International Labour Organization

DECENT WORK COUNTRY PROGRAMME

VANUATU
 International Labour Office

Decent Work Country Programme

Vanuatu

(2009-2012)

28 July 2009
Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations 3
Introduction 4
I. Country context 4
II. Country Programme priorities 15
III. Country Programme outcomes, indicators and brief strategy 17
IV. Implementation and management 26
V. Performance monitoring and evaluation arrangements 26

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List of Abbreviations

ADB Asian Development Bank

AusAID Australian Agency for International Development
CEARC Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions
and Recommendations
CRP Comprehensive Reform Programme
DOL Department of Labour
DWCP Decent Work Country Programme
EC European Commission
EDF European Development Fund
EPA Economic Partnership Agreement
EU European Union
FOA/CB Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
FTA Free Trade Agreement
HDI Human Development Index
HIES Household Income & Expenditure Survey
HRD Human Resource Development
ILC International Labour Conference
ILO International Labour Organisation
ILS International Labour Standards
ITC-ILO International Training Centre of the ILO
LMIA Labour Market Information and Analysis
MDGs Millennium Development Goals
Ni-Vanuatu People in Vanuatu
NSO National Statistics Office
NZAID New Zealand Agency for International Development
OSH Occupational Safety and Health
PAA Priority Action Agenda
PICs Pacific Island Countries
PNG Papua New Guinea
REDI Rural Economic Development Initiative
RO Regional Office
RSE Recognised Seasonal Employer
SIYB Start and Improve Your Business
SRO Sub-Regional Office
TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training
UNDAF United Nations Development Assistance Framework
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
VCCI Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry
VCTU Vanuatu Council of Trade Unions
VIT Vanuatu Institute of Technology
VNPF Vanuatu National Provident Fund
VNTC Vanuatu National Training Council
WTO World Trade Organisation
YEP Youth Employment Programme

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Introduction
The primary goal of ILO is to promote opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and
productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. Decent work
country programmes (DWCPs) promote decent work as a key component of development
policies and at the same time as a national policy objective of governments and social
partners. The present country programme is informed by international and regional
development agendas including the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations
Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for the Pacific subregion 2008 – 2012, and
the Pacific Plan as well as national development objectives as expressed in Vanuatu’s Priority
Action Agenda (PAA). The DWCP is the product of tripartite consultations. In October 2008,
separate consultations with the Vanuatu Council of Trade Unions, the Vanuatu Chamber of
Commerce, and the Department of Labour in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, were followed
by tripartite consultations during which priorities were agreed on. The priorities in Vanuatu
also take due account of the outcomes of the regional Tripartite Technical Meeting on Decent
Work held in Nadi, Fiji between 26 and 28 November 2007 as well as the Biennial Country
Programme Review (2006-2007) for Pacific Island Countries. This DWCP details the
policies, strategies and results required to realise progress towards decent work for all. It
reflects the strategic planning of ILO cooperation activities with Vanuatu for the period 2009
– 2012, in alignment with the UNDAF. Reflecting the constituents’ as well as the ILO
experts’ assessment of past cooperation the programme aims at ensuring a strong coherence
of ILO activities in Vanuatu and thus to contribute to the achievement of sustainable impacts.

I. Country context
The demographic, social and economic situation
In 2006, Vanuatu’s population was estimated at 221,000, comprised of 113,000 males (51%)
and 108,000 females (49%). With a total land area of 12,190 skm, the population density was
18 per skm. Approximately 77% of the population live in rural areas.
Vanuatu suffers from a number of major constraints in its efforts to achieve its development
objectives. One constraint is a widely scattered and mountainous island geography, with the
population scattered across 83 islands, in association with poor transport infrastructure.
Vanuatu is also vulnerable to natural disasters and suffers from a small domestic market with
little potential for economies of scale. There is overall macroeconomic stability with a modest
level of growth. Vanuatu’s real GDP growth was estimated at about 1.5% for 2005 and was
expected to increase to around 3% in 2008. The impact of the global financial downturn on
Vanuatu’s future economic performance is yet to be seen.
Vanuatu’s economy is dominated by agriculture and the services sector, the latter reflecting
the importance of tourism. The agriculture sector is not only important in terms of its overall
contribution to GDP (about 20%) but for foreign exchange earned through export earnings.
Copra, coconut oil, beef, cocoa, sawn timber, cowhides, kava and coconut meal together earn
about 80% of all exports. They are highly vulnerable to changing world prices. A decline in
exports over time from this sector has contributed substantially to an increasing imbalance in
trade. Vanuatu is a tax haven offering offshore banking facilities. There are no taxes on
personal income, corporate profits, capital gains or any other taxes for foreign firms.

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Vanuatu had a human development index (HDI) in 2005 of 0.674, ranking 120 out of 177
countries with data.1 Vanuatu had a higher HDI than the Melanesian countries of PNG and
Solomon Islands.
Vanuatu’s population is highly youthful. In 2006, 87,000 ni-Vanuatu were under 15 years of
age (39%) while 132,000 were under 25 years of age (60%). The median age was 19.7 years.
The population growth rate between 2006 and 2010 is estimated at 2.6%. The “youth bulge”
is one of the most profound challenges facing politicians, planners and policy makers. In
addition to its youthfulness, the population is characterised by a great degree of ethnic,
cultural and linguistic diversity.
The labour market and skill development
Labour market data show that most workers are engaged in subsistence agriculture. The 1999
Vanuatu Population Census reveals that 20% of the workforce was in formal sector
employment whilst 52% of the census respondents were engaged in subsistence agriculture.
Formal sector work engaged 26% of all working-age males and 14% of all working-age
females.
The 2000 Labour Market Survey presents a detailed picture of employment in the formal
sector covering all formal businesses. There were 1,004 formal sector businesses employing
14,272 staff of which approximately 33% were female. Over 80% of the businesses were in
the service industry. The government had 4,475 employees, equivalent to over 30% of formal
sector employees.
The low level of formal sector employment in Vanuatu has been attributed, among other
things, to the insufficient development of human resources and a widespread lack of adequate
and relevant skills. This situation is caused by a complex mix of reasons including the nature
of the school system which prepares school leavers for urban white-collar work while failing
to teach adequate technical and vocational skills. The absence of a coherent employment
policy is another major constraint.
With the formal economy producing less than 700 new jobs per year and the annual output
from the education system approaching 3,500, opportunities for school leavers to access
employment in the formal economy are severely limited. Consequently, most out-of-school
youth have only two options: a subsistence existence in their villages, or work in the informal
economy in towns. However, meaningful participation in the latter either as an employee or as
the operator of a micro-business requires at least some basic vocational and/or entrepreneurial
skills as well as access to some starting capital.
Young people also face certain disadvantages in the labour market which often include a lack
of employment experience and many constraints to self-employment. Despite efforts being
made by the Ministry of Education with donor support to review the curriculum in the
academic and vocational systems, the current education policies in Vanuatu are not
responding to the skills required in the job market.

