On 30 June – 2 July, the European Commission hosted a workshop to discuss employment, working conditions and the challenge of the informal economy in Africa. Stakeholders from the EU and the African Union met to share experiences on employment and social protection, with the aim of better integrating these issues into the Joint Africa-EU Strategy's Partnership on Migration, Mobility and Employment (MME). This partnership works within the context of the Ouagadougou Declaration of 2004, which “places employment creation as an explicit and central objective of economic and social policies at national, regional and continental level”.

According to the Commission’s website, the workshop “resulted in a consensus on the need for sustainable and balanced growth, strengthening the role of employment, social protection and social dialogue in development with proposed actions at different levels with special attention to cross-cutting gender issues.”

“It is generally accepted that poverty can be reduced and people’s livelihoods enhanced through the reduction of inequality and unemployment. It is therefore imperative to encourage the adoption of a human-centered approach to development, which promotes employment friendly growth including labour intensive policies and investment in human and social capital,” it adds.

Participants will present the outcomes of their discussions at the upcoming joint expert meeting of the Africa-EU migration, mobility and employment partnership.

Source:

• European Commission