The Americas

Democracy has taken root in Latin American and the Caribbean in the last few decades. In the 1990s, there were also economic reforms that had a big impact on economic growth and macro-economic governability. They included tax changes, trade liberalization, privatization, encouraging foreign investment, and modernizing the civil service and the legal and financial systems. Nevertheless, grave difficulties continue to emerge, linked to instability, corruption, discrimination, concentration of wealth, unequal distribution, social exclusion and poverty.

In the world of work, market liberalization has not led to the creation and expansion of businesses at the rhythm and volume needed, while productivity has fallen. Jobs have been created, but mostly in the informal sector. Many countries have serious problems in terms of respect for, and effective application of, fundamental principles and rights at work, labour legislation and the informal nature of businesses.

This context makes “decent work” a priority. There is now a firm belief in the region that creating decent work, as the ILO has defined it, is the best way to overcome poverty, inequality and exclusion, and to secure democratic governability. The ILO’s International Training Centre promotes decent work by strengthening the capacity of governments, workers’ organizations, employers’ organizations and other civil society bodies.

In 2008, over 3,100 people from the Americas took part in face-to-face training activities in Turin and the Americas, or followed distance courses. The courses were in Spanish, Portuguese, English or French.

Priority topics for the Americas include:

• business creation and enterprise development;
• training of trainers;
• generating employment for specific groups, such as women or young people;
• social dialogue, collective bargaining and employer-worker cooperation;
• policies to extend and to manage social security;
• occupational safety and health;
• local development;
• international labour standards.
  

2009 catalogue of standard courses in Spanish and Portuguese, and Postgraduate Programmes (PDF)

For further information, please contact the Americas desk: Americas@itcilo.org