DUSAHNBE, June 18, Asia-Plus - The Tajik tripartite delegation that attended a June 14 annual Conference of International Labor Organization (ILO) and ILO Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Friedrich Buttler signed a Program of Cooperation on Decent Work between Tajikistan and the ILO for the years 2007-2009.

The current social and economic situation in the country is characterized by some positive trends, including a steady tendency for economic recovery, decrease of inflation and improvement in living standards. The GDP growth shows a positive dynamic: 8.3 percent in 2000, 10.8 per cent in 2002, 11.0 percent in 2003, 10.6 percent in 2004 and 6.7 percent in 2005.  Alongside this positive development in the economy and social sphere, numerous problems still persist, and the new decent Work Program aims to address these challenges.

Olga Bogdanova, public relations specialist, ILO Sub-regional Office for East Europe and Central Asia, told Asia-Plus that a priority issue in the Program is promoting of standards, fundamental principles and rights at work. The Republic of Tajikistan has ratified 44 ILO Conventions, including all eight fundamental ones; however the implementation mechanisms and framework need to be improved. A lot also needs to be done to introduce principles of social dialogue into the regulation of social and labor relations. 

Another important issue is labor migration, which has been key to economic development and the survival of people in Tajikistan, and relieving social pressure stemming from high unemployment, Bogdanova said.  Every year, about 250.000 Tajik workers leave their country in search of work. Most of them go to the Russian Federation also as to neighboring countries of Central Asia. Many of them have no work or residence permit that would allow them to stay and work legally in the destination countries. The Program aims to address issues of irregular migration including its extreme form – trafficking in persons.

Other priorities of the Program are the elimination of the worst forms of child labor, assistance in small and medium-size enterprise development, and in further development of national vocational training system, also through the ILO’s Modular Employable Skills methodology. 

Within the new Decent Work Program the ILO will assist its partners in improving the pay system and social protection schemes. Emphasis will be also made on combating HIV/AIDS in the world of work and on addressing the occupational safety and health problems. 

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Tajik Labor Minister Shukurjon Zuhurov said that “the main objective of the Program was to promote further development of the social and labor sphere in the Republic of Tajikistan aimed at attaining the goal of Decent Work for all”.  The Minister called the Program “ a logical continuation of the successful cooperation that has been developed between the Republic of Tajikistan and the International Labor Organization”.

The social partners – Azizbek Sharipov, on behalf of the Tajik employers, and Karchi Karimov, on behalf of the Tajik trade unions – expressed strong commitment of their organizations to implement, through the means of social dialogue, all the objectives outlined in the new Decent Work Program.

Buttler stressed the role of the Program in advancing the Decent Work Agenda in Tajikistan as well as in strengthening collaboration with other UN agencies, finds and programs at the national level and in the implementation of the UN system efforts to “deliver as one”.