2 June 2011 - A new project to strengthen labour law and administration in Afghanistan will be launched today by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations specialised agency dealing with work and work-related issues.
 

The three-year project, funded by the US Department of Labour, has two primary objectives. The first is to review Afghanistan’s labour laws and regulations with the aim of creating a legal framework that supports the promotion of productivity and workers’ rights, complies fully with ILO standards and the principles of the ILO Conventions Afghanistan has ratified. Secondly, it will review, reform and strengthen the capacity of the MoLSAMD to provide services to workers and employers, with a special focus on improving labour law application.

Welcoming the new project, H. E. Amena Afzali, the Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled said: “The project will contribute to build a modern system of labour administration strengthening our capacity to provide services to workers and employers across Afghanistan”.

Herve Berger, ILO Senior Coordinator and Representative for Afghanistan thanked USDOL for their support and emphasized that bringing “decent work” to Afghans was an important contribution to stability and peace in Afghanistan.

The 2010 Kabul Conference identified good governance, the rule of law and human rights as the foundations of a strategy for achieving a stable, prosperous Afghanistan. In addition the national priorities defined by the Human Resource Development Cluster, (a coalition of five key Afghan Government ministries including the MoLSAMD) include facilitating decent work through skills development and market-friendly labour regulation, to maximize employment opportunities for all.

Afghanistan’s 2007 Labour Code does not appear to provide comprehensive protection in line with the ILO’s core international labour standards. These include freedom from forced and child labour, non-discrimination, freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. In addition the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations has made observations concerning the application of standards set out in the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100); the Abolition of Forced labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105), and the Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111), among others.

For more information please contact:
Dr. Amin Alizai
Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Martyrs and Disabled
Email: aminalizai@yahoo.com
Mobile: +93 (0) 0700279031

ILO Kabul Office: Herve Berger, Senior Coordinator/Representative
ILO Kabul Office for Afghanistan
ILO Kabul Office, UNDP Compound B
Shah Mohd Ghazi Wat
Shahr – e – Naw, Kabul, Afghanistan
Tel. +93 (0) 202 124 500
Email: registry.ilokabul@undp.org