development goals, in a declaration at the end of the 13th African Regional Meeting of the International Labour Organization in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The declaration is in recognition of the importance of decent work and the new expanded opportunities and responsibilities for constituents and the ILO, in national, regional and global policy making.

The ILO says Africa is approaching universal ratification of all its Conventions on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and the continent is expected to achieve it by the ILO’s next regional meeting in 2019.

In view of that the ILO says it will prepare a report on the implementation and impact of this new declaration, for review by the 14th African Regional Meeting in 2019.

By Emmanuel Odonkor