The International Labour Organisation and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation have agreed to reinforce their longstanding cooperation to accelerate sustainable and inclusive development in developing countries.
ILO, in a release, said the collaboration aimed to boost economic growth, decent work, resilient infrastructure, and sustainable industrialisation.
According to the organization, the enhanced collaboration between the agencies would prioritise five key areas: skills development, sustainable supply chains, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, agribusiness, rural entrepreneurship for jobs and food security and a just transition to eco-friendly economies.
They would also partner on statistics and policy advice.
It stated that an updated working arrangement had been designed to strengthen progress on SDG 8 and SDG 9 and was signed by ILO Director-General, Gilbert Houngbo, and UNIDO’s Director-General, Gerd Müller.
Houngbo said, “We look forward to our joint work with UNIDO, including through our work on skills in Africa, to boost industrial transformation and a Just Transition through inclusive programmes that are responsive to labour market needs as well as learners’ aspirations and reflect the need for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
“We further expect to develop cooperation in the provision of advisory services, joint research, and analytical activities to support the generation of data and knowledge to inform evidence-based policies to drive decent work in supply chains.”
Müller said, “In many developing countries, the population is growing rapidly. In Africa alone, the population will double by 2050.
“This is a great opportunity but also a great challenge. ILO and UNIDO share a vision to provide skills and decent jobs for millions of young people and ensure sustainable supply chains worldwide to end exploitation and unsafe working conditions.”
According to the UNIDO boss, industry is a key driver for economic growth and job creation.
“Teaming up with the ILO allows us to bring together the strengths of both organisations for greater impact in developing countries.
“We are kicking off a joint programme, “Skills for Sustainable Industrial Transformation in Africa”, to boost lifelong learning and drive industrial change. Talks with partners are slated for late 2023 and early 2024, with activities starting in 2024,” he explained.
