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Strengthening labour administration in Afghanistan - Final evaluation

eval_number:

2391

eval_url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/eval/2391

lessons_learned:

themes:

theme:

Employment creation

category:

Employment

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comments:

ILO project and country offices in fragile states Conflict affected groups, such as returnees, youth and women

challenges:

On the one hand, stakeholders felt that the project was very donor driven, that it focused on labour law reform at the expense of employment generation, despite an obvious need and requests for this by various stakeholders. In the other camp, stakeholders thought that law reform and labour administration reform was essential for sustainable employment creation and decent work and that this vacuum had not been filled in far too long.

success:

Transitions from conflict to peace create windows of opportunity for social and economic change. At the end of the day, fragile states need legislative reform as well as employment generation. The UN Policy for Post-Conflict Employment Creation, Income Generation, and Reintegration 2009 recommends that programmes in each of these tracks should be undertaken simultaneously, as early as possible, and with varying degrees of intensity and duration, depending on local circumstances. In Afghanistan, there is an $8 million project on employment generation which is about to start up, just on the heels of the labour law reform project. This underlines the principle that shorter term employment generation programmes need to complement programmes supporting the creation of longer term sustainable employment. This is also highlighted in the UNDAF for Afghanistan, under its sustainable livelihoods pillar, which aims to expand opportunities for decent work through both employment creation and by developing an enabling environment. Ultimately, ILO has an important role to play in fragile states, which calls upon its unique expertise in both sustainable employment creation and decent work, and stabilizing income generation.

context:

The unions emphasised the need for more jobs in Afghanistan, especially for conflict-affected groups such as youth and women. Some ILO stakeholders highlighted the need for labour intensive employment programmes, including proper employment opportunities to be created for refugees who are returning to Afghanistan after years in exile to work as day labourers. Others emphasised the need for sustainable employment creation and decent work. Reforming the labour law and labour administration to conform with international labour standards, fundamental rights and rights at work lays down the foundations for employment creation in fair conditions. It creates the enabling environment for decent work. Rule of law is a necessary condition for employment creation to be sustainable in the long run.

description:

Fragile states need legislative reform as well as employment generation programmes to help lift them out of the cycle of conflict.

administrative_issues:

Emphasise the priorities and needs of national stakeholders and beneficiaries rather than donors. Aim to be guided by the UN Policy for Post-Conflict Employment Creation, Income Generation, and Reintegration 2009 in programming priorities.

url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/lessons/213356

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location:

country:

Afghanistan

region:

Asia and the Pacific

---

eval_title:

Strengthening labour administration in Afghanistan - Final evaluation