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ANNEX-JOINT
DECLARATION CEATAL-COSATE |
SALVADOR
PLAN OF ACTION A. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN OF ACTION: ORGANIZATION 2. The Chair Pro Tempore of the Thirteenth Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor (Brazil) in collaboration with the former Chair (Canada) and the future Chair (Mexico), with the support of the Technical Secretariat of the OAS and in consultation with the representatives of the Trade Union Technical Advisory Council (COSATE), the Business Technical Advisory Committee on Labor Matters (CEATAL), and the Permanent Technical Committee on Labor Matters (COTPAL), will be responsible for promoting the implementation of the Plan of Action and for improving collaboration and cooperation with the social and labor forums constituted in the various trade liberalization and integration initiatives in the Americas, and with the relevant regional and international organizations, such as the Organization of American States (OAS), International Labor Organization (ILO), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF), the Central American Bank of Economic Integration (CABEI), and the World Bank. B. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN OF ACTION: RESOURCES 3. Member states should devote the available economic, technical, and logistical resources to implement the Plan of Action and to encourage the participation of COSATE and CEATAL. In addition, the Chair Pro Tempore will invite the relevant regional and international organizations to make voluntary contributions to support activities and projects included in this plan, and to facilitate the participation of said worker and employer organizations. C. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN OF ACTION: WORKING GROUPS 4. Participation in the Working Groups will be open to all Member states, as well as COSATE and CEATAL. The Chair Pro Tempore will seek the means to ensure the active participation of all the member states and the social partners (i.e. the most representative employers' and workers' organizations) in the implementation of the Plan of Action. WORKING GROUP 1: LABOR DIMENSIONS OF THE SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS PROCESS 5. The Working Group
will continue examining the topic of globalization in relation to employment
and labor, to follow up on those issues that have been already identified
as requiring major effort on behalf of the member states and intensifying
collaboration and hemispheric cooperation in the search for better shared
solutions, with strong emphasis on the integration of economic and social
policies in the national, regional, and subregional spheres. a) Based on the work accomplished by the XI and XII IACML on different regional agreements and institutions addressing labor standards in the context of integration, and the continued study of labor provisions in emerging free trade agreements, elaborate options emphasizing cooperation, to allow for a better implementation of labor commitments, laws and policies, including through an increase in the capacity of Labor Ministries; b) Conduct further enquiry into the effects of economic integration on labor markets and labor policy, the necessary methods for studying these topics and the means to enable Labor Ministries in smaller economies to undertake such analyses. c) Develop the institutional means to structure coordination and collaboration to strengthen Labor Ministries' capacity to carry out their functions. To this end, commission a feasibility study, with recommendations to be brought forward for the consideration of the XIV IACML; d) To analyze conditions for creating a mechanism to promote decent work and strengthen training to help reduce differences between regions and improve conditions for competitiveness in our countries. e) Extend invitations to senior officials from relevant ministries, as appropriate, to attend the IACML seminars, workshops, and Working Group meetings when agenda items address topics of cross-cutting nature. Ministries of Trade and Ministries of Education were identified in this regard by the Working Group; f) Continue to encourage the active participation of CEATAL, COSATE and key international organizations in the work of the Conference regarding the labor dimensions of the Summit of the Americas process; and g) Convey the contents of this report to Trade Ministers in response to the request in their Quito Declaration of November 2002. 7. The Working Group will consider, as a basis for the development of its mission, the knowledge, results and recommendations that arose from the activities carried out by its predecessors, as well as studies and information that can contribute to the accomplishment of its objectives. In that regard, the group will be attentive, inter.alia, to the work and recommendations that may arise from the ILO's World Commission on the Social Dimensions of Globalization. The Working Group will prepare a report containing recommendations for consideration at the XIV Conference. These activities will serve as a basis for the adoption of policies and programs intended to reduce or eliminate the decent work deficit in the countries of the Hemisphere. WORKING GROUP 2: BUILDING CAPACITIES OF LABOR MINISTRIES 8. Working Group 2 will follow-up on the efforts of its predecessors in the development of new mechanisms to increase the capacity of the Ministries of Labor, with a particular focus on responding to the challenges of globalization and integration and free trade processes, as well as increasing the efficiency of the policies and actions directed to the promotion of decent work, the improvement of working conditions, and promotion of the labor principles embodied in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. The central objective of this group is to develop tools to support ministries of labor -- structure, legal framework, functions, administration, interaction with the surrounding environment --- for the execution of an active role in the contemporary world and in the future. In this regard, we