BUILDING NATIONAL CAPACITIES FOR LABOUR MIGRATION MANAGEMENT IN SIERRA LEONE Project Category: Project Sub-Category: Executing Agency: Project Partner (or National Counterparts): Geographical Coverage: Project Management Site: Target Group: Project Duration: Budget Estimate: Labour Migration Capacity building International Organization for Migration (IOM) Government of Sierra Leone, Ministry of Employment and Social Security Sierra Leone IOM Freetown, Sierra Leone Government Employees and Technical Staff of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security. 10 Months. USD 50,000 Project Summary This project aims to strengthen the migration management capacity of the Government of Sierra Leone by raising the awareness and building the capacity of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security in the area of labour migration policy development and management. Therefore IOM will implement a labour Migration Training Course, targeting officials of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security and other relevant institutions. Furthermore the project will support the establishment of a Labour Migration Unit at the Ministry of Labour. The project also aims at assessing the current policy, regulatory framework to better support labour migration while at the same creating momentum for further facilitating movement within the ECOWAS countries and key destination countries in the European Union. This approach will overall promote the protection of 1
Human Rights of migrant workers and consider the promotion of equal opportunities and gender equality as a cross-cutting element. The expected results include the completion of a labour migration assessment, the undertaking of a 4 day training workshop for stakeholders on labour migration, and support to the establishment of a labour migration unit in the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security of Sierra Leone. Background and Justification International labour migration and its linkages with development have been prominent on the global policy agenda in the recent years. Several global initiatives including the Global Commission on International Migration, the United Nations High Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, and the Global Forum on Migration and Development have called for integrating migration concerns into national development planning. The World Migration Report 2008 tackles this issue directly and seeks to identify policy options that might contribute to the development of broad and coherent strategies to better match demand for migrant workers with supply in safe, humane and orderly ways. Aspects related to migration are today of special importance to the government of Sierra Leone. There exists an acknowledgement that the country needs to modernize its normative structures and strengthen its institutions weakened by the lack of resources, in order to adapt to the international legal framework. Legislations will be passed to harmonize national labour laws with international labour standards. Labour market policies and institutions play a crucial role in matching the supply and demand sides of the Labour market. Active labour market policies creates the enabling environment for active job search, training for the unemployed, temporary job creation and enterprise creation scheme to address inequities and rationalization of the labour market. In addition, timely, reliable and detailed data on the skills profile of the work force or new entrants in the labour market on the supply side, and the type of skills and competencies required on the demand side are critical for optimal utilization of the country s human resources. As Sierra Leone has a dearth of timely and reliable data on the work force, it is difficult to properly plan future needs and provide training and skills development to meet demand. The Government is therefore focusing on timely conducted surveys (household, living standards, labour force, etc. etc) on generally agreed upon survey tools, such as content of questionnaires, methodology of surveys and yardstick for analysis. Increasing the capacities of the national actors in order to develop an explicit and global migration policy in response to the Presidential Agenda for Change. The formulation of a national working group after the assessment tasked to facilitate formal labour migration in collaboration with foreign employment agencies and at the same time, collaborate with the ministry and related committees dealing with labour export and related policy gaps and identify recommendations for consideration. The Government of Sierra Leone, through its Ministry of Labour, has requested the IOM to provide technical assistance in order to access, establish and implement a combination of measures identified as priorities in relation to labour migration. This initiative also falls within the framework of the recent meeting with the Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security, on Migration Management research on relevant and topical issues, among policy makers, administrators, social partners, civil society, the media and the research community, the meeting delegated to IOM the task to establish main migration areas and to design a project to conduct a labour migration assessment survey in Sierra Leone. 2