1
Each year since 1990 the Human Development Report has published the HDI which provides a composite
measure of three dimensions of human development: living a long and healthy life (measured by life
expectancy), being educated (measured by adult literacy and enrolment at the primary, secondary and tertiary
level) and having a decent standard of living (measured by purchasing power parity, PPP, income). Vanuatu’s
index was a result of the following indicators: 69.3 years of life expectancy at birth, an adult literacy rate of
74.0%, a combined primary, secondary and tertiary enrolment ratio of 63.4% and a GDP per capita of PPP US$
3,225.

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The low absorption of school leavers into formal employment has contributed to a serious
deterioration of law and order. There are also concerns that child labour is on the rise in
Vanuatu.
The Vanuatu Government has recognised the importance of addressing the issue of youth
development and has undertaken some policy initiatives. In 2000, the Government established
the Ministry of Youth Development, Sports and Training which has developed a National
Youth Policy and a National Sports Policy. The “Youth Policy – Priorities and Action Agenda
2006-2015” has been adopted but implementation remains a significant challenge.
The importance of the informal economy as a potential employer of surplus labour has been
recognized for some time. Some surveys of the informal economy have been conducted in
recent years such as in 2000 by the Vanuatu Statistics Office and in 2005 by ILO and have
shed considerable light on questions such as the relative profitability of informal activities, the
extent to which informal sector operators need and are able to access credit, and their
perceived training requirements.
A new employment opportunity for ni-Vanuatu has opened up as Vanuatu is part of a scheme
for the seasonal employment of workers in the horticulture and viticulture industries from
some Pacific Island countries which has been trialled by New Zealand since April 2007. The
“Recognised Seasonal Employer” (RSE) Work Policy allows NZ employers to recruit
overseas workers for seasonal work in horticulture and viticulture. The pilot scheme was
introduced for workers from Kiribati, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga.
Out of the 1,698 workers recruited under the RSE scheme from Vanuatu to New Zealand by
May 2008, 22.3 percent (379 workers) were female. Representatives of both the governments
of Vanuatu and New Zealand expressed satisfaction with the way the scheme had progressed.
The number of seasonal work visas for ni-Vanuatu will be increased to 8,000 per year. For ni-
Vanuatu workers, the RSE scheme presents the first major opportunity to work overseas.
Some 550 million vatu (approximately 5.6 million USD) came in as remittances from New
Zealand in the first year of the RSE scheme. For a variety of logistical and administrative
reasons, most of the recruitment was undertaken in Port Vila in the first instance. Workers
received pre-departure training from the Department of Labour (DOL) on the different aspects
of living and working in New Zealand.
At the recent Forum Leaders meeting in Niue in August 2008, Australia announced a trial
Pacific guest worker scheme. Under this scheme up to 2,500 temporary workers from the
selected pilot countries of Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea will be allowed to
work in Australian farms for a period of up to seven months over a three year period. Details
of the arrangement are currently being discussed with Pacific sending countries.
Labour market information
Capacity and resource constraints in the area of labour market information limit the
effectiveness of DOL and the National Statistics Office (NSO) to maintain comprehensive
labour market statistics. No comprehensive labour market data have been collected since the
2000 Labour Market Survey. There are currently no plans to conduct another formal sector
labour market survey, nor to conduct a first household labour market survey (which would
include the non-formal and subsistence sectors). Besides the 2000 Labour Market Survey, the
only recent labour market data is produced from the Vanuatu Population Census and the
Household Income & Expenditure Survey (HIES), which, due to their broader and different
objectives, produce only a limited set of labour market indicators. Introducing a key set of
relevant labour market indicators and a new labour force questionnaire (that could be either

6
used as an extension in the HIES survey or as a complete stand-alone Household Labour
Force Survey) would be valuable for future labour market policy and planning purposes.
Capacity building support in LMIA would help develop the necessary skills to bridge the
existing gaps which have been highlighted by DOL and NSO. Currently, no systematic way
of analyzing labour market data and translating this into policy advice exists.
NOS is currently trying to set up a central socio-economic database, which would ideally
contain all available socio-economic statistics supplied by different stakeholders (e.g. DOL,
NOS, Vanuatu National Provident Fund). The Government Statistician requested technical
assistance from ILO in international best-practice methodology to establish and maintain such
a database. The database is currently being developed in Microsoft Excel and has a basic
approach, but it is a promising start to put all available socio-economic statistics into one
system which can be extended with technical assistance from ILO.
Social security and OSH
The formal social protection system in Vanuatu is limited to the Vanuatu National Provident
Fund (VNPF) and to some extent health care benefits. The coverage of VNPF is mainly
confined to formal sector employees including the Public Service.
The Employment Act, enforced by DOL, includes provisions for safety standards. Workers
have the right to remove themselves from dangerous work situations without jeopardy to their
continued employment. However, the safety and health law is inadequate to protect workers
engaged in logging, agriculture, construction, and manufacturing, and the single inspector
attached to DOL cannot enforce the law fully. Work-related accidents are on the rise but it is
widely believed that accidents are not regularly reported. The process of collecting statistics
on work-related accidents would benefit from strengthening. Due to the involvement of a
considerable number of workers in foreign flag ships and the fishing industry, working
conditions and the welfare of maritime workers have been identified as an area which needs
greater attention in regards to OSH.
While the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Vanuatu remains low (although reliable statistics are
unavailable), there are significant risk factors for HIV transmission, including the high
proportion of youth in the population, seafaring, high rates of other Sexually Transmitted
Infections (STIs), high teenage pregnancy rates, and cultural and attitudinal issues including
early sexual initiation, taboos related to sexuality, and gender inequality, as well as the lack of
an effective testing system.
National, regional and global development frameworks
In 1997, the Vanuatu Government embarked on a major Comprehensive Reform
Programme (CRP) with financial and technical assistance from ADB. New investment
policies were put in place for foreign investors in 1998 with the passing of the Vanuatu
Foreign Investment Act. Through this Act, commercial agriculture, tourism and beef
production have been prioritised for investment. Another priority under the CRP is public
sector reform which is funded by AusAID.
Strategic priorities of the Vanuatu Government are detailed in the Priorities and Action
Agenda (PAA) 2006-2015, indicated in Table 1.
In addition to the PAA’s priorities indicated in Table 1, the PAA calls for a strengthening of
TVET providers and the Vanuatu National Training Council (VNTC). Through the PAA, the
Vanuatu Government has identified the need for technical training and skills in the rural areas
as a national priority. Between 2005 and 2011 Australia is also funding a comprehensive
TVET Sector Strengthening Program. Vanuatu has also drawn up the “TVET Master Plan

