Page 87 - 41st Summit Brochure

mass Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) v Promotion of the application of
screening in some Member States, which further International Labour Standards and
limited the coverage of vulnerable children. fundamental principles and rights at work;
Member States adapted implementation of v Increased social protection coverage and
programmes to maintain the delivery of reduced workers’ vulnerabilities through
essential services. The adaptations included better working conditions;
simplifying admission protocols for children v Strengthening of social dialogue and
with severe wasting, expanding the teaching of labour market institutions for harmonious
mothers and caretakers to identify when their labour relations and productivity at work;
children are malnourished and what to do and
(Family MUAC), and use of mobile technology v Strengthening of labour migration
for nutrition data collection and reporting. governance.
In order to operationalize the policy
framework, SADC Member States concluded the
EMPLOYMENT, LABOUR SADC Decent Work Programme, which is the
AND YOUTH partnership framework with the
International Labour Organization for
The Employment and Labour Unit is responsible specific interventions during the period
for two RISDP 2020-30 strategic objectives. The
2021-2025.
first relates to the Key Result Area of Employment Within this partnership framework,
and Labour, with the strategic objective to increase
support is being extended to Member
job creation with decent work opportunities for States to review and implement job
full and productive employment in the region. The
creation strategies, reform labour laws,
second relates to the Key Result Area of Youth
Development and Empowerment, with the extend social security coverage to the
informal economy and stabilize labour
strategic objective to empower skilled youth to
participate in and drive socio-economic markets through improved cooperation
development. with employers and workers’ organizations.
These measures are designed to increase jobs, 85
Employment and Labour Activities including in the formal economy, and to enhance
Undertaken during the past year productivity in support of industrialization
The Ministers responsible for Employment and processes.
Labour and Social Partners have taken steps to
enhance opportunities for employment creation YOUTH
in SADC by adopting a SADC Employment and
Labour Policy Framework (2020-2030). One of
In line with the 40th SADC Summit Theme to
the persistent development concerns for the
promote youth development, the Secretariat
region is the high unemployment rate.
engaged young people from the region towards
The latest statistical data for 2019 shows that
the development of a SADC Youth
unemployment rates range from a low of 2 percent
Empowerment Programme. The engagements
to 28 percent for the general population in the
were held under the banner of the SADC Youth
region, with the statistics for youth exceeding 50
Forum in 2020, and in a youth consultative
percent in some Member States. As these are pre-
session held in February 2021.
COVID-19 estimates, the situation for the region While youth appreciate the numerous
has worsened. To facilitate employment creation initiatives being undertaken by governments
and rapid recovery from the effects of COVID-19, and other stakeholders, they highlighted that
the adopted SADC Employment and Labour they still shoulder a disproportionate cost of low
Policy Framework (2020-2030) requires Member economic growth. Youth still face participation
States to support interventions in five priority challenges in the mainstream
areas as follows: economic, social and political
v Creation of decent job opportunities and processes, which can cause
inclusive economic growth across all sectors despondency which in most
for men and women in SADC through the cases results in the use of harmful
promotion of pro-employment policy- coping mechanisms such as the
making that facilitates increased use of illicit drugs and
industrialization and formalization; substances.