Employment Promotion in Development Cooperation

projekt beendet

Employment promotion in development cooperationContextGlobal Goal 8 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development relates to full and productive employment and decent work for all. In Germany’s development cooperation partner countries, many people are currently unemployed, underemployed or work under demanding conditions. High population growth, conflicts, instability and violence are especially prevalent in North Africa and the Middle East region, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Balkans. The upshot is flight, displacement and migration. In many cases, employment opportunities and levels of income are not sufficient for people to live a decent life. Young people in particular do not have any future prospects in their home countries.With increasing urgency, our partner countries have been seeking assistance with employment promotion for many years now. Since this is also a field of activity that is important to German international cooperation, the following areas have been identified as key priority areas in keeping with the our integrated approach to employment promotion:—Design economic policies that take employment goals into account—Create more and improved opportunities for decent work that (at least) provide a living wage—Promote opportunities for education, vocational training and tertiary level tuition, as well as life-long learning, that are better oriented to job market needs—Enable our partner countries to provide their citizens with labour market preparation, orientation and placement services.ObjectiveStrategies and proven approaches to employment promotion that take account of the changes brought about by demographic change, displacement and migration in the Balkans, North Africa, the Middle East region and in Sub-Saharan Africa are anchored in German and international development cooperation.ApproachThe project assists the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with developing its positions and strategies on the topic of employment promotion and with representing these in international processes.New or improved employment promotion strategies and approaches are developed (further), tested and disseminated through technical discussions, studies, training courses and direct project advice. To this end, the project leverages research cooperation, evaluates German and international development cooperation, and supports pilot measures.By making work more productive and raising incomes in our partner countries, these approaches aim to broaden people’s opportunities and prospects for a life in dignity while reducing involuntary migration, especially with respect to poorer population groups. This project shares its experience with German development cooperation projects and other donors.Results—By supporting the project, BMZ can articulate its position on topics and processes and participate in various projects, such as the World Bank’s financing mechanism for employment promotion, the Jobs Umbrella Trust Fund.—The project has upgraded the methodological tool used for employment and labour market analysis (ELMA) and piloted measures that demonstrate the project’s employment effects in our partner countries.—Important project-backed issues include regional employment strategies, support for women’s employment and employment promotion in the context of conflict, fragility and violence.—The range of employment promotion approaches in development cooperation is presented in the handbook ‘Full and Productive Employment and Decent Work for All’ as well as in various thematic studies.—Practitioners get valuable tips and help through handouts, specialist advice and training courses.

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