7
2003-2010: Skills for a Self-Reliant, Productive and Proud Vanuatu”. The Master Plan has
seven goals aimed at improving the overall environment for the delivery of TVET services.
By the end of 2003 each province had prepared a 5-year provincial development plan, focused
on commercial economic development and including only those economic sectors which
would bring about significant economic growth. Specific product and sector strategies were
developed for each proposed activity, together with the steps required in the implementation
process. The “Rural Economic Development Initiative” (REDI) was started in 2004 with
NZAID assistance to promote and support rural economic initiatives in Vanuatu. REDI does
not possess any resources of its own to fund the approved provincial priorities, instead relying
on budget allocations from the concerned line ministries. Although support has been received
from NZAID and AusAID to fund provincial proposals, many REDI initiatives have not yet
been implemented, partly because the management structure and implementation mechanisms
have limited its effectiveness in achieving in objectives.
To address its economic and social challenges, Vanuatu has adopted several regional and
global development frameworks. The 8 MDGs form a blueprint that respond to the world's
main development challenges and are to be achieved by 2015, agreed to by all the world’s
countries and all the world’s leading development institutions (see Table 1).
The Pacific Plan was endorsed by Pacific Leaders at their Pacific Islands Forum Meeting in
Port Moresby in October 2005. With an overall focus of regionalism and sub-regionalism, the
Pacific Plan’s includes 13 strategic objectives under four pillars (see Table 1). The Pacific
Plan makes special reference to find decent income and employment opportunities for the
growing number of unemployed youths, school leavers and people living below the poverty
line.
For the UNDAF cycle 2008 – 2012 a joint UNDAF was undertaken by the UN Country
Teams of Samoa and Fiji. This UNDAF was developed based on a review of national and
regional plans, strategies and policies from 14 PICs and regional bodies, UN mandates, and
UN areas of expertise, which led to the identification of four UN priority areas (see Table 1).
Particularly important in the analysis was the Pacific Plan, whose objectives closely align
with the identified UN priorities. Human rights and gender equality have been mainstreamed
in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes in the UNDAF.
Geographically, the UN has chosen to focus on the region’s five Least Developed Countries –
Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The five LDCs will receive roughly
65% of an estimated USD 309.7 million over the five-year period. The UNDAF has identified
opportunities for ILO’s involvement and potential partnership. ILO is listed as a partner in
most programme outputs under the priorities “equitable economic growth and poverty
reduction”, “good governance and human rights” and “equitable social and protection
services”. ILO is the lead partner in the output “enabling environments support employment
friendly micro-small- and medium-sized enterprises” under the first priority. In addition, there
are opportunities for ILO involvement in creating “Green Jobs” under the fourth priority.2

2
Efforts to tackle climate change could result in the creation of millions of new green jobs in the coming
decades, according to the report "Green Jobs: Towards Decent work in a Sustainable, Low-Carbon World" from
the United Nations on the impact of the emerging global green economy, released in September 2008. Green
jobs reduce the environmental impact of enterprises and economic sectors, ultimately to levels that are
sustainable. Changing patterns of employment and investment result from efforts to reduce climate change and
its effects are already generating new jobs in many sectors and economies, and could create millions more in
both developed and developing countries.

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The UNDAF stakeholders’ meeting in Suva in May 2007 during which the joint UNDAF was
presented, also identified the importance of focused activities dealing with the youth bulge in
PICs. A joint programme of youth has been approved and discussions are underway to
determine how it will be designed and coordinated. ILO participated in a meeting of all UN
agencies with its Vanuatu Government stakeholders, to share progress made in 2008, and to
share workplans for 2009.
Finally, the notes that were adopted at the Tripartite Technical Meeting on Decent Work
held in Nadi, Fiji between 26 to 28 November 2007 identify common regional priorities for
ILO assistance.

Table 1: Overview of major development frameworks in Vanuatu

Development Duration Priorities
framework
Priorities and Action 2006-2015 1) Private sector development and employment creation;
Agenda (PAA) 2) Macroeconomic stability and equitable growth;
3) Primary sector development;
4) Education and human resource development.
Pacific Plan Adopted in Economic Growth pillar:
2005 by 1) Increased sustainable trade (including services), and investment;
Pacific
2) Improved efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure development
leaders
and associated service delivery;
3) Increased private sector participation in, and contribution to,
development;
Sustainable development pillar:
4) Reduced poverty;
5) Improved natural resource and environmental management;
6) Improved health;
7) Improved education and training;
8) Improved gender equality;
9) Enhanced involvement of youth;
10) Increased levels of participation and achievements in sports;
11) Recognised and protected cultural values, identities and traditional
knowledge
Good governance pillar:
12) Improved transparency, accountability, equity and efficiency in the
management and use of resources in the Pacific;
Security pillar:
13) Improved political and social conditions for stability and safety.
MDGs Adopted in Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2000 by all Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
countries, to
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
be achieved
by 2015 Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
Goal 5: Improve maternal health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development.
UNDAF 2008-2012 1) Equitable economic growth and poverty reduction;
2) Good governance and human rights;

9
 3) Equitable social and protection services;
4) Sustainable environmental management.
DWCP 2009-2012 1) Completion of labour legislation reform and application of
International Labour Standards;
2) Promotion of decent employment opportunities, particularly for young
women and men;
3) Capacity building of tripartite partners and improvement of social
dialogue;
4) Increasing social protection.

Donor assistance
Vanuatu is fully supported by international and regional institutions and bilateral donors
which in theory endeavour to closely align their contributions to the country’s priorities.
Donor assistance is unofficially estimated to contribute about 25% of GDP. Australia's aid
program in Vanuatu aims to achieve broad-based economic growth by focusing on
governance. AusAID's programs in health, education and law and justice are designed to
reflect the Vanuatu Government's own priorities. The “Technical and Vocational Education
and Training (TVET) Strengthening Program” is run in response to the Vanuatu Government
having identified the need for technical training and skills in the rural areas as a national
priority.
NZAID and the Vanuatu Government have identified education, governance and economic
development as NZAID’s priority areas in Vanuatu in the Vanuatu Country Strategy 2006-
2010.
The European Union is another major donor in Vanuatu. Under the 8th EDF, the EU funded
the construction of a new Tourism and Hospitality Facility at VIT. Assistance under the 9th
EDF was focussed on education and the productive sector with agriculture and tourism. Under
the 10th EDF 2008-2013, Vanuatu has been allocated 23.2 million EURO for the two focal
sectors Economic growth and Employment creation. In addition to bilateral support, Vanuatu
has received multilateral aid from the Asian Development Bank and the International
Monetary Fund.
ILO’s partnership with Vanuatu
Vanuatu became a member state of the ILO in 2003. It has ratified seven of the eight
Fundamental Conventions in 2006 (C.29, C.105, C.87, C.98, C.100, C.111, C.182). In
addition, Vanuatu has ratified C.185 Seafarers' Identity Documents Convention (Revised),
2003. As in many countries across the world, in Vanuatu much work in several key areas
remains to be done to achieve the desired international labour standards.
The Employment Act, 1983 (Cap.160) is the principal law governing the terms and conditions
of employment. Other important labour laws in Vanuatu are the Health and Safety at Work
Act, 2002 (Cap.195), Labour (Work Permits) Act, 2002 (Cap.187), Minimum Wage and
Minimum Wages Board Act, 1984 (Cap.182), Public Service Act (Cap.129), Teaching
Service Act (Cap.171), Trade Disputes Act, 1983 (Cap.162, revised in 1988), Trade Union
Act, 1983 (Cap.161), and the Vanuatu National Provident Fund Act (Cap.189).
The Vanuatu Government is obliged to supply reports on the application of ratified
conventions. ILO’s Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and
Recommendations (CEARC) has noted that first reports on C.87, C.98, C.100, C.105, C.111
and C.182 were due in 2008 but none have been received so far. CEARC has not published

