Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2003, published 92nd ILC session (2004)

1. Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention. The Committee notes the Government’s report for the period ending September 2002 and the information that it contains in reply to its previous observation. The Government indicates that, during the period in question, it continued its activities to consolidate the employment information system (SIME) with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the ILO. Among the principal areas in which progress has been achieved with the SIME, the Government refers to the establishment of a database on labour supply and demand, the formulation of a file of vocational, technical training and higher education establishments and a file of "employers in the structured sector". The availability of reliable, dynamic and regular information is a principal objective of the Government’s employment policy. The Committee would be grateful if it could continue to be informed of any progress achieved in this field and also of the employment policy measures adopted as a result of the new labour market information systems that have been established.

2. The Government also sent a document on the employment situation in Mauritania prepared in the context of the support programme for the National Strategy to Combat Poverty. The first Strategic Framework to Combat Poverty (CSLP) for the period 2001-15 focuses on the promotion of employment and the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. It is aimed at reducing unemployment, particularly among women and young persons, developing an integrated network of micro-enterprises in the modern sector and supporting self-employment. This action programme includes employment promotion measures, including the development of labour-intensive activities. The Committee notes these projects with interest and would be grateful if the Government would continue to keep it informed of any progress achieved in the implementation of the National Strategy to Combat Poverty and its impact on employment promotion. In this respect, the Committee requests that the Government provide information on the manner in which the representatives of employers’ and workers’ organizations and of the other persons affected, such as workers in the rural sector and the informal economy, have been consulted and the outcome of the consultations held with a view to achieving the employment objectives established in the National Strategy to Combat Poverty.

3. Part V of the report form. Finally, the Committee notes the information concerning the ILO/UNDP technical cooperation project that is currently being carried out for the development of strategies for the promotion and utilization of micro-enterprises to combat poverty. It would be grateful if the Government would continue to provide information on the action taken as a result of this technical cooperation, and the impact of this action on the labour market.