Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2000, published 89th ILC session (2001)

Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) - Syrian Arab Republic (Ratification: 1960)

The Committee notes the Government’s report and the attached documents.

1.  The Committee notes from the report the Government’s expression of surprise that the Committee of Experts was not convinced by its statement that there are no difficulties in the application of the Convention, since in practice there are no problems or incidents in the country relating to discrimination on grounds of race, colour, sex, religion, political opinion or membership of a minority. The Committee recalls that it is the function of the ILO’s supervisory bodies to achieve the best possible application by member States of international labour standards and, in particular, that the role of the Committee of Experts, on the basis of the elements available to it, which principally means the information provided by governments, is to assess the situation in law and practice as regards the application of Conventions ratified by member States. When the Committee points out that it is difficult to accept a statement by a member State that the application of the Convention does not raise any difficulties in practice, it does so in consideration of the very nature of the principle set forth in the Convention. Indeed, as the Syrian Government delegation indicated to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination at its Meeting on 10 March 1999 (document CERD/C/SR.1319, "… Syria did not claim never to encounter discrimination but did fight against any occurrence of discrimination in the future by ensuring equal opportunity for all persons …"), the promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment is not aimed at achieving a stable situation which can be attained definitively, but a permanent process during which policy must be adapted to the changes which are brought about in society to achieve the elimination of multiple distinctions, exclusions or preferences based on the criteria laid down in the Convention. The application of the principle set forth in the Convention is therefore achieved in successive stages, with each stage being the occasion for the discovery of perspectives revealing different or new problems, thereby resulting in the adoption of new measures to resolve them. The Committee therefore hopes that the Government will continue to provide the information necessary to evaluate the progress achieved in attaining equality in employment and occupation, not only on grounds of sex, but also on the basis of all the criteria envisaged by the Convention.

2.  The Committee notes the national strategy for women in the Syrian Arab Republic, prepared by the national commission for the post-Beijing follow-up of women’s affairs, which covers four main areas: (a) laws and regulations concerning women’s rights as citizens on a basis of equality and non-discrimination on grounds of sex; (b) the laws, including provisions relating to the civil and individual rights of women, which need to be revised; (c) the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which has been ratified by the Syrian Arab Republic; and (d) the elimination of violence against women. In particular, the Committee notes, among the specific action taken, the emphasis placed on development projects in rural areas and the status of women in the countryside, their education, their legal, social, health and economic situation, and the improvement of their access to employment. The national strategy also provides for an increase in the participation of women in decision‑making, with a view to achieving a rate of at least 30 per cent at all levels. It also challenges traditional and obsolete concepts which perpetuate stereotypes of the respective roles of men and women in society. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the application of this strategy, the authorities responsible for its implementation, the measures adopted for this purpose and the expected results. It also requests the Government to provide information on the Women’s Federation, to which reference is made in the national strategy, and particularly on its composition and role.

3.  With reference to its previous direct request, the Committee notes from the information in the Government’s report and the attached statistical tables that programmes of technical, scientific and practical training are provided to the staff of the ministries at the various levels of the administration without discrimination on grounds of sex, or on any other ground. The Committee notes, from the statistical data attached to the report concerning the number of vocational education institutions in the country, that there are a large number of female students in these institutions, particularly in "religious" and "commercial" fields, where women are as numerous as men. The Committee notes that there are few women students in branches of education such as "industrial" and "agricultural and veterinary" training, and it notes that the strategy also covers education with a view to raising public awareness of the importance of training women in non-traditional skills, such as computer skills and modern technologies, and of including women in social development and progress. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures adopted to promote the participation of women in non-traditional training. It also requests it to indicate the types of training which may be included under the heading "female" in these tables, and the types of jobs to which such training gives access.

4.  The Committee notes that the Government’s report does not contain information on the issue raised in point 3 of its previous direct request, in which the Government was asked to provide information on the activities of the tripartite committee for consultation and dialogue to ensure cooperation between the Government and the social partners (established by Act No. 1214 of 30 October 1995) and the technical and legal committee, chaired by the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs (established by Act No. 1333 of 10 November 1996). The Committee noted that these bodies had been created to verify the compatibility of national legislation with the international Conventions to which the Syrian Arab Republic is a party, and to propose amendments to laws which might be found incompatible with the provisions of international labour Conventions, and it therefore requested the Government to provide information on their activities as they relate to the application of the Convention.