10
any other observations on Vanuatu. While a delegation from Vanuatu attended ILO’s annual
International Labour Conference (ILC) in 2007, no delegation from Vanuatu attended the ILC
in 2008 or 2009.
Tripartite constituents and social dialogue
The social partners are the Vanuatu Council of Trade Unions (VCTU) and the Vanuatu
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). Labour issues are the responsibility of the
Department of Labour (DOL), headed by the Labour Commissioner, which is part of the
Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The law provides all workers with the right to organize and join unions. In 2008, combined
union membership in the private and public sectors was only approximately 1,900. The two
existing trade unions, the Vanuatu Teacher's Union (VTU) and the Vanuatu National
Worker's Union (VNWU), are independent of the government and grouped under the VCTU
which was registered in January 2008. The high percentage of the population still engaged in
subsistence agriculture and fishing precluded extensive union activity. Generally, the
environment for promoting good industrial relations and collective bargaining is not enabling.
Union officials have been concerned over a number of violations of Freedom of Association
and Right to Collective Bargaining in Vanuatu. Only four collective bargaining agreements
exist in Vanuatu as employers have not generally been willing to enter into collective
bargaining agreements. In order to address this situation, VCTU considers it necessary that
labour laws are reformed in full compliance with the ILO standards and with effective
application/enforcement. In light of this situation, the unions require capacity building of their
executive members and staff as well as assistance with increasing union membership.
Two thirds of VCCI’s budget are from the government. VCCI is linked to the NZ Chamber of
Commerce to help provide knowledge and other benefits.
Aside from some second hand computer equipment donated to VCTU and VCCI, there has
only been limited and somewhat fragmented institutional capacity building to VCTU and
VCCI. The facilities of VCCI remain restricted in regards to space, classrooms and training
materials. ILO has provided some limited overseas training to VCTU and VCCI in the areas of
labour law review, industrial relations, tripartism and social dialogue, reconciliation and
mediation and dispute settlements. VCTU has also received training on information technology
and in the areas of workers’ education and OSH. Both VCTU and VCCI request that future
training opportunities, in particular on tripartism and social dialogue, take place in Vanuatu.
DOL continues to face several significant capacity constraints which inhibit its ability to
influence wider policy development and reform and to enforce labour law, including labour
inspections.
The Vanuatu Government has established a tripartite Labour Advisory Board. VCTU has
participated in the Board though there are reported concerns that it has not always been
involved in the process of nominating workers’ representatives to the Labour Advisory Board
which it therefore does not regard as a genuine tripartite forum. There are opportunities in the
future for facilitating bipartite dialogue between VCCI and VCTU in the annual National
Business Forum.
In the past, no formal DWCP document has existed. Nevertheless, ILO has undertaken a range
of activities in Vanuatu in the recent past (see Table 2).

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Table 2: Past and present ILO activities in Vanuatu
Area / Project name Background / Aims ILO activities Duration
Technical cooperation - Enhancing the knowledge of how to better address - A National Officer has been recruited for the Youth Employment Programme April 2008 -
project: Sub-Regional the challenges faced by young women and men in in Vanuatu and a project office has been set up within DOL; 2010
Programme on securing decent wage and self-employment;
- Conduction of labour market information assessment in Vanuatu;
Education,
- Strengthening the capacity of governments,
Employability and - Organisation of a Pacific Trade Union Training on Decent Work for Youth
employers' and worker's organizations to take a
Decent Work for and Labour Migration in Samoa in September 2008;
more proactive role in developing national an local
Youth in the Pacific
policies as well as other practical initiatives to - Pilot implementation of the TREE methodology3 in Vanuatu as one of three
Island Countries
achieve Decent Work for youth; Pacific pilot countries. In August 2008, the methodology was introduced
(RAS/06/53/NET)
during a five-day workshop in Vanuatu, implementing partners were
- Facilitating greater access by young men and
identified and training was provided. The REDI programme, one of the
women to support services for wage and self-
largest rural based programmes in Vanuatu, has formally approached ILO
employment through new tools and methodologies
with a request for Technical Assistance to institutionalise the TREE
adapted to national circumstances.
methodology in its targeted communities.
Technical cooperation - Engaging men in reproductive health, family life 2008 - 2010
project: “Men as and responsibilities at home;
partners in
- Strengthening the capacity of workers’ and
reproductive health”
employers’ organisations to deal with the issue of
(funded by UNFPA)
reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention.
Technical cooperation - Social protection system in Vanuatu is limited to - Conducting social security studies 2004-2006
project: Social provident funds and to some extent health care
Security in Pacific benefits;
Island Countries
- Coverage of the Vanuatu National Provident Fund
(funded by the
(VNPF) mainly confined to formal sector
Netherlands)
employees.
Labour market - Improving labour market information and analysis; Pipeline
information and project
- Providing data for the Youth Employment
analysis’ (LMIA)

3
The “Training for Rural Economic Empowerment” (TREE) methodology is a community-based methodology for generating income and employment opportunities at the
community level using various tools for community organising, community planning, enterprise identification and development, skills training and setting up of community
funds to finance enterprises. There is potential to effectively use remittances from temporary migrant workers under the RSE scheme for enterprise creation under the TREE
methodology.
 Programme
Improving OSH in - Improving working conditions and the welfare of Pipeline
Ports maritime workers. project
Labour law reform - Guaranteeing collective bargaining, dispute - Review of Vanuatu’s labour legislation; Ongoing
settlement procedures and a safe working
- Assistance preparing a draft Employment Relations Bill, a draft Worker’s
environment.
Compensation Bill and a draft OSH Bill;
- Draft bills have yet to obtain tripartite consensus before enactment;
- ILO to provide assistance with organising a tripartite workshop to discuss in
particular the draft Employment Relations Bill.
Capacity building - Implementation of ILO Conventions ratified by - Workers’ education through a subregional workers’ education programme; Ongoing
Vanuatu;
- Tripartite constituents have been sent on fellowships to Turin and Korea;
- Fulfilment of reporting obligations.
- Assistance with the formation of the tripartite Labour Advisory Board
OSH - Rise in work-related accidents; - Awareness raising; Ongoing
- Strengthening the process of collecting statistics on - Development of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) policies;
work-related accidents.
- Sub-regional seminars on OSH run by the ILO Office for the Pacific Islands
and ILO’s International Training Centre (ITC-ILO) in Turin;
- Fellowships to the ITC-ILO.

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II. Country Programme priorities
The 2009-2012 ILO Decent Work Country Programme for Vanuatu was formulated together
with the tripartite constituents and fully and comprehensively reflects their priorities. The
specific concerns of each of the tripartite partners were voiced in separate meetings with the
tripartite partners. Four overall priorities were agreed on in the tripartite meeting, held
subsequent to the individual meetings. A draft of this DWCP was then sent to the constituents
which were given the opportunity to comment on the draft. The four priorities of this DWCP
reflect the constituents’ needs at the present time, while also responding to Vanuatu’s social
and economic needs, corresponding with strategies and activities spelled out in the Pacific
Plan, the UNDAF and the PAA, and ILO’s past initiatives as well as comparative advantage
against other development partners. ILO will concentrate on the following four country
programme priorities in Vanuatu within the overarching theme of “decent work for all men
and women”:

Priority 1. Labour legislation reform and application of International Labour Standards;

Priority 2. Promotion of decent employment opportunities, particularly for young women and
men, and inclusive of persons with disabilities;
Priority 3. Capacity building of tripartite partners and improvement of social dialogue;
Priority 4. Increasing social protection.

