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1. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee takes note of the Government’s report of August 2004 enumerating the aims of the employment policy adopted by the People’s Assembly of the Jamahiriya. The objectives of the employment policy aim, amongst others, at attaining full employment, at raising the performance standards of workers, at ensuring the participation of the social partners as well as the realization of all categories of workers including women, disabled and youth in the different socio-economic activities, at linking workers’ earnings with the nature of work while ensuring a minimum rate of wages, at regulating the informal sector in the labour market and at adapting educational plans with training in order to fulfil the needs of the labour market. While taking due note of these objectives, the Committee hopes the Government will provide, in its next report, detailed statistical information on employment, both in the aggregate and in the various sectors of economic activity. It further hopes that the Government will supply statistical data as detailed and up to date as possible on the level and trends of employment, underemployment and unemployment. In particular, the Committee requests the Government to provide additional information on the training measures and their impact on the employment of the persons concerned and to indicate in particular the results of these measures aimed at increasing the participation rate of women. The Government is also requested to state the manner in which education and training policies are coordinated with prospective employment opportunities, particularly for young people.

2. Participation of the social partners in the formulation and application of policies. The Committee recalls that Article 3 of the Convention requires consultations with all interested parties - in particular representatives of employers and workers - in the establishment and implementation of employment policies. It is the joint responsibility of the Government and the representative organizations of employers and workers to ensure that representatives of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of the active population are associated as closely as possible with the formulation and implementation of measures of which they should be the prime beneficiaries (see paragraph 493 of the General Survey of 2004 on promoting employment). The Committee trusts that the Government will include detailed information in this regard in its next report.

3. As in its 2003 observation, the Committee underlines that the preparation of a detailed report will certainly provide the Government and social partners with an opportunity to evaluate the achievement of the objectives of full and productive employment. The Committee recalls that the assistance of the Office is available for the technical implementation of an active employment policy in the sense of the Convention.