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Partenaires ouest-africains visitent La Haye

En 2020, le DECP a invité tous les partenaires d'Afrique de l'Est pour une visite d'étude à La Haye. Les piliers « Gestion des adhésions » et surtout « Dialogue social » étaient au cœur de cela. Cette initiative a rencontré un tel succès qu'il a été décidé d'inviter chaque …

West African partners visit The Hague

In 2020, DECP invited all partners from East Africa for a study visit to The Hague. The pillars 'Membership Management' and especially 'Social dialogue' were central to this. This initiative was so successful that it was decided to invite a group of partners every year. However, due to the pandemic, …

UGANDA. DECP ENHANCES SOCIAL DIALOGUE

The promotion of social dialogue at national and if possible at sectoral level has been a constant feature of the DECP programme in recent years. In Uganda the ground for social dialogue has always been fertile but at the same time not very productive. Indeed, thanks to cordial relations between …

Mongolia makes leaps forward

Mongolia is a very large country in terms of surface. However, only 3.4 million people live there, 1.4 million of whom live in the capital Ulaanbaatar. The country has been isolated for a long time and only had intensive contacts with neighbouring countries Russia and China. But the world is …

I hear and forget, I see and remember, I do and understand

Services to members are an important pillar of activities of employers' and business member organisations. Services are tangible products with a specific added value for members and are important in the value proposition of employers organisations, next to the more collective representation of members interests via advocacy, lobbying and social …

Zambia. New business agenda for ZFE developing

Focus groups is the key word in the development of a new business agenda for the Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE). These focus groups create involvement of the business community for a new agenda and a platform of explicit support. Focus groups are basically get-togethers of small groups of people that …

Bangladesh will continue to receive support from PUM

The DECP Country Manager for Bangladesh Andrew Moore undertook a mission to Dhaka from 19 – 21 September 2022. This was the first visit to take place for some considerable time due to the pandemic and provided the opportunity to meet with the Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF) and to discuss …

Updating FNCCI Nepal and SAFE

The DECP Country Manager for Nepal Andrew Moore undertook a mission to Kathmandu from 14 – 18 September 2022. This was the first visit to take place for some considerable time due to the pandemic and provided the opportunity to meet with the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry …

Further progress in Malawian social dialogue

After a breakthrough in strengthening Malawian tripartite social dialogue in August, September saw a big leap in bipartite social dialogue. Malawi Congress of Trade Unions, the nation’s prime representatives of workers, and Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi agreed on the formation of a formal platform for their dialogue.  During a conference …

Likeminded organisations exchange experiences and align agenda’s

It is not only DECP that is active in strengthening employers' organisations. Norway, Sweden and Denmark, among others, have similar initiatives. These like-minded organisations are not competitors. On the contrary. They meet regularly to exchange knowledge. But also to prevent duplication and to promote complementarity. In September, the representatives of …

Les organisations partageant les mêmes idées échangent leurs expériences et alignent leurs agendas

Le DECP n'est pas le seul à être active dans le renforcement des organisations d'employeurs. La Norvège, la Suède et le Danemark, entre autres, ont des initiatives similaires. Ces organisations aux vues similaires ne sont pas des concurrents. Au contraire. EIles se réunissent régulièrement pour échanger leurs connaissances. Mais aussi …

DECP and PUM; Combined Mission to the Philippines

As is well-known, DECP and the Dutch volunteer organisation PUM are in the process of merging. PUM has more than 1600 experts at its disposal who are deployed to support SMEs in particular in emerging countries. By combining these assets with DECP's network, employers' organisations, especially at sector level, can …

TANZANIA : FOCUS ON MEMBERSHIP AND SOCIAL DIALOGUE

In a number of meetings with the DECP country manager Arnout de Koster, the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE), DECP’s partner organisation, presented and refined its plans for the implementation of the current workplan. The main objective is to  complete it  with some concrete actions by the end of 2022. …

A breakthrough in Malawian social dialogue

Malawi celebrated a breakthrough in strengthen tripartite social dialogue as minister of Labour Vera Mantukule, labour union president Charles Kumchenga and employers’ leader Anne Chavula agreed on the way forward. 