By focusing on these four priorities, ILO’s DWCP is closely aligned with the major
development frameworks in Vanuatu (see Table 3).

Table 3: Alignment of DWCP priorities with major development frameworks in

Vanuatu
Development Priorities Corresponding DWCP priorities
framework
Priorities and Identified need for technical training and DWCP Priority 2: Promotion of decent
Action Agenda skills in the rural areas employment opportunities , particularly for
(PAA) Youth development youth
Pacific Plan Priority 4: Reduced poverty; DWCP priority 2: Promotion of decent
employment opportunities;
DWCP Priority 4. Increasing social
protection
Priority 7: Improved education and DWCP Priority 2: Promotion of decent
training employment opportunities , particularly for
youth
Priority 9: Enhanced involvement of DWCP Priority 2: Promotion of decent
youth; DWCP priority employment opportunities , particularly for
youth
Priority 6: Improved health ILO’s work on HIV/AIDS in the workplace
under DWCP Priority 4
Priority 8: Improved gender equality All activities in the DWCP will be
proactively inclusive of women and persons
with disabilities.
 Priority 12: Improved transparency, DWCP Priority 3: Capacity building of
accountability, equity and efficiency in tripartite partners and improvement of
the management and use of resources in social dialogue;
the Pacific
Priority 13: Improved political and social DWCP Priority 2: Promotion of decent
conditions for stability and safety employment opportunities;
DWCP Priority 4. Increasing social
protection
MDGs Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and DWCP Priority 2: Promotion of decent
hunger employment opportunities;
DWCP Priority 4. Increasing social
protection
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and All activities in the DWCP will be
empower women proactively inclusive of women and persons
with disabilities.
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and ILO’s work on HIV/AIDS in the workplace
other diseases under DWCP Priority 4

UNDAF 1) Equitable economic growth and DWCP Priority 2: Promotion of decent

poverty reduction; employment opportunities
LMIA activities under DWCP Priorities 2
and 3
2) Good governance and human rights; DWCP Priority 3: Capacity building of
tripartite partners and improvement of
social dialogue;
3) Equitable social and protection DWCP Priority 4. Increasing social
services protection; improving OSH, promoting ILS
(under DWCP priority 1), combating
HIV/AIDS ; xthrough HIV/AIDS
workplace policies and the Men as Partners
project (under DWCP priority 4) as well as
ensuring that all activities under the DWCP
are gender-sensitive and inclusive of
persons with disabilities
4) Sustainable environmental Promoting green jobs which reduce the
management. impact on the environment (possible ILO
contribution to the UNDAF).
Donor activities AusAID: Skills development; DWCP Priority 2: Promotion of decent
employment opportunities
EU: Employment creation DWCP Priority 2: Promotion of decent
employment opportunities

15
III. Country Programme outcomes, indicators and brief
strategy
Each Country Programme priority includes at least one outcome. Outcome indicators will be
used to measure achievement of the outcomes and targets are set for each indicator. Brief
strategy summaries describe the activities and outputs that will lead to the achievement of the
outcomes.

Priority 1. Labour legislation reform and application of International

Labour Standards
Outcome 1.1: Improved implementation of Vanuatu’s modernised labour legislation in
compliance with the International Labour Standards.
Outcome indicators:
1.1.1. Compatibility of the revised Employment Relations Bill with the ILS.
Target: The technical memorandum of the ILO will conclude that the revised ER Bill is
fully compatible with the ILO Constitution, fundamental Conventions and the other
Conventions ratified by Vanuatu.
1.1.2. Increase in the number of collective bargaining agreements (Awards).
Target: The number of four collective bargaining agreements that existed in 2008 will
have doubled by 2012.
1.1.3. Existence of proper dispute settlement procedures and institutions.
Target: Proper dispute settlement procedures and institutions will have been put in place
by 2012.

Outcome 1.2: International Labour Standards are broadly ratified and significant progress
is made in their application in line with fundamental principles and rights at work.
Outcome indicators:
1.2.1. Ratification of the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) and at least three other
ILO Conventions.
Target: By 2012.
1.2.2. Application in law and practice in line with the principles of the Conventions.
Target: CEACR is satisfied with the reported progress of the application.

Strategy including activities and outputs to achieve outcomes 1.1 and 1.2:
The review process of Vanuatu’s labour legislation was started with ILO assistance. A new
Employment Relations Bill and Worker’s Compensation Bill have been drafted and require
tripartite discussion and endorsement. ILO will continue to provide technical assistance in
reviewing and revising national labour legislation and practice in line with the ILS and will
ensure tripartite involvement in the process.

16
ILO will provide assistance to organise a tripartite workshop to discuss in particular the ER
Bill. All major labour laws (including at least the Worker’s Compensation Bill, Minimum
Wages Act, Labour Work Permit Act, Social Security Act and the RSE Act) will be reviewed
by the tripartite Labour Advisory Board with the assistance of an ILO Labour Law Specialist.
An ILO Labour Law Specialist will review the draft bills in the light of agreed ILS. The
Labour Advisory Board will be convened to review Vanuatu’ labour legislation and to table
the revised legislation in Parliament. The membership of the Labour Advisory Board needs to
be reviewed in order to ensure genuine tripartite representation. ILO will support this review.
As part of ILO’s technical assistance provided for the review of labour legislation, a
comprehensive gender-sensitive assessment will be conducted on whether any inequalities, in
law and practice, in employment and occupation exist with respect to certain groups of the
population such as women or persons with disabilities.
DOL requested financial assistance from ILO for translating the revised ER Bill and for
preparing new regulations on women’s protection at the workplace, child labour and
HIV/AIDS at the workplace. DOL also requires assistance with the implementation of the
labour legislation and ILS.
ILO will provide training in labour and employment law to the tripartite constituents, ensuring
equal participation of women and men. This will involve training in employment relations,
conditions of work, minimum wage fixing, collective employment relations, and international
labour standards. Joint workshops will be organized with ITC-ILO and NORMES on labour
law and ILS. Specific training on reporting to CEARC will by provided by ILO in order to
assist the constituents to discharge the reporting obligations, especially as no reports have so
far been received.
Collective bargaining will be promoted in Vanuatu as an initiative targeting trade unions and
employers in order that more employers and trade unions engage in regular, systematic and
productive collective bargaining in good faith with a view to concluding a collective
agreement on issues of common interests.
ILO will provide technical assistance for the implementation of labour laws. Currently,
significant restrictions remain against workers’ rights of association and the collective
bargaining process.
ILO will encourage Vanuatu to ratify an additional three ILO Conventions by 2012. Since
Vanuatu is one of the major international ship registers for merchant ships, Vanuatu will be
encouraged to ratify the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 and Work in Fishing Convention,
2007 (No. 188). Another ILO Convention that Vanuatu will be specifically encouraged to
ratify is C159 Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention,
1983 with a view to integrating persons with disabilities at workplaces.

