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PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago:--- The International Labour Organization (ILO) is hosting a capacity-building workshop in Guyana from September 13-15, 2017. The purpose of the workshop is to boost the capacity of government officials to effectively plan, prepare and write key national reports on International Labour Standards.

Government officials from thirteen (13) Caribbean member States are attending including: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. Additionally, there are representatives from Guyana Trades Union Congress and one representative from the Consultative Association of Guyana Industry.

According to Shingo Miyake, ILO Specialist on International Labour Standards and Labour Law, who is the key facilitator, “The training allows participants to learn or refresh their memory on the reporting procedures for international labour standards (ILS). We have noticed that countries have real challenges with reporting, especially reports on the implementation of ratified Conventions, which are the main ones. We recognise that Labour departments within Ministries tend to be small and simply do not have sufficient manpower to prepare the ILS reports. ILO assists so they can work more efficiently.”

For this workshop, the ILO is specially targeting the government officials who coordinate reporting to the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR). The results of the Committee’s examination are compiled into a report submitted to the International Labour Conference (ILC) annually in Geneva, Switzerland. There are a number of national reports which countries are required to submit, however late submission and in some cases non-submission are a recurrent challenge. This training is to address these issues.

“When countries fail to submit national reports they miss a golden opportunity to provide important information on their progress but also the stumbling blocks. Timely reporting to the ILO opens the door for useful feedback from the Committee of Experts. When countries submit their reports on time, there can be in-depth discussion by the Committee about how they are fulfilling their obligations and suggestions for successful strategies towards achieving their goals. Countries could use this feedback to improve their law and practice, and these improvements can be further reported. There would then be a positive cycle of dialogue”, explains Miyake.

The Workshop will not only deliver knowledge and techniques to the participants but it will emphasize exchanging experiences of the participants. In doing so, it will combine various methods including: lecture, simulation, group work, presentation and discussion to make the sessions interactive and participatory. Participants will practice writing reports starting with the analysis of the comments of the CEACR. An important element of the Workshop is the Training of Trainers approach (ToT) which aims to transfer the teacher-trainer skill set to those present so that they can in turn train other officials upon their return to their respective countries. The last day is entirely dedicated to this purpose.

ILO Press Release