Colombia: Employers receive tools to bridge skills gap

At the end of June, the National Association of Entrepreneurs of Colombia ANDI developed three workshops with employers from the textile, food and digital services sectors, in order to identify their skills gaps in human talent and implement a methodology developed by DECP. ANDI-DECP held this series of workshops in Medellín …

Excellent skills workshop in Lusaka

Skills projects are an excellent way to improve the quality of workers and are therefor a great way for employers’ organisations to assist their members. But in order to make such projects successful member companies require certain skills themselves, to coach and develop the workers. It was exactly that argument that …

DECP organizes study trip for Mongolian company

In June 2022, two groups of staff members of the Mongolian mining company Erdenet visited three training institutes in the Eindhoven region. DECP organised a study trip for the two groups in collaboration with its partner MONEF, the Mongolian employers' organisation. The purpose of the visit was to share experiences …

Indonesia is focussing on social dialogue as key to mutual understanding

In 2016, DECP, together with CNV Internationaal, provided a training course on the art of negotiation for its Indonesian partner APINDO. This not only resulted in enthusiasm about the subject and its possibilities, but also in an MOU with the KSBSI trade union. This MOU described the desire to develop …

Finally back in Pakistan

The DECP Country Manager Andrew Moore undertook a mission to the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) from 20 – 23 June 2022. The first in person meeting since the start of the pandemic.

DECP EXTENDS OUTREACH TO PRIVATE SECTOR FOUNDATION (PSFU), THE BIGGEST BUSINESS MEMBER ORGANISATION in UGANDA

The employers and business member organisations with which DECP partners in the countries where it is active almost all belong to the network of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE). This organisation, based in Geneva, is directly linked with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). In essence it regroups employers organisations. …

Ghana Employers Association revisited: change and continuity

After a Covid imposed absence of more than 2 years, the country manager dr. Arnout De Koster was able to travel again to Ghana and meet the partners of the Ghana Employers Association. The global impression: a combination of interesting surprises and continuing issues.

DECP continues to invest in skills development

Any employer organisation will recognise that an educated population is the backbone of economic growth. For the past six years, DECP has been investing in developing and further expanding expertise in this area. Whether it's about improving national structures through lobbying and advocacy or about how groups of companies together …

FKE (KENYA) AND ATE (TANZANIA) REDISCOVERED in full renewed development after COVID

The two years’ suspension of direct physical contact between DECP and the partners in East Africa, caused by Covid, has obviously many disadvantages. But, apart from the discovery of alternative  methods of support such as Zoom- and Teams meetings, and more frequent use of WhatsApp, it has one big advantage: …

Presidente de Bolivia visita a empresarios de la región de Tarija

La Federación de Empresarios Privados de la región de Tarija (FEPT) es la primera asociación empresarial de Bolivia en reunirse con el presidente del país, Luis Arce. La visita del presidente el 9 de abril siguió a un evento tres días antes, donde la FEPT y el sindicato de Tarija …

President of Bolivia visits entrepreneurs from the Tarija region

The Federation of Private Entrepreneurs of the Tarija region (FEPT) is the first business association in Bolivia to meet with the country's president, Luis Arce. The president's visit on April 9 followed an event three days earlier, where the FEPT and the Tarija union presented a joint plan to strengthen …

Le Togo démarre avec succès le dialogue social au niveau sectoriel

Le développement du dialogue social est un pilier important que le DECP utilise pour renforcer ses partenaires. Une vaste expérience s'est accumulée au fil de nombreuses années dans la stimulation d'un débat ouvert entre les employeurs et les représentants des travailleurs au niveau national. Entre autres, en offrant une formation …

Togo makes a successful start with social dialogue at sectoral level

Social dialogue development is an important pillar that DECP uses to strengthen its partners. Extensive experience has been built up over many years in stimulating open discussion between employers and employee representatives at national level. Among other things, by providing training in the field of negotiation skills. But much more …

Employer organisations Andean countries work together on new employment policy

Four Andean countries have jointly formulated proposals to create more formal employment. The white paper containing the proposals was first presented the 3rd of March in Colombia, during a congress of the employers' organization ANDI. The production of the white paper was supported by DECP.