Priority 2. Promotion of decent employment opportunities, particularly for

young women and men, and inclusive of persons with disabilities
Outcome 2.1: Improved decent employment opportunities for youth through skills training,
support services, and improved policies.
Outcome Indicators:
2.1.1. Percentage of young women and men having received entrepreneurship training and /
or having accessed micro-finance setting up their own businesses.

17
 Target: 50%.
2.1.2. Percentage of young women and men having accessed employment support services
and / or technical and vocational skills training being employed in decent employment.
Target: 50%.
2.1.3. A youth employment strategy, linked to the National Youth Policy.
Target: A youth employment strategy will have been integrated into the National Youth
Policy and is being implemented by 2012.

Strategy including activities and outputs to achieve outcome 2.1:

ILO has accumulated a stock of knowledge and practical tools and model approaches that can
benefit the implementation of youth policies and programmes in Vanuatu. These include
career guidance material, Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) training modules,
Training for Rural Economic Empowerment (TREE) methodologies and HIV workplace
training kits. Employment through self-employment and in particular through micro- and
small-business initiatives is high on the list of ILO’s priorities.
Outcome 2.1 will be achieved under ILO’s Youth Employment Programme (YEP). ILO’s
YEP which is aimed at contributing to improved employability and decent work for young
men and women in Vanuatu will provide entrepreneurship training to young people to allow
them to engage in small-scale businesses and earn regular incomes. Entrepreneurship training
will adopt ILO methodologies already tested like the “Start and Improve Your Business”
(SIYB) and the TREE methodology as a tool for enterprise creation. Six participants from
youth-focused NGOs in Vanuatu have already attended a Master Trainers on SIYB workshop
in November 2008. In addition, ILO will provide technical assistance to develop career
guidance materials which are gender neutral. Under the YEP, entrepreneurship training will
be provided to young people to start or improve their business with the aim being that 50
young people will have accessed entrepreneurship training, ensuring equal participation of
men and women. An additional 50 young entrepreneurs will have accessed micro-finance by
2010. In addition, at least 100 young entrepreneurs / students will have accessed employment
support services by 2010. At least 50% of these will be young women and at least 10% will
be persons with disabilities. An additional 100 young men and women will have accessed
technical and vocational skills training by 2012.
It is also planned that the TREE methodology will be applied to stimulate and support
enterprise creation in communities sending RSE workers overseas. ILO has a proven track
record in designing and delivering appropriate TVET training programmes. In view of the
importance of human resources for Vanuatu’s overall development, skills development
through technical and vocational education and training has to obtain a more prominent place
in national development strategies and programmes. ILO will assist this process by raising the
awareness of the importance of technical and vocational education and training which need to
be tailored to the particular and specific needs of women and men and persons with
disabilities among its tripartite constituents.
Young men and women in Vanuatu have limited access to support services that will help
them secure wage or self-employment opportunities. Constituents require ILO assistance to
offer such services.
ILO recognises that the situation and perspectives of young women and men are different and
will ensure that women are not only represented in sufficient numbers but that they are

18
provided with appropriate opportunities and means to have their views incorporated. ILO will
work with its partners in Vanuatu to more closely examine the training curricula to avoid
gender stereotyping, support efforts towards equal employment opportunity and move
towards the equal representation and participation of women and men in all facets of social
and economic development. Through its “Women’s Entrepreneurship Development and
Gender Equality” (WEDGE) activities, ILO has well established experience and tools in
promoting women’s entrepreneurship. The WEDGE team is part of ILO’s Small Enterprise
Development (SEED) Programme and works on enhancing economic opportunities for
women through a variety of approaches.
In addition, the recently developed “Asia Pacific Youth Employment Knowledge Network”
(APYouthNet) platform developed by ROAP and operational at [Link]
[Link]/ will be used. This online community of practice is a new mechanism
for providing technical advisory services and support to regional youth employment
initiatives and youth employment activities.
All activities in this area will be inclusive of persons with disabilities and will ensure equal
participation of women and men. The Human Resources Development Convention, 1975 (No.
142) will provide guidance, as this instrument covers both young persons and persons with
disabilities.
ILO will provide technical assistance and training tools to develop policies and programmes
that promote productive and decent employment for young women and men. With its
expertise, tripartite constituency and global alliances, ILO can act as a catalyst in mobilising
support and implementing integrated policies and programmes to effectively meet the
Millennium Summit Declaration’s commitment on decent and productive work for youth.
There is an urgent need for a youth employment strategy, including national action plans and
programmes, that promotes productive employment for young people, taking account of the
specific and particular needs of women and men.
Through the YEP and ILO technical assistance, the influence of the social partners will be
strengthened with the aim of formulating a youth employment strategy well integrated or
incorporated in the National Youth Policy. This will build on the positive commitments made
by senior level partners at the ‘Youth Employment – Paving the Way for National Action
Plans’ five-day workshop held in Nadi, Fiji in November 2008, which was attended by senior
representatives from VCCI, VCTU, DOL, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Youth
Development, Sports and Training, the Department for Strategic Policy and Planning, and a
youth representative.

Outcome 2.2: Improved youth labour market statistics are collected and used.
Outcome indicators:
2.2.1. The availability of quality youth labour market statistics.
Target: Quality youth labour market statistics are available and updated at least every 12
months.

Strategy including activities and outputs to achieve outcome 2.2:

A desk review on labour market information has been carried out as part of the YEP. The
constituents require assistance to analyse formal and non-formal education and training issues
and youth employment issues, and to identify strategies to address the problem of youth

19
unemployment, underemployment and inactivity, taking into account the particular and
specific needs of young women and young men.
Under its assistance to improve LMIA in Vanuatu, ILO will provide technical assistance to
develop and implement strategies to collect quality youth labour market data.

Priority 3. Capacity building of tripartite partners and improvement of

social dialogue
Outcome 3.1: The value of workers’ and employers’ organizations for existing and
potential membership is increased.
Outcome indicators:
3.1.1. Number of members of VCCI and number of workers affiliated to VCTU.
Target: At least 20% increase by 2012.

Outcome 3.2: The enforcement of national labour standards is improved through

strengthened labour administration.
Outcome indicators:
3.2.1. The number of reports provided by labour inspectors.
Target: The number of reports provided by labour inspectors will have doubled by 2012
compared to 2008.
3.2.2. The quality of labour inspections.
Target: Labour inspections and the reports provided by labour inspectors will routinely
cover FOA/CB, non-discrimination, forced/compulsory labour, OSH, HIV/AIDS and
child labour as well as the core and ratified Conventions by 2012.

