NEWSLETTER ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team and Country Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia #3(70) September 2017 Formal Employment as a Condition for the Realisation of Social Rights – Conference in Baku On 7 September “The main priority for the Government of a legislative and regulatory framework for 2017, a conference Azerbaijan is to ensure employment and protect supporting people’s engagement in formal labour “Formal Employment the social rights of those who are employed. relations. “Providing formal employment will as a Condition for the Today, the government is working to implement contribute to strengthening workers’ social rights,” Realisation of Social large-scale projects aimed to safeguard social he emphasised. Rights” took place in Baku. rights. In turn, the need to protect people’s rights brings the issue of formal versus informal In her opening address, Azita Berar Awad, The event, co-organized by the Ministry of employment to the fore. The Government’s Director of the ILO Employment Policy Labour and Social Protection of Azerbaijan priority is to provide people with employment, Department, congratulated Azerbaijan for giving and the ILO, was attended by Ali Ahmadov, and once this problem is solved – and we can priority attention to formal employment as a Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the say that it has basically been solved by now – Continued on page 2 Commission on Regulation and Coordination of the status of employed population is our next Labour Relations; Salim Muslumov, Minister of priority. Therefore today, the government has Labour and Social Protection of Population of been working to ensure a gradual transformation the Republic of Azerbaijan; Sattar Mehbaliyev, of informal employment into formal Chairman of the Azerbaijan Trade Unions employment,” Ahmadov said. Confederation and Member of Parliament; Mammad Musayev, President of the National Ali Ahmadov: Confederation of Entrepreneurs (Employers) “The Government’s priority of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Azita Berar is to provide people with Awad, Director of the ILO Employment Policy employment, and once this Department; Frédéric Lapeyre, Head of the Informal Economy Unit, ILO; representatives problem is solved – to ensure of governmental and non-governmental a gradual transformation of organizations and international experts. informal employment into Tenth European Regional ILO Meeting formal employment” will be organized in Istanbul on 2–5 October 2017. The meeting will bring “As of end-2016, the number of informally together government, employer and employed citizens stood at 805,000 to 900,000. worker representatives of the 51 countries In other words, we are facing an important of the region to discuss creation of the objective of engaging 900,000 people in formal future of work. ILO Director-General employment,” said Salim Muslumov, Minister of Guy Ryder will present the report “What Labour and Social Protection of the Population Future for Decent Work in Europe of Azerbaijan, addressing the conference. Minister and Central Asia: Opportunities and Muslumov also noted that the Government Challenges.” of Azerbaijan has been taking steps to create Addressing the conference, Ali Ahmadov, Deputy “This Tenth European Regional Prime Minister of Azerbaijan and Chairman of Meeting provides a timely opportunity the Commission on Regulation and Coordination to look back to the Oslo Declaration of Labour Relations, said that 100,000 new jobs adopted at our last Meeting four years should be created every year to avoid a decline in ago, which called for the creation of formal employment in the country. positive pathways to overcome the negative economic, social and political Ahmadov also stressed that some 1.6 million new consequences of the crisis and restore jobs have been created in Azerbaijan in recent years, trust,” Guy Ryder said. lowering the unemployment rate to five percent. #3(70) September 2017 Continued from page 1 Azita Berar Awad: the ground for the realisation of the SDGs, in condition for the realisation of social rights and “We believe that applying the ILO particular SDG 8 on full, productive employment placing it high on the country’s policy agenda. Recommendation 204 concerning and decent work and sustainable growth, as well She welcomed the conference as an opportunity Transition from the Informal to the as initiatives in the sphere of youth employment to examine the complexity of issues that result in Formal Economy adopted by the and formalisation. informality and referred to numerous examples of countries showing that with dialogue and International Labour Conference Azita Berar Awad said, ”We believe that sustained efforts, tangible progress towards in June 2015 and adapted to the applying the