IOM Experience The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been working for more than 50 years to assist migratory movements and to promote international co-operation on migration. Convinced that an orderly and managed migration benefits both migrants and the countries involved, IOM provides services in a wide range of areas in countries of origin, transit and destination of migration flows. IOM s purpose in labour migration is to facilitate the development of policies and programmes in labour migration that can individually and mutually benefit the concerned governments, migrants and society by: Providing effective protection and services to labour migrants and their dependants; Promoting economic and social development; Promoting legal forms of labour mobility as an alternative to resorting to irregular migration. IOM s global network of offices positions it in a strategic position to bring together all parties to establish labour migration mechanisms that balance the different interests. Increasingly, States requiring foreign labour are seeking bilateral agreements with partner States for targeted labour exchange programmes, which can steer inward flows to specific areas of labour demand while undercutting the need for irregular migration by providing legal alternatives. Once established in principle, these programmes require special administration to ensure smooth operation. IOM supports government efforts to put these elements into place and provides its services in the context of bilateral labour migration programmes and arrangements. The activities carried out by IOM vary according to the diverse political, economic and geographic contexts. Facilitating labour migration activities in West and Central Africa is more and more requested by various African States, willing to engage into bilateral and multilateral agreements between themselves and with European States. A variety of activities are currently being implemented by IOM in the region to ensure appropriate mechanisms are set in place. These activities include among others: Information dissemination on regular migration channels; development and set-up of databases for the registration of potential migrant workers; capacity building and training of national institutions in charge of managing labour migration programmes; and the provision of return and reintegration assistance to migrants. Project Description This project has three main components a National Labour Migration Assessment, a Labour migration training workshop, and the establishment of the labour migration Unit within the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security of Sierra Leone. a) National Labour Migration Assessment IOM and the Ministry of Labour will undertake a full-scale assessment of labour migration policies and practices including among others data sources, institutional framework, legislation, and skills transfers inspired based on the methodology currently being used in Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal. The TOR of the labour migration assessment will be established in coordination with the Government of Sierra Leone s Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security who will present to the Government the report of the assessment. Based on the results of the assessment, resources available, and interest of the Government, the ministry may advise the government to develop a national migration policy. The 3
assessment will be carried out by a national consultant over a period of three months and will be guided by a national working group on labour migration that will be established under the lead of the Ministry of Labour. The national labour migration working group will also have the aim to promote dialogue and information sharing between different governmental and non-governmental actors involved in the area of labour migration and development. b) Labour Migration Training Workshop The project will convene a four-day national Labour Migration Training Workshop with the aim to strengthen the capacities of the Government of Sierra Leone s Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security to develop a common national approach to manage labour migration. Based on existing labour migration training programs that have been carried out by IOM in the region and IOM s Labour Migration training modules currently being developed (in conjunction with OSCE), these modules will be adapted to the actual needs of Sierra Leone. These training will be facilitated by the IOM Labour Migration departments in Dakar (Senegal) and Geneva in coordination with the focal person from the Ministry of Labour and IOM Sierra Leone. This four-day workshop will attract up to 30 participants which will include representatives from the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Local Government, Office of Diaspora Affairs and other Government stakeholders dealing with labour migration. Also non-governmental actors, such as workers and employers organisations, will be invited to attend the course. The participants will be invited to discuss the key migration issues in Sierra Leone and ways of dealing with these issues in accordance with international law and international good practice. c) Establishment of a Labour Migration Unit The project will provide technical assistance and guidance on the establishment of a Labour Migration Unit within the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security. The roles and responsibilities of the Labour Migration Unit, as requested by the Ministry would be coordinating the labour migration process for the outward flow of Sierra Leonean migrants and maintaining a database of those already working abroad. At a later stage once the unit is fully established and is successful under this proposed project, the next stage would be to involve the unit in the process of granting approvals for inward labour flows of foreign nationals seeking employment in Sierra Leonean in collaboration with the Sierra Leonean Diaspora seeking to return home, since this will be maintaining the skills inventory need to determine the upgrade of the local skills gaps. Skills inventory in this case refers to international competences and experiences that will be shared among Sierra Leoneans by those from the Diaspora through interaction within and outside the working environment The unit will be located in the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security and will be staffed by the present staffs of the Department of Labour who are conversant with issues of labour migration. These members of the staff will be trained and be responsible for inputting data into the skills database which already exist at the Ministry A local consultant identified and supported by an IOM expert will be hired to assist in the establishment of the unit and to build the capacity of the appointed officers, including the development of the institutional and regulatory framework that needs to be put into place. As discussed with the Ministry of Labour, IOM will provide technical assistance and guidance in establishing the unit IOM 4