Strategy including activities and outputs to achieve outcomes 3.1 and 3.2:
A “capacity assessment” of the constituents will be conducted in the first year of the DWCP
in order to determine the required organisational capacities and staff skills to deliver DWCP
priorities. ILO’s International Training Centre (ITC-ILO) will assist with this activity and
determine a range of targeted training interventions over the DWCP period. Training will also
be provided by ITC-ILO, preferably in Vanuatu in order to ensure the participation of a larger
number of participants. A review of the structure and activities of VCCI will be completed
and will determine the main needs for training and assistance for the institution.
Some specific training and other needs of the constituents have been identified during
meetings with constituents in Vanuatu: Technical assistance will be provided to strengthen
labour administration and labour inspections. ILO will provide technical assistance to review
and update the reports template. A strengthened labour administration will assist the
monitoring of labour conditions and enforcement of labour legislation (see Priority 1). DOL
also requires training on women’s protection and rights at the workplace and on issues
specific to persons with disability and employment.
Unions need to build capacity to use the supervisory mechanism of the ILO to protect and
promote the fundamental rights. The priorities of VCTU in terms of capacity building of

20
VCTU’s executive members and staff are in the areas of (i) Protection and promotion of the
fundamental rights of workers, democracy, and enabling political environment for more
productive and harmonious labour relations; and (ii) Creation of decent employment, socially-
friendly economic development, and poverty reduction.
In order to create and promote an enabling environment for collective bargaining, the capacity
of both unions and employers for concluding CBAs has to be built with ILO assistance.
In addition, the skills of VCTU and VCCI staff in establishing and managing their
organisations need to be upgraded. The capacity of VCTU and VCCI to effectively participate
in policy implementation also needs to be improved. ILO will provide technical assistance to
address these areas of need.
ILO will assist to upgrade the capacity of VCTU and its affiliated organizations to provide
better protection and services to their members and workers in general. As a result, it is
envisaged that the number of affiliates of VCTU will increase and that union membership in
general will increase. The primary targets for organising workers are the banking sector
telecom sector and commerce sector. VCTU also aims to represent more workers in Vanuatu
including those in rural areas and in islands, and also including women and youth.
Women and persons with disabilities will be encouraged to be trade union officials with a
view to representing the specific interests of women and persons with disabilities respectively
in the process of collective bargaining.
ILO will closely work with gender focal points in DOL, VCTU and VCCI in order to achieve
the targets for women participation. Positive outcomes achieved under this priority would
significantly contribute to the effective application of the ILS. This priority is also related to
various international and national frameworks referring to governance (Pacific Plan and
UNDAF). Therefore, the “governance instruments”, as referred to in the 2008 ILO
Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization would be useful, including the Labour
Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81), the Employment Policy Convention, 1964 (No. 122),
the Labour Inspection (Agriculture) Convention, 1969 (No. 129), and the Tripartite
Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144).

Outcome 3.3: Tripartite partners are strengthened and an effective tripartite social dialogue
mechanism is established to make tangible progress in promoting Decent Work
Outcome indicators:
3.3.1. The number of meetings/consultations on social and labour policy development held
with active participation of tripartite partners.
Target: 80% of all the relevant meetings participated actively by tripartite partners.
3.3.2. The number of meetings regularly held by the tripartite DWC~P Steering Committee to
monitor the DWCP.
Target: Tripartite meetings are held at least twice a year.
3.3.3. The tripartite reports prepared and submitted under the ILO supervisory system.
Target: Annual reports due under the Article 22 of the ILO Constitution on ratified
Conventions will be prepared involving the social partners and sent on time to the ILO.

Strategy including activities and outputs to achieve outcome 3.3:

21
The strengthening of tripartite institutions is a priority in order to improve social dialogue and
the functioning of tripartism. In the past, labour issues have not always been dealt with in a
tripartite process. ILO will assist to upgrade the skills of staff of DOL, VCCI and VCTU in
collective bargaining techniques and procedures and dispute resolution by providing technical
assistance and training. As part of this assistance, Vanuatu will be encouraged to ratify the
Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (C.144).
Two tripartite institutions that already exist but require strengthening are the tripartite DWCP
Steering Committee and the Labour Advisory Board. Tripartite partners require information
on how tripartite structures work elsewhere. An analysis of the DWCP Steering Committee
and the Labour Advisory Board as social dialogue institutions will be conducted and
recommendations for improvement will be provided and implemented by ILO.
The possible appointment of a national DWCP Coordinator for Vanuatu could be an effective
strategy to achieving the goal of facilitating effective tripartism and working towards its
institutionalisation.
Staff in DOL, VTCU and VCCI require training on social dialogue and the ILS. ILO will
assist to upgrade the skills of the tripartite constituents to understand and comment on existing
and proposed ILO Conventions and Recommendations and to fulfil the ILS reporting
obligations. This is an area where ILO’s International Labour Standards Department
(NORMES) and the International Labour Standards (ILS) specialists in the field will be of
particular assistance.

Outcome 3.4: Improved socio-economic data are collected and used in policy formulation
Outcome indicators:
3.4.1. The quality of the socio-economic database in the National Statistics Office.
Target: The central socio-economic database in the NSO contains the major available
socio-economic statistics supplied by all different stakeholders by 2012.
3.4.2. The capacity of tripartite constituents to use socio-economic statistics for evidence-based
employment policy formulation.
Target: All new employment policies are based on solid socio-economic data.

Strategy including activities and outputs to achieve outcome 3.4:

Because of the limited amount of available labour market data, labour market analysis is
virtually non-existent and the Government is unable to formulate effective and targeted labour
market strategies. This severely hampers the capacity of tripartite constituents to develop
sound labour market policy. Capacity building through ILO technical assistance in the field of
labour market statistics (i.e. producing, understanding and using labour market indicators) and
labour market analysis (i.e. using analytical software, understanding of economic and
employment trends, editorial skills) will be provided. ILO technical assistance will be focused
on building capacity within the government to maintain the database and produce relevant
statistics and labour market analysis from the database. The NSO is currently trying to set up
a central socio-economic database, which would ideally contain all available socio-economic
statistics supplied by all different stakeholders. ILO will provide technical assistance to assist
the NSO to develop and maintain a central socio-economic database and to build the capacity
of constituents and DOL officials to be able to understand the database and use it for policy
formulation.

22
Priority 4. Increased social protection
Outcome 4.1: Extension of the scope of social protection.
Outcome indicators:
4.1.1. The scope of social protection.
Target: Extension of the scope of social protection to include workers compensation,
unemployment benefits and early retirement options by 2012.

Outcome 4.2: Increased compliance of employers’ with VNPF requirements.

Outcome indicators:
4.2.1. The proportion of workers benefitting from the VNPF is increased.
Target: Increase by 20%.

