Direct Request (CEACR) - adopted 2005, published 95th ILC session (2006)

Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122) - Suriname (Ratification: 1976)

1. Integration of an active employment policy with economic and social policy. The Committee notes the report provided by the Government for the period ending in June 2004, which included information regarding the registration and placement of jobseekers and labour market information for the district of Paramaribo and Wanica (the unemployment rate declined from more than 10 per cent between 1999 to 2002, to 7 per cent in 2003). The Committee hopes that the Government will be in a position to indicate in its next report that employment does have a central place in macroeconomic and social policies and in the design and implementation of the main economic and social policies and measures (Articles 1 and 2 of the Convention). The Committee considers it essential for employment objectives to be included "as a major goal" from the outset in discussions of the formulation of economic and social policies, to ensure that these objectives are truly an integral part of policies that are adopted (paragraph 490 of the General Survey of 2004 on promoting employment).

2. Participation of the social partners in the formulation and application of policies. The Committee notes the information provided by the Government on the functioning of the different advisory bodies. It asks the Government to provide further information on the manner in which consultations are ensured, including any examples of the questions addressed or the decisions reached on the matters covered by the Convention through the tripartite bodies that the Government has described. Please also provide information on whether consultations are carried out with representatives of the rural sector and of the informal economy (Article 3).

3. ILO technical cooperation. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the implementation of the projects it has described in its previous report (Part V of the report form).

4. The preparation of the next report including information requested in this direct request, will certainly provide the Government and the social partners with an opportunity to evaluate the progress made towards the achievement of the objective of full and productive employment of the Convention.