PRÉSENTATION DES VŒUX DU SECTEUR PRIVÉ: UNITÉ, OPTIMISME, CONFIANCE ET SOLIDARITÉ

Le vendredi 07 janvier 2022 s’est tenue dans la Salle de Conférence du siège de la Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie du Bénin (CCI Bénin), la cérémonie commune de présentation de vœux du secteur privé du Bénin. Ponctuée d’allocutions, cette cérémonie qui constitue une première au cours de laquelle se …

Flash summits 2022 encourage to keep going

As in 2021, DECP has officially started the 2022 activities by organising a series of Flash Summits. Four summits were held in which 16 partner organisations took part. Although face-to-face meetings are preferred, these types of online meetings prove to be very efficient. DECP management and country managers can meet …

Agricultural employers in Peru seek dialogue with workers

The employers in agriculture in Peru (Agap) want to work together with the trade union federation Fentagro to improve the working and living conditions of the workers. There have already been some talks between the two organizations. The intention is to intensify these contacts in the short term.

ECAM: CEO-strategy appears fruitful

The formation of a board of trustees as counterparts of cabinet ministers is a fruitful strategy that not only helps ECAM to be influential but also to recruit and retain members and thus to improve financial stability.

Dialogue tables lead to joint development plan for department of La Paz

Social partners, knowledge institutions and governments presented a plan for the economic and social recovery of the La Paz department. This plan concerns ten proposals, ranging from improving the infrastructure to setting up a Technology Park and the promotion of sustainable energy generation from water, sun and wind. Read the full …

ECAM: better social dialogue key to better economy

A better social dialogue is the key to a stronger economy and society in Malawi. Only that will lead to new policies and situation in which the business community can provide for more and better paid jobs for the Malawian population.

Entrepreneurs work on improving the tourist offer

Entrepreneurs from most of the Bolivian regions have joined forces to work on improving the tourist offer. For example, employees of hotels and restaurants will be trained in hospitality and food safety. In addition, the intention is also to professionalize the employees of the tourist attractions and the travel organisations. …

It is not a weakness for a company to have a strong union

Social dialogue is seen as the basis for constructive dialogue between employers and employees. DECP and CNV Internationaal both embrace this idea. So are their partners in Ivory Coast, CGECI and DIGNITE. A joint workshop to share and put into practice the principles of ILO Convention 87, the guidelines of …

Ce n'est pas une faiblesse pour une entreprise d'avoir un syndicat fort

Le dialogue social est considéré comme la base d'un dialogue constructif entre employeurs et employés. Le DECP et la CNV Internationaal soutiennent tous deux cette idée. De même que leurs partenaires en Côte d'Ivoire, la CGECI et la DIGNITE. Un atelier conjoint pour partager et mettre en pratique les principes de …

Our special guest: Mr. Gerard Schoemaker – entrepreneur and PUM expert

Every now and then, DECP experts meet with other experts working in the field of advice and support in emerging countries. Quite often, these are entrepreneurs who like to share their knowledge and experience with colleagues in countries far from the Netherlands. Where DECP is mainly active strategically in collaboration …

DECP experts on the move

Although the pandemic doesn't seem to have any intention of disappearing, experts from DECP and like-minded organisations such as NHO (Norway), NIR (Sweden) and DI (Denmark) have taken the step to travel again and meet their partners on site. At the end of November, one of the DECP experts left …

ECOPlus. Amplifying your voice

It is well known that DECP attaches great importance to increasing the visibility of employers' organisations. By showing merit, existing members will be motivated to remain members and other companies will develop an interest in joining a strong organisation that is committed to their interests. ECOP, the employers’ organisation of …

DECP AND AFRICAN EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATIONS START WITH COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE ON MEMBERSHIP

The increase of membership numbers is a daily and major preoccupation of employers organisations. Logical and justly. Membership numbers are determining in many ways the work, the success and the future of employers organisations. DECP and partners in Africa started a regular online exchange to inspire concretely membership policies.

Social dialogue. A matter for all of us.