Strategy including activities and outputs to achieve outcomes 4.1 and 4.2:
Activities in the area of social protection will build on the 2006 ‘Social Security for All’
project in Vanuatu and will include continued discussions with the VNPF. The Vanuatu
Government increasingly recognises the need for health insurance, old age benefits and
unemployment benefits. Consideration has to be given to developing a basic social security
package for all workers in Vanuatu including those in the informal economy. ILO will
provide technical assistance to support this process, initially through an assessment to
determine the required steps and possible technical assistance. The process will probably
include changes in legislation.
ILO will organize a workshop involving tripartite constituents and the VNPF to develop a
road map for the extension of VNPF services. The concern that some employers do not
respect VNPF obligations will be addressed through labour legislation and enforcement.
Currently, only a small proportion of workers in Vanuatu benefit from the VNPF. These are
those formal sector workers whose employers comply with their VNPF obligations.
ILO’s Programme on Safety and Health at Work and the Environment (SafeWork) will
provide technical assistance in the area of social protection, if required.
Tripartite constituents will be encouraged to utilise the Social Security (Minimum Standards)
Convention, 1952 (No. 102), as this instrument provides for principles concerning social
security schemes and their administration.
The capacity of constituents will be increased to develop and implement policies and
programmes on improving working conditions and safety and health at work, taking into
account the specific needs of female workers as well as workers with disabilities. Tripartite
constituents receive training on policy formulation and programme design, implementation
and monitoring.

Outcome 4.3: OSH Bill including the national code of practice for workplace policies for
HIV/AIDS has been enacted and implemented.
Outcome indicators:

23
4.3.1. The number of OSH policies, programme and initiatives developed by the government,
workers and employers.
Target: The number is doubled.
4.3.2. The number of workplaces adopting a gender-responsive code of practice for workplace
policies on HIV/AIDS.
Target: The number will have doubled by 2012, compared to 2009.
4.3.3. The number of male and female workers covered by HIV/AIDS workplace policies.
Target: The number will have doubled by 2012, compared to 2009.

Strategy including activities and outputs to achieve outcome 4.3:

ILO will provide technical assistance for the tripartite review of the OSH Bill. Constituents
will be encouraged to utilise the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155)
to provide relevant guidance concerning OSH policies and actions. The Promotional
Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187) will also be used
as a tool to promote OSH principles and systems in an inclusive manner. A specific focus will
be placed on the development and implementation of policies and programmes on improving
working conditions and OSH in ports.
ILO is uniquely placed to address the issue of HIV/AIDS through workplace programmes and
policies and has a successful record of making the workplace a platform for disseminating
programmes on prevention, treatment and support to ensure universal access. Over the past
few years, ILO has raised awareness of the social, economic and development impact of
HIV/AIDS. ILO constituents have acknowledged the usefulness of the ILO Code of Practice
on HIV/AIDS and the World of Work as a tool to guide workplace responses to HIV/AIDS.
These will be disseminated further.
The awareness of the issue of HIV/AIDS in the workplace will be raised further within
unions, employer federations and DOL. The full and equal participation of men and women
and the inclusion of persons with disabilities will be ensured. Constituents will be assisted to
draft HIV/AIDS workplace policies in accordance with the ILO Code of Practice and
International Labour Standards.
Through the project “Men as partners in reproductive health”, funded by UNFPA and
implemented by ILO, the capacity of workers’ and employers’ organisations will be
strengthened to deal with the issue of reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention.

Outcome 4.4: Workers under overseas work schemes are supported

Outcome indicators:
4.4.1. The capacity of DOL to provide pre-departure training for all male and female RSE
workers to New Zealand and Pacific Seasonal Workers to Australia.4
Target: The number of trainers within DOL providing quality pre-departure training on
a range of issues for seasonal workers is doubled by 2012, compared to 2009.

4
Out of the 1,698 workers recruited under the RSE scheme from Vanuatu to New Zealand, by May 22 2008,
22.3 percent (379 workers) were female. The female quota of trainees will be the same as the female quota of
participants.

24
Strategy including activities and outputs to achieve outcome 4.4:
DOL is already conducting pre-departure training for RSE workers. With the recent
announcement of a Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme which will see up to 2,500 workers
from Vanuatu participate in a three year pilot and work for up to seven months a year in the
horticulture industry in Australia from 2009, additional pre-departure training will be
required. ILO will conduct a training of the trainers with DOL in order to raise DOL’s long-
term capacity to address a variety of issues including benefits of unionisation, workers’ rights,
enterprise planning and forecasting techniques (EREP), and HIV/AIDS prevention.
The brochures developed by the “Men as Partners” project will be distributed to RSE
workers. Lessons learnt from the work of the Mekong sub-regional project to combat
“Trafficking in Children and Women” (TICW) project, especially in terms of equipping
migrant workers to ensure that they are less likely to be victims of exploitative work practices,
will also be taken into account. The ‘TICW Travel Smart, Work Smart’ manuals will be of
particular use in this regard.
The Migration for Employment Convention (Revised), 1949 (No 97) and the Migrant
Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Convention, 1975 (No. 143) will supply useful guidance
to support these seasonal migrants more generally.

25
IV. Implementation and management
The programme will be implemented by the Vanuatu Government, employers’ and trade
unions’ organisations in close cooperation and with the assistance of ILO and on the basis and
to the extent resources are available or can be mobilised. The implementation plan will be
developed by ILO after the document is signed. The implementation plan will include
biennial milestones with due regard for outputs by the ILO and tripartite constituents,
including other implementing partners. The implementation plan will show how tripartite
partners are involved in the implementation phase of the project and what outputs and
deliveries are expected from each implementing partner. Outputs and resources will be
identified in accordance with current and pipeline projects, their goals and objectives. Extra-
budgetary resources and ILO’s regular budget resources will be used to finance the
implementation of this programme. The ILO network will continue to seek further funding. A
detailed resources plan will be developed by ILO, taking into account the many overlapping
interests of ILO and donor agencies. The implementation plan will be developed on a biennial
basis. The political environment will be monitored for potential risks in order for the DWCP
to be responsive to any changes that may happen. The impact of the global financial downturn
will also be taken into account.
The implementation of the programme will be facilitated by the different ILO units including
the ILO Office for the Pacific Island Countries in Suva, the Sub-Regional Office (SRO) in
Manila including the workers’ and employers’ specialists based in the SRO, the Regional
Office in Bangkok, the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC-ILO) in Turin, and
technical units at headquarters in Geneva on the side of ILO, and a tripartite committee on the
side of Vanuatu. The Programme implementation plan envisages close collaboration between
ILO and tripartite constituents in Vanuatu. ILO will continue and expand its cooperation with
other stakeholders in Vanuatu such as UNFPA, UNDP, UNESCAP, AusAID, NZAID and the
EC Delegation.
The objectives of the programme will be pursued in particular through technical cooperation
projects, advisory services, seminars and capacity building. Given the increasing number of
DWCPs being developed in the Pacific Island countries, efforts to share knowledge within the
region will be made.

V. Performance monitoring and evaluation arrangements

Monitoring and evaluation of the progress of implementation will be undertaken in order to
ensure progress towards achieving results as defined in country outcomes. A detailed
Monitoring and Evaluation Plan will be prepared at the beginning of each biennium by the
ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries in Suva with the assistance of a Tripartite Steering
Committee. The first plan will be developed within the first six months of the Decent Work
Country Programme. The RO in Bangkok will be responsible for overseeing the Monitoring
and Evaluation Plans. The ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries in Suva will also prepare
six-monthly output progress reports and annual outcome progress reports.
In response to progress reports, adjustments will be made, if necessary, in order to secure the
most efficient implementation of the DWCP, and take into account new developments and
emerging issues. A comprehensive review of the DWCP will be done in 2010.

26