Decent work and poverty eradication: literature review and two-country study
Decent work and poverty eradication: literature review and two-country study
A study for the Decent Work and Labour Standards Forum
January 2010
Decent work has gained high-level international endorsement as an objective of the development agenda, particularly with its incorporation in the Millennium Development Goals. In the context of the global financial crisis, international policy statements have underscored the importance of good quality employment as a means of safeguarding livelihoods and as a route out of poverty.
This study examines how decent work themes have been incorporated into development planning in Bangladesh and Zambia and provides an overview of the global debates around decent work and development. It shows that beyond the international statements of support, the uptake of decent work by national governments and donors has been mixed. National governments may refer to decent work, but rarely nominate it as a central objective. And while there is a range of donor programmes that include elements of the Decent Work Agenda, a more integrated approach is needed, and one which recognises the complimentarity of decent work elements like social protection, social dialogue and freedom of association.
Possible interventions range from ensuring that economic growth strategies are targeted to optimizing employment, to extending social protection programmes to the working poor, and providing extra support to improve social dialogue in order to increase workers’ voice in planning processes and defending their rights.
The report emphasizes that donors need to see decent work as a cross-cutting issue within their activities, and that a better understanding and prominence for decent work themes could have clear positive benefits for poverty eradication.
