Solicitud directa (CEACR) - Adopción: 2025, Publicación: 114ª reunión CIT (2026)

Convenio sobre la política del empleo, 1964 (núm. 122) - República Centroafricana (Ratificación : 2006)

Article 1 of the Convention. Formulation of an active employment policy. The Committee notes the succinct report of the Government which informs that a General Directorate for Employment and Vocational Training was introduced as a new organizational structure at the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Social Protection and Vocational Training to implement the Operational action plan of the National Employment and Vocational Training Policy (PNEPP). The Government also indicates that several programs and projects have been developed under the Operational Plan. They include high-intensity labour projects implemented by AGETIP-CAF through the Lôndo Project, which provided jobs to over 120,000 young people nationwide in 2020 (1,500 per sub-prefecture), with 40 per cent being women. In addition, the National Youth Pioneer High Commission trained and reintegrated over 5,000 young people, including school dropouts and former members of armed groups. Furthermore, the Central African Agency for Vocational Training and Employment has implemented the PADA project to train 2,000 young people in ten trades and also conducted training under the “Maïngo Ti A Masseka” project. The Committee also notes the information that the Government has established a new vocational training centre in carpentry within the Ministry of Labor and is constructing a local product transformation centre in the Lobaye prefecture. The Committee further notes the information in the National Plan for Development (NDP) (2024–28) according to which the labour market is dominated by informal employment which accounts for 91 per cent of youth jobs, a big mismatch between skills and job opportunities and a high unemployment rate, particularly in rural and conflict-affected areas. In view of the above, the Committee urges the Government to move towards a structural policy that creates sustainable and decent formal sector jobs, as required by Article 1 of the Convention. It further requests the Government to explain how its employment policy is addressing the endemic youth unemployment. The Committee also, once again, urges the Government to provide a copy of the PNEFP framework document, a request it has reiterated for several years.

With respect to the informal economy, the Committee recalls that the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy Recommendation, 2015 (No. 204), provides a framework for an integrated approach to formalization. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the specific measures that have been taken under the previous and future NDPs to facilitate the transition to the formal economy. More specifically, the Government is requested to describe the strategy adopted to extend social protection coverage, improve productivity in the informal economy, and create incentives for the formalization of enterprises, in consultation with the social partners and in line with the principles of Recommendation No. 204.

Rural development, youth employment, and peacebuilding. The Committee notes that the NDP 2020–24 identifies high unemployment, particularly in “rural and conflict-affected areas”. It notes that United Nations reports (including those of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in the CAR) identify the lack of economic prospects and decent jobs for youth as a root cause of the conflict and a major driver for recruitment by armed groups. The Committee recalls that Convention No. 122 is a key instrument for peacebuilding, as emphasized in the Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience Recommendation, 2017 (No. 205). It urges the Government to provide information on the specific measures being taken under the successive NDPs and the PNEPP to promote productive and freely chosen employment in rural areas. In particular, the Committee requests the Government to describe how employment policy is being integrated into the national Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) strategy to provide sustainable economic alternatives for youth, in order to prevent a relapse into conflict

Article 2. Collection and use of employment data. The Government informs that the Observatory of Employment and Educational Training is not yet operational due to a lack of resources and refers to its intention to make it operational under the new National Plan for Development (2024–28). The Government also informs about the existence of the Intersectoral Committee on Employment within the framework of the Plan for Recovery and Consolidation of Peace in the CAR.

The Committee notes with concern that the Observatory of Employment and Educational Training is still not operational due to a lack of resources. The Committee recalls that the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) explicitly urged the State in 2018 to set up a system for collecting statistical data, including on the labour market. This persistent failure makes it impossible to formulate, implement, or monitor an active employment policy as required by the Convention. The Committee urges the Government to report on the concrete steps and budgetary resources allocated under the successive NDPs to make this Observatory operational as a matter of urgency. It also requests the Government to explain how, in the complete absence of reliable data, it ensures that employment is a “central objective” of its macroeconomic policies.

Education and training policies. The Committee notes that one of the strategic objectives of the National Plan for Development (2024–2028) is the enhancement of the technical and vocational education and training to meet labour market demand. The Committee deplores the fact that the Government has not provided the information requested previously. Noting that the NDP 2024–2028 itself identified a big mismatch between skills and job opportunities as a major challenge, the Committee requests the Government to explain how its training programs (such as the PADA project and the new carpentry centre) are specifically designed to address this mismatch and meet the needs of the 91 per cent of youth in the informal economy. It again requests the Government to provide information on the impact of these programs in terms of access to decent and sustainable employment for graduates, rather than a simple list of projects.

Article 3. Consultation with the social partners. The Committee deplores yet again the absence of information in reply to its previous comments on the application of Article 3 of the Convention. It recalls that consultation with the social partners is a fundamental obligation in implementing the Convention. The Committee further recalls that all ILO technical tools – including Employment Diagnostic Analysis (EDA), Employment-Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP) methodologies, and the diagnostic tools for formalization – are predicated on the principle of tripartism. The Committee urges the Government to provide detailed information on the consultations held with employers’ and workers’ organizations during the development and implementation of the PNEPP and the NDP 2024–2028. Recalling that representatives of the persons affected by the measures to be taken, and in particular representatives of employers and workers, must be consulted concerning employment policies, with a view to taking fully into account their experience and views and securing their full cooperation in formulating and enlisting support for such policies, the Committee asks the Government to describe how representatives of the informal and rural economies, who constitute the vast majority of the workforce, are consulted.