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1. The Committee notes with regret that a report has not been received from the Government since September 1996. It observes that the Government adopted a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) in December 2002. From the information on the labour market and the education system available in this paper it appears that structural adjustment in the economy and the recession in many production sectors have resulted in unemployment growth. The level of general unemployment according to the ILO definition is estimated to be in the range of 7-11 per cent. Additionally, 20,000 workers have been discharged due to staff redundancies over the past three years. In view of these developments, the Committee asks that the Government state in its next report whether any particular difficulties have been encountered in achieving the employment objectives established in the PRSP, as part of a coordinated economic and social policy, in consultation with representatives of those concerned, in accordance with Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the Convention. It also recalls the relevance of other Conventions ratified by Kyrgyzstan, in particular the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111), the Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No. 142), and the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159), whose full application will certainly contribute to the attainment of the objectives of employment creation established by the PRSP. With regard to employment creation by the private sector, the Government could also refer to the Job Creation in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Recommendation, 1998 (No. 189).

2. The Committee recalls that in its direct request of 1997 it asked the Government to report on:

-  the measures taken or envisaged to compile statistics on the labour market and employment problems in order to obtain data on the characteristics and trends in job offers and demands which are necessary to implement an active employment policy;

-  the manner in which measures taken with the support of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and other development banks for carrying out the structural reforms necessary or the transition to a market economy contribute to the promotion of employment;

-  information on the specific training and placement measures for persons who have particular difficulty in finding and retaining employment such as women, young persons, older workers and disabled persons;

-  training and retraining measures for workers affected by structural reforms;

-  the manner in which consultations with representatives of employers and workers concerning employment policies take place.

3. The preparation of a detailed report, including the indications requested in this observation, will certainly provide the Government and the social partners with an opportunity to evaluate the achievement of the objectives of full and productive employment of the Convention. The Committee reminds the Government that the technical assistance of the Office is available to comply with the reporting obligations and for the implementation of an active employment policy in the sense of the Convention.