International Labour Day: Fostering decent work & strengthening human resources worldwide.
International Labor Day has been celebrated worldwide on May 1 of each year since 1889 to claim labor rights and fair conditions in accordance with international labor standards recognized internationally by most governments. With the arrival of the pandemic, several reports show deterioration in job growth, with the loss of more than 30 million full-time jobs, according to the International Labor Organization. Furthermore, in Latin America and the Caribbean, more than 160 million people work in the informal sector have seen their income reduced by up to 80%, well above the world average (60%), one of the world’s hardest hit regions. The same is true in Africa, where 85% of workers are informal, and in Asia, with more than 60%.
At DEVPOLES we work to promote decent employment conditions, income generation, and the inclusion of women in the labor market in order to increase levels of social cohesion. This is achieved by informing public decision-makers on public policy design, regulation by working in close cooperation with civil society, economic agents and worker interest groups. For example, DEVPOLES is currently supporting UNDP by mapping the key stakeholders for development in the 12 indigenous territories of Panama, so that investments planned can factor in local needs connected to decent work practices, income generation, promoting local consumption and fostering local employment. On the other hand, in Peru, within the framework of international technical assistance in support of DEVIDA financed by the European Union, a study by conducted by DEVPOLES revealed that although women in coca producing areas constitute between 40 and 70 % of the workforce, almost 70% of this work is unpaid and 55% of women have no or very low educational levels. That is why development also involves education, enforcement of fair working conditions, and fight against informality and child labour via regulation and oversight..
On the other hand, DEVPOLES is also contributing to reform initiatives in public entities to adapt and update the organizational development to internal an external push and pull factors that drive the generation of public value, by working on building new competencies, knowledge, skills and abilities for civil servants that can guarantee improved efficiencies and productivity, in a framework that observe decent and ethical work practices.
Among other services, DEVPOLES promotes various modernization actions in talent management, selection and evaluation, modernization of the job performance systems, preparation and implementation of administrative organizational manuals, job classification manuals and salaries, competency-based training curricula, performance evaluation manuals, wellbeing frameworks, succession planning as well as the strengthening of supervision and control systems.
“Decent labour is at the very center of all projects designed and implemented by DEVPOLES.”
DEVPOLES also improves institutional performance through the updating and creation of new job descriptions in accordance with demand factors and technological trends, focusing on improving hard and soft skills of institutions with central, deconcentrated and decentralized public services at the national level.
Decent labour is at the very center of all projects designed and implemented by DEVPOLES. Our experience showcases DEVPOLES’ perennial commitment to observing, promoting and defending labor rights and decent work through the implementation of national and regional initiatives promoting more democratic, transparent systems and a participatory institutional culture, having a positive impact on citizens.
