National Rural Employment Strategy in Lao PDR towards increasing opportunities for decent and productive employment in rural areas

The project builds on earlier work ILO that has been carried out in the country as well as the lessons learned from the current demonstration work in Sekong province. The project continues to build capacity of line agencies, along with their provincial and district officials, in various policies, techniques and methods so as to build planning, implementation and monitoring capacities. It demonstrates collaboration with the private sector in a way that creates pro-poor value chains, productive and inclusive industrial linkages, and Decent Work. Through this, the much-needed link between policy development and implementation is established as are public - private partnerships. At the village level, the project supports small holder farmers in their nutritional and productive needs, through product and trade diversification and links to supply chains. This would require value chain development interventions, that could involve skills development, market linkages, technical training, among others. The project also opens opportunities for short term employment through rural road construction and maintenance works, utilizing community contracting of labour, through investments that facilitate access to basic services and markets. At the institutional level, the project works with the private sector by promoting extension of their supply chains to communities of small holder farmers and extending Decent Work opportunities in plantations. The strategy comprises design and adoption of appropriate purchase orders and decent contracts, establishing technology transfer channels and processes in collaboration with private sector partners and social dialogue will comprise the strategy. Further on the institutional level, government, social partners, mass organizations, and non-government organizations are the main implementers whose policies, services and capacities are developed to achieve the aims. Government’s role in providing an enabling policy environment and in service delivery, including through public-private partnerships, is a key thrust of the strategy. Training on gender mainstreaming, occupational health and safety, child labour sensitization is parts of all components of the project.

Project symbol

LAO/16/01/CHE

Admin unit

CO-Bangkok

Start date

01/05/2017

End date

31/12/2020

Total allocation

2148979

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

2120672

Development Partners

Switzerland, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

Country/Countries

Lao People's Democratic Republic

Outcomes

Outcome 3: Economic, social and environmental transitions for full, productive and freely chosen employment and decent work for all