grant special importance to the continuation and deepening of the regional programs for development, strengthening and modernization of labor administrations, that the ILO, OAS and other organizations design and implement in the hemispheric area. 9. The Working Group should consider, in their activities, the input offered by its predecessors. The cooperation and collaboration among the Ministries of Labor, the OAS, ILO, ECLAC, PAHO, IDB, CDB, CAF, CABEI and the World Bank have a strategic significance for obtaining the desired effects, in particular, in developing the capacity of smaller economies and their institutions. As such, the Working Group will build on the work of its predecessors to achieve improved collaboration and coordination, especially in the following fields: by exploring the development of institutional means to structure their efforts to achieve these objectives, by continuing to exchange best practices, by maintaining an inventory of technical assistance and cooperation projects and resources and making it available to IACML members, and by identifying, on the basis of experience, the enabling conditions for sustainable strengthening of institutional capacity. 10. The Working Group should also give special attention to the Horizontal Cooperation Project in the area of Labor, being carried out by the Unit for Social Development and Education (UDSE) of the OAS, based on the critical transfer of consolidated prograams and implemented in collaboration with the Inter-American Agency for Cooperation and Development (IACD) and other appropriate units of the OAS General Secretariat. Additionally, the Working Group should consider the results from the USDOL/ILO Project on "Labor Principles and Rights in the context of the XII IACML". 11. The Working Group, in coordination with the ILO, will work to ensure that IACML members are informed of best practices and available resources to raise public awareness of the ILO Declaration about Fundamental Principles and Rights of Work and its follow-up, to communicate and evaluate experiences in the various countries of the Americas with initiatives to eliminate child labor; and to develop within individual countries indicators of fundamental rights as an aspect of decent work, to provide benchmarks for reviewing progress, identifying best practices in those areas, and effectively targeting the resources required to achieve those objectives. D. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN OF ACTION: ROLE OF THE MINISTRIES OF LABOR I - AREAS OF ACTION 12. The Ministries of Labor can play an important role in the generation of opportunities for decent work, the promotion of productive employment, and improvement of working and living conditions, including: a) the promotion of the elaboration, revision and updating of labor legislation, promotion of compliance with labor legislation, collective agreements, and international labor standards, particularly those identified in the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and its Follow-up; b) the creation of decent work, integration of economic, social and labor policies for the creation and expansion of productive employment and income opportunities; integration of labor, education, culture, welfare, and leisure policies; management of public funds for sectors that are more sensitive to the investment-employment relationship, such as the micro and small enterprises, self-employment, cooperatives; employment programs aimed at vulnerable groups such as women, adolescents, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities; programs for public credit, microfinance, etc; c) the existence of efficient social protection systems, monitoring of health and safety conditions in the workplace; stimulating the formalization of non-standard and unprotected work; expanding social security coverage; complying with programs to abolish child labor, sexual exploitation of children and adolescents, and forced and compulsory labor; developing programs to promote equitable treatment in employment and in the workplace; d) the promotion of social dialogue: creation and compliance with statutory provisions for strengthening free and autonomous organizations of employers, workers and other social actors; incentives for collective negotiation; institutionalization of spaces for social dialogue and the participation of civil society in decision-making on labor and development matters. 13. The functions and areas constitute the guidelines of the Plan of Action. II - LEVELS OF ACTION F. IMPLEMENTATION
OF THE PLAN OF ACTION: DIRECTIVES FOR THE FUNCTIONING OF THE WORKING GROUPS 21. The Working Groups will meet at least twice before the XIV Inter-American Conference of Ministers of Labor, at dates and locations that will be determined by what is said in paragraph 15. 22. The Working Groups
will be coordinated by the following Ministers of Labor, elected by this
conference, who can perform the functions assigned directly, or through
a representative: Methodology 23. The Plan of Action addresses a large number of complex themes reflecting the grave challenges before the Ministers of Labor in global economy. In contrast, most Ministries are faced with serious limitations to adequately perform their function. For this reason, it is indispensable that the Working Groups continue the efforts to improve their methods of work, in order to achieve synergies, maximize efficiencies and disseminate results. 24. The Working Groups should coordinate their work in view of the complimentary nature and interdependence of their plans. Ongoing communication and exchange of knowledge, experience, and results will provide reciprocal benefits. 7. It is fundamental
that the Working Groups deepen the actions developed in the prior plans
and find the means that will allow for internalization, in the various
areas and levels of intervention, the initiatives and recommendations
derived from those plans. Furthermore, they should develop systems for
monitoring and evaluating the obtained effects in their areas of action.
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