DECP is not the only organisation that makes an effort to reinforce employers' organisations. Similar organisations such as NHO Norway, DI Denmark and NIR Sweden invest money and knowledge in employers’ organisations in emerging countries. Because they are convinced that employers' organisations are the engine for a strong private sector …

ECOP explores possibilities to develop social dialogue at sector level

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across the business community throughout the world has been considerable. The Philippines has been no exception which has meant that employers across the country will need to address a number of important issues if they are to recover from the current crises and also …

CGECI EXTENDS ITS SERVICES

Providing relevant training, workshops and courses is one of the possibilities with which employers' organisations can prove their added value to member companies. CGECI in Côte d'Ivoire has chosen to expand its training offer as part of its services. A complete portfolio has been put together. The course 'Business Intelligence …

La CGECI étend ses services

Offrir une formation, des ateliers et des cours pertinents est l'une des possibilités avec lesquelles les organisations d'employeurs peuvent prouver leur valeur ajoutée aux entreprises membres. La CGECI en Côte d'Ivoire a choisi d'élargir son offre de formations dans le cadre de ses services. Un portefeuille complet a été constitué. …

Guide sur la gestion des membres publié en Français

L’un des piliers du DECP est la gestion des membres. Qu’est-ce qu’on peut faire pour recruter de nouveaux membres ? Qu’est-ce qu’on peut faire pour retenir les membres ? Voilà les questions clés pour chaque organisation patronale dans le monde entier je dirai. C’est pourquoi quelques experts du CIF-OIT et du DECP …

PLONGER DANS LA COMMUNICATION

Récemment, le DECP a publié un article sur son site Web au sujet du cours de master sur « l'organisation efficace des employeurs » qui est actuellement dispensé en français. L'un des modules concerne la communication. Que peut faire une organisation patronale pour accroître sa visibilité ? Quels messages doivent …

DIVING INTO COMMUNICATION

Recently, DECP published a story on its website about the master course on the ‘Effective Employers Organisation’ that is currently being conducted in French. One of the modules is about communication. What can an employers’ organisation do to increase its visibility? Which messages should be communicated? Through which media and …

COURSE FOR FRENCH SPEAKING AFRICA WITH WIDE AUDIENCE

It has become a tradition for DECP to organise with ITCILO, the Training Centre of the ILO, annually a master course on the ‘Effective Employers Organisation’, abbreviated the E(effective) EO. This course is a kind of flagship programme which has now been running for about 10 years. Its objective is …

Nkelo Bantu

The Hague, Kinshasa. October 2021. Have you ever thought about transformational leadership? Perhaps. But in the RDC - the Democratic Republic of Congo – they sure did. How can we change leadership to increase productivity? What is the most important condition to make it work and create satisfied leaders and …

CRM FOR MEMBERSHIP MANAGEMENT: BURUNDI AND HAITI ARE IN

A new ITCILO-DECP online course exercise was launched a few days ago to further expand the installation and use of the CRM system for employers’ organisations. This time the participants were employees of the AEB, the employers' organisation of Burundi, a long-term partner of DECP, and ADIH, the employers’ organisation …

DECP, PUM and NHO DEVELOP STRATEGY GUIDE ON DIGITALISATION FOR EMPLOYERS’ ORGANISATIONS

DECP, PUM and NHO joined forces to develop a strategy guide on digitalisation for East African employers’ organisations. During a special online meeting, the guide was presented by the author and Digitalisation & IT expert Harm Spoor to the CEO’s of the Ugandan and Tanzanian employers’ organisations. The publication was …

Despite COVID-19 restrictions a good training year for social dialogue in Indonesia

It is a challenging time for Indonesia with the corona pandemic. On the socio-economic front, the implementation of new labour legislation (Omnibus Law) challenges employers and employees. It is in these circumstances that DECP and CNV International are committed to further developing the social dialogue in Indonesia.In recent years, together with …

How to turn Suriname’s new opportunities into economic growth

Massive oil and gas reserves just off the coast, some of the world’s largest gold deposits, ample other minerals. The earth of Suriname is one of the richest in the world. With the economic impact of oil and gas production just 4 or 5 years away the economic future of …