will also facilitate linkages for the unit with countries where there are Sierra Leonean Diaspora and the Office of Diaspora Affairs in the Office of the President. Although the parameters of the unit s work have yet to be decided, and will be elaborated by the consultant and the Ministry of labour, the main envisioned tasks of the unit would be to: Capture data and input into the database to identify skills within Sierra Leone and the generation of reports to contribute to policy development through identification of skills gaps; Verify employment opportunities and attest their authenticity Review and attest employment contracts provided by foreign employers, and ensure that contracts are in line with international standards. Licence and monitor new private recruitment agencies operating in Sierra Leonean, and establish linkages with existing ones. Coordinate the issuance of work permits Through the project, technical assistance will be provided to the unit in the form of training, as well as the provision of equipment. The training provided by a migration expert will help to create an overall understanding of international labour migration best practices such as the rights and obligations of labour migrants abroad, acceptable standards for employment contracts, obligations of the Sierra Leonean missions abroad towards protection of labour migrants, and monitoring of foreign employment agencies. Training will be provided to the officers working in the unit and other government agencies involved in the labour migration process (to be determined by the ministry of labour). Overall Objective To support the development of a coherent Labour Migration Management approach in Sierra Leone through capacity building, institutional strengthening, promotion and protection of human rights of migrant workers. Project Purposes In order to achieve the overall objective, the project will: Contribute to the ongoing process of policy development and reform by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security and encouraging inter-ministerial cooperation; Provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security in the establishment of a Labour Migration Unit to facilitate labour migration; Ensure adequate service delivery by Sierra Leonean missions abroad towards labour migrants; Assist the Sierra Leonean government to move towards better understanding and analysis of labour migration trends and issues in the country, through the development of a skills database; Expected Results National Assessment of Labour Migration policies and practices conducted in Sierra Leone; National training workshop held on labour migration policies and management among key officials involved in the management of labour migration; 5
A greater awareness of the rights of migrants by government officials when formulating and implementing migration policies; Labour Migration Unit established in the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security and staff trained; Information sharing and coordination among different institutions improved through regular meetings of the national working group. Indicators Report with policy recommendations Validation Workshop report Operational Labour migration unit Populated database for skills inventory analysed Activities Undertake a full-scale assessment of labour migration policies and practices; Convene a national labour migration training workshop to develop a common national approach to manage labour migration; Provide technical assistance and guidance on the establishment of a Labour Migration Unit at the Ministry of Labour, as well as a national working group; Hold several national working group meetings to collect and share information on labour migration policies and practices and to formulate recommendations on the development of labour migration policy options. Project Partners and Institutional Framework The planning and preparatory work for the labour migration assessment and national training workshop will be done in close coordination with the focal person from the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security. The Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security will inform all stake holders of IOM s involvement in the assessment and capacity project so that every step is cleared with respect to Government protocols. The Government of Sierra Leone through the Ministry makes available a team of officials to serve as support for all stages of the assessment exercise and ensures staff quality control availability to IOM. Risks and assumptions The project assumes that: - All concerned stakeholders retain their commitment in the process and that obligations are met through the required coordination meetings - The political and security situation does not deteriorate, thus constraining the attainments of the project objectives. 6
Reporting IOM Freetown will produce an initial progress report after six months and a final report upon completion of the project, describing findings, activities, recommendations, as well as a financial report. Executing Agency The project will be implemented by the IOM Freetown office in Sierra Leone, which will include: 1. Overall project management and implementation of all project components and financial management 2. Provision of key staff 3. Recruitment and provision of consulting experts 4. Final reporting to the 1035 facility. LFM in IOM Dakar and HQ will provide technical support and IOM Freetown will assist in the identification and selection of a local consultant to undertake research in the Sierra Leone. Government of Sierra Leone The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security will: 1. Act to create a labour migration unit in the ministry and appoint the relevant staff to the unit; 1. Commit its staff to provide support and information to the IOM consultants as needed; 2. Commit labour officers to manage the labour migration unit; 3. Facilitate access to information for the consultants within other relevant government agencies; 4. Ensure political support at all levels; 5. Provide list of participants for the four-day workshop Donor The proposed donor for the project is the IOM 1035 facility whose responsibility will be financial support for budget. 7