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1. Implementation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes with interest the full information included in a report received in August 2005, which contains the information requested in the report form and in the 2004 observation. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information in its next report on the manner in which the employment promotion objectives have been achieved which were set out in the Government Plan 2002‑06, the National Competitiveness Programme and the Poverty Reduction Strategy. In 2004, of an economically active population of over 2.5 million people, only 1,170,000 had found wage employment and 750,000 poor households were identified. The Committee would like to continue examining statistical data which focus on whether the employment prospects of women and men wishing to find productive employment have improved in light of the many programmes enumerated by the Government in its report. The Committee would also be interested in being informed of the measures adopted for the development of infrastructure and their impact on job creation, as well as the manner in which the trade agreements that have been negotiated have affected the labour market (Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention).

2. ILO technical cooperation. The Committee requests the Government to indicate the results achieved by the programme “New jobs for the people”, which was discussed in the Economic and Social Council, and the measures adopted as a result of the studies conducted on decent work and poverty in Honduras and on gender equality in employment policy, to which the Government referred in its report. In this respect, the Committee notes the “Tripartite Declaration for the promotion of employment and decent work in Central America and the Dominican Republic”, concluded by the ministers of labour and representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations in Tegucigalpa in June 2005. It was agreed in the Tripartite Declaration, among other significant policies, to include the objective of creating worthwhile, lasting and high-quality jobs, in accordance with ILO parameters, as a central aim of macroeconomic policy, with efforts being focused not only on controlling inflation and the fiscal deficit, but also and with equal priority on the promotion of investment and equitable growth. The Committee would be grateful if the Government would provide information in its next report on the initiatives taken with ILO support to promote, at both the national and subregional levels, the objectives of the creation of productive employment as set out in the Convention (Part V of the report form).

3. Promotion of youth employment. The Government refers to initiatives to promote youth employment, including a component on “first jobs for youths at risk”: the objective is the labour market integration of around 6,000 poor urban youths who have dropped out of the conventional education system and who are not engaged in work or only work occasionally in informal activities. Furthermore, with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank, vocational training, the employment service (SIL) and the modernization of the labour administration (MAT) are being promoted. The Committee asks the Government to provide information in its next report on the manner in which these programmes have contributed to reducing youth unemployment and facilitating the entry of young persons into the formal labour market. The Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on the action taken by the National Institute of Vocational Training and the National Technical Vocational Education Centre to improve the supply of vocational and technical training and promote new enterprises and business opportunities.

4. The Committee notes that the export processing sector has been affected by the suspension of contracts and the closure of enterprises. In 2002, the jobs generated by the export processing industry reached 105,557 (114,237 in 2003). Over half of the workers employed in the sector continue to be women. The textile industry continues to be the one generating the highest volume of activity. The Government indicates that the “full package” scheme allows firms to provide a variety of services, which will result in greater added value and the success of the export processing industry. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing information on the contribution of the export processing sector in terms of the generation of productive employment.

5. Participation of the social partners. The Government provides information on the participation of the social partners in the process of updating the Poverty Reduction Strategy. The Government also refers to the consultations held in the context of the Economic and Social Council. The Committee emphasizes that it is the joint responsibility of governments and the representative organizations of employers and workers to ensure that representatives of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of the economically 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 2004 General Survey on promoting employment). The Committee trusts that the Government will continue to provide information on the consultations held on the matters covered by the Convention with the representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations, also including representatives of the rural sector, the informal economy and the export processing sector.