ECAM staff complete new course on creating news

Ellen Ziwoya and Wales Mtungila of the Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) were the first persons ever to complete the new DECP-course ‘Get noticed, create news’. Objective of the course is to improve the activity on the ECAM-website and to be able to publish newsletters more often.In order to …

Afrique de l’Ouest. Une rencontre entre amis

Le dialogue social est l’un des piliers clé du DECP. Avec une longue histoire de formations et d’ateliers au niveau national, la gestion du DECP a décidé de développer des outils pour renforcer ses partenaires au niveau sectoriel et ainsi, de mettre en pratique la concrétisation des avantages pour les …

Malawi: launch business agenda marks success of new strategy

The successful launch of a new business agenda by Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) marks the success of a new strategy based on the involvement of CEO’s. ECAM installed a so called ‘board of trustees’ in 2020 in an effort to create more impact. This board consists of 5 …

MANUAL ON MEMBERSHIP POLICIES AND STRATEGIES PUBLISHED AND AVAILABLE!

Membership is the alpha and omega of an EBMO: high levels of membership brings representativeness, legitimacy and the resources to serve members well while low levels of membership creates a vicious circle for the EBMO which is difficult to escape.  Accordingly for all EBMOs, be they active at national or …

L’apprentissage mixte. Comment tirer le meilleur des deux

Avec l'apparition de la pandémie du virus COVID-19, la vie quotidienne a changé dans le monde entier. La distance sociale a émergé pour arrêter la propagation du virus, obligeant les institutions à vivre une transition du physique au numérique façonnée par des défis technologiques et organisationnels. En quelques mois, le …

Online and offline learning. How to get the best out of both

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyday life has changed all over the world. Social distance emerged to stop the spread of the virus, forcing institutions to experience a shift from physical to digital, a transition shaped by technological and organisational challenges. Within a few months, the world of …

Skills development as key for membership management

On the third of June, the first online training on skills development took place for members of employers’ organisation MONEF, Mongolia. MONEF had requested DECP to follow up on previous advisory missions to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of the country, in 2018 and 2019. 30 representatives of the mining sector, construction …

Online course on membership strategies. VNO-NCW inputs with best practices

Covid-times force to change methods. Training must continue, now online. But the topics of training often remain constant. Membership strategies is such a topical issue. It is central for employers and business members organisations (EBMOs), both for their representativeness and for their revenue streams. It is a permanent concern.Even more …

Kismet!

Être étudiante pendant la pandémie mondiale était un défi en raison de ses limites. Les possibilités pour les étudiants de faire un stage étaient limitées. Cependant, grâce à la persévérance et à une série d'événements très heureux, j'ai réussi à obtenir une position dans ce que je considère personnellement comme …

Kismet!

Being a student during the global pandemic was challenging due to the restrictions. Limited opportunities were available for students to secure internships.  However through perseverance and a series of very fortunate events I managed to secure a post in what I personally consider to have been an extraordinary experience that …

La CGECI continue de construire des structures efficaces

Le manque d'éducation, les lacunes en matière de compétences et l'inadéquation sont des raisons importantes pour lesquelles les employeurs n'ont pas accès à du personnel possédant les bonnes compétences. Les organisations d’employeurs peuvent jouer un rôle important dans l’amélioration des structures existantes dans lesquelles tant d’institutions et de personnes dépendent …

CGECI continues to build effective structures

A lack of education, skills gaps and mismatch are important reasons why employers do not have access to staff with the right competences. Employers’ organisations can play an important role in improving existing structures in which so many institutions and people depend on each other and need each other at …

West Africa. Be good and tell people about it!

Membership management and social dialogue are the two main pillars of the DECP programme 2021-2022 to support employers' organisations. One of the tools that facilitates frequent contact and interaction with members and potential members is the CRM system, which was developed by the ITCILO in cooperation with IT specialists from …

SAFE members discuss COVID-19 challenges and prepare to take further action

The DECP works in a number of countries in South Asia and provides both technical as well as financial support in order to facilitate the EMBO’s to be more effective both in terms of their membership as well as their ability to influence policy makers.In order to enhance this work …

Ganar ganar. On and on