CAF and ILO to work together to promote more and better jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean
CAF - Latin American development bank - and the International Labour Organization (ILO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together in the implementation of comprehensive programmes and projects aimed at promoting opportunities for decent and productive work for men and women, in conditions of freedom, equality, security and human dignity.
The document foresees that the collaboration between both institutions will be carried out in the context of the digital transformation and its challenge for the countries of the region, as well as overcoming the socio-economic effects caused by the economic, social and health crises.
The themes in which cooperation between both institutions in Latin America will be prioritised are: development of labour competences, strategies to promote school-to-work transition and qualification and competence certification systems; micro, small and medium enterprises with a focus on formalisation and digital transformation; sustainability, fair transition and green jobs and works; and sectoral and trade policies for the creation of more and better jobs.
During the virtual signing of the memorandum, the Executive President of CAF, Luis Carranza Ugarte, highlighted: "We continue to forge alliances to improve the skills and productivity of workers in order to promote the well-being of the population and the competitiveness of countries. Working together with the ILO will strengthen micro, small and medium enterprises, promote labour formalization and productivity, which is a structural problem in our region that has been more evident with the pandemic".
For his part, the ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Vinícius Carvalho Pinheiro, said that "this agreement with the CAF is of the utmost importance because it will allow both institutions to strengthen their capacity for action at a time when the region must face an unprecedented labour crisis, which has caused the loss of 34 million jobs and has highlighted the need to reduce informality and take concrete steps to move towards the future of the work we want".
The ILO and CAF will cooperate with each other on matters of common interest within their areas of competence and mandate and their respective programmes of activities to strengthen skills and quality of employment in Latin America and the Caribbean.