ILO Recommendation 204 formalisation can be made. realities in Azerbaijan will make concerning Transition from the Informal to the a positive impact on progress in Formal Economy adopted by the International Azita Berar Awad also mentioned a number of achieving SDGs in the republic” Labour Conference in June 2015 and adapted to long-term joint projects between the ILO and the the realities in Azerbaijan will make a positive Government of Azerbaijan, such as a review of and preparation of a new National Employment impact on progress in achieving SDGs in the macroeconomic policy framework in Azerbaijan Strategy for the of period 2017 to 2030 paving republic.” The Future of Work We Want: Workers’ perspective in Europe and Central Asia From 12 to 13 September the profound transformations and challenges The conference was structured around the four 2017, the Bureau for faced by the world of work today and in the “Centenary Conversations” proposed by the ILO Workers’ Activities future. ILO was represented by Maria Helena Director-General for the Centenary Initiative: “Work (ACTRAV), with the Andre, Director of the ILO Bureau for Workers’ and society’, “Decent jobs for all”, “The organizations support of the ILO Activities (ACTRAV),Olga Koulaeva, Director, of work and production”, “The governance of work”. Decent Work Team and ILO DWT/CO Office for Eastern Europe and Country Office for Eastern Europe and Central Central Asia, Anna Biondi, Deputy Director of The conference became an important landmark Asia, organized a “The Future of Work We Want: ACTRAV, Sergeyus Glovackas, Desk Officer and contributed to the Future of Work Centenary Worker’s perspective in the Europe and Central for Europe and Central Asia, ACTRAV, Gocha Initiative from a trade union perspective based on Asia” forum in Baku, Azerbaijan. Aleksandria, Specialist in Workers’ Activities, the unique issues faced by the member countries of Valentin Mocanu, Seniour Labour Administration, Europe and Central Asia and discussing possible The conference brought together workers’ Labour Inspection and Occupational Safety and policy responses, both of governments and social leaders, voices from academia, governments Health (OSH) Specialist, ILO DW CO Office for partners, as a means to promoting and protecting the and employers from across the region to discuss Eastern Europe and Central Asia. rights of working men and women. Meeting at the Russian Union of Industrialists and Enterpreneurs On 12 July 2017, The purpose of his visit was to introduce his the Russian Union Department and its key activities to Russian of Industrialists and officials and social partners, such as RSPP Entrepreneurs (RSPP) and Federation of Independent Trade Unions hosted a meeting with of Russia, and to discuss potential areas of ILO representatives led cooperation. His visit focused on topics such by Vic van Vuuren, Director of the Enterprises as the green economy, creation of decent jobs, Department at the ILO Headquarters. Vladimir Decent Work and environmental sustainability. Curovic, ILO Moscow Senior Specialist in Employers’ Activities also attended the meeting. During the meeting at the RSPP, Vic van Vuuren received information and materials On behalf of the RSPP, Marina Moskvina, Managing describing the work of the RSPP Departments Director for Labour Market and Social Partnership, for Labour Market and Social Partnership and Elena Feoktistova, Managing Director for and for Corporate Responsibility, Sustainable Office in Moscow and to consider ways to publicise Corporate Responsibility, Sustainable Development, Development and Social Entrepreneurship. RSPP’s best practices in the areas of corporate and Social Entrepreneurship, attended the meeting. responsibility, sustainable development and social Vic van Vuuren was visiting Russia at the invitation of The meeting resulted in a decision to engage in entrepreneurship both in the ILO’s publications and the Russian Ministry of Labour and Social Protection. information sharing with support from the ILO at various international venues. 2 ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team and Country Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia 3rd BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ Meeting On July 26-27, 2017 Chongqing, China, hosted the 3rd BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ meeting. The Russian delegation was headed by the Minister of Labour and Social Protection Maxim Topilin. The first BRICS Labour Ministerial was organized by the Russian Federation during its Presidency in BRICS. It was held in Ufa on January 25-26 2016. The weight and experience of BRICS countries addition, he expressed “particular appreciation” is essential to addressing the major challenges for the role and presence of the BRICS social faced by the global economy, said