Evaluation Learnings Search

Learning Description

Project Committees and Tripartite Coordination. At the country level, as explained in section 3.2.1, the project established committees consisting of key tripartite and other stakeholders including government counterparts, trade unions, employer organizations, universities, and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The committees met regularly to discuss progress implementing workplans, identifying challenges, and developing solutions. As shown in sections 3.2.5 and 3.4.1, project partners credit the committees for facilitating communication and coordination, which increase the effectiveness of the project. Section 3.2.2 shows that open ended survey responses on best practice also highlighted the importance of tripartite coordination in achieving project goals and ensuring longer-term sustainability of activities around OSH for young workers.

Learning Description

Study Tour. One unique smaller activity that deserves mention as good practice is the study tour, mentioned briefly in sections 3.2.1 and 3.2.2. The project organized and financed a study tour of 18 persons including National Project Coordinators (NPCs), labor officials and other key stakeholders representing four countries to Uruguay. The study tour participants learned about Inter-American Center for Knowledge Development in Vocational Training, Centro Interamericano para el Desarrollo del Conocimiento en la Formación Profesional (CINTERFOR) and its network, the approach to mainstream of OSH into Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curriculum at CETP-UTU and INEFOP, and the social dialogue process used by National Council of Occupational and Safety and Health, Consejo Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo, Uruguay (CONASSAT). Uruguay’s strong experience in OSH and social dialogue served as an effective example to the visiting countries of what is possible. After the study tour, project stakeholders helped organize the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Occupational Safety and Health Network (OSHNET) workshop in April 2019 in Ninh Binh Province, Viet Nam that addressed how social dialogue can build a culture of prevention in the workplace.

Learning Description

OSH Course at International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC-ILO). Another one-off activity referenced in sections 3.1.2 and 3.4.2, the National Strategies to Ensure OSH for Young Workers course, is considered a good practice for several reasons. First, it provides concepts and knowledge to students on the risks and hazards faced by young workers, their susceptibility to workplace accidents and illnesses, and prevention measures within national action plan frameworks. Second, it demonstrates effective collaboration between two key ILO institutions: ITC-ILO and the Labour Administration, Labour Inspection and Occupational Safety and Health Branch, ILO (LABADMIN-OSH) Branch on an important education initiative. Finally, it appears that the course, which will be offered by ITC-ILO in the future, is sustainable.

Learning Description

Consultation and Communication. The project organized consultation meetings and planning workshops with key stakeholders to ascertain input, create understanding, and help ensure ownership. As shown in section 3.2.3, National Project Coordinators (NPCs) maintained timely and effective communication with partners to coordinate activities and resources. Project partners credit effective consultation and communication with strong coordination and commitment to project implementation and, ultimately, project performance.

Learning Description

What Do You Want to Be App. In 2011, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MTSS) collaborated on the development of a book entitled What do you want to be when you grow up? The book introduces children to the world of work and decent work. In addition to exploring different trades and professions, it addresses occupational risks and hazards in various jobs and professions. The project completed targeted activity, explained in section 3.2.2, and hired a team of consultants to develop a software application (App) based on the book that has been loaded on nearly 800,000 tables that children has access to through the Plan Ceiba. This is considered a good practice because it integrates OSH messages in sustainable game technology that will reach at least 800,000 children.

Learning Description

It can be mentioned that (overall) the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Uzbekistan constituents, through its annual consultations in the ILO Governing Body, eventually made it possible to progress in the field of policy and legislation at national level –and enabled the Project to operate in the country. A key learning here is that through persistence, and presentation of facts/evidence emanating from the research studies, ILO has been able to develop a dialogue with the constituents in which the Government representatives have stated that there is a need for changes related to Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work - particularly linked to the recruitment of workers, and workers´ rights in cotton harvesting - but also to commit to implementing a decent work agenda in the country.

Learning Description

An identified good practice is the way the International Labor Organizatin (ILO) has worked as a team in relation to its work on child labour and forced labour, in the provision of technical inputs to support implementation from several levels of the organisation (Tashkent, Moscow and Geneva). Part of this good practice has been the utilisation of ILO´s more than twenty years of experience from the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor's (IPEC´s) technical cooperation, including the models of child labour monitoring, data gathering and design of surveys from all parts of the world.

Learning Description

Projects operating within a sensitive or politically challenging settings require an elaborate theory of change (TOC) and results framework. A strong TOC for comprehensive interventions engaging with a range of thematic areas within challenging context is key to ensuring clear understanding of how different interventions mutually contribute and provide for transformational change across a given topic. This is particularly relevant for sensitive issues such as child and forced labor and decent work, which require political buy-in and commitments. A well elaborated TOC with clear pathways showing how inputs, outputs and intended project outcomes lead to project goal, as well as analyzed assumptions and risks can help constituents better understand and promote the project goals among their peers. To enhance sustainability and help ensure accurate results are captured, future projects funded by USDOL in Uzbekistan should be based on a stronger results framework with a clear hierarchy of (SMART) indicators linked to each level of result (i.e. at output-outcome-impact levels) to changes at all levels of implementation. Although definitions vary, SMART indicators generally refer to indicators that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable and Attributable, Relevant and Timely.

Learning Description

Projects operating in countries encountering rapid reforms require full incountry expertise to provide timely response to needs and priorities. Countries undergoing rapid reforms, particularly in sectors where in-country expertise is scarce or underdeveloped, require versatile sector specialists to provide relevant technical assistance to tackle reform priorities towards achieving better results. While it is understandable that more senior sector experts can be outsourced when needed, having an in-country team with relevant sector expertise is a prerequisite for improved relevance, efficiency and effectiveness to support project interventions.

Learning Description

Decent work is a multidimensional concept encompassing a vast array of issues and challenges that needs to be tackled comprehensively to ensure full protection of rights and opportunities for workers. Depending on a country context and level of development, programs investing in decent work enhancement may take a staggered approach, dealing with fundamentals first and then further developing other relevant areas while securing more buy-in. However, excessive focus on a specific set of issues within the wider framework of decent work programs (e.g. child and forced labor in the case of a Decent Work Country Program) takes away from a holistic approach to improving decent work overall as other areas do not get the same level of attention, which then creates a threat of uneven development of the sector overall.