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Webester Mukwati in DURBAN, South Africa
Public Service Labour and Social Welfare Minister, July Moyo, yesterday attended as an invited observer, a meeting of Labour and Employment Ministers from the BRICS bloc in Durban, South Africa.
The two-day meeting was held under the theme “Ensuring decent work, dignity and respect for all.” South Africa, hosted Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRICS), in her capacity as the current chair of the group of emerging economic powerhouses. Zimbabwe was privileged to be among the few invited guest countries together with Cuba, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi and Namibia. The meeting was directed towards promoting labour rights, building sustainable enterprises, promoting universal access to social protection and to use innovation and enhanced productivity to close the skills gap in the informal sector.
Minister Moyo also met the director general of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Mr Gilbert Hungbo, on the sidelines of the BRICS meeting, where he gave a synopsis of the current political and economic context of Zimbabwe to dispel the misconceptions particularly regarding the recently held August 23 harmonised elections won by President Mnangagwa and Zanu PF.
He expressed gratitude for the unwavering support rendered by the ILO, a United Nations agency, particularly on the formalisation strategy for the informal sector, the development of the labour market information system, development of the bargaining chamber for the public sector and the employment promotion initiatives in the rural economy, among others.
He welcomed the ILO’s building skills for the green economy and the pilot programme for Occupational Health Safety (OHS) in the informal sector.
The Zimbabwe Decent Work Country Programme (ZDWCP) has a funding gap of about US$12 million hence the Minister made a request for ILO to assist with resource mobilisation in line with the agreement on the DWCP. Minister Moyo emphasised the need for technical support prioritising employment promotion as enshrined in the same agreement while appreciating ILO’s support pledged to the National Social Security Authority (NSSA). The ILO director general, Mr Hungbo, congratulated the Zimbabwean Government for successful elections and subsequent appointment of key personnel to run the affairs of the State. He pledged to work with the Government and to assist Harare in all the areas of possible cooperation as well as providing adequate technical support. Mr Houngbo, a native of Togo, has spent the greater part of his life working to improve the prospects of the world’s most vulnerable people using his extensive experience in policy issues, economic development, diplomacy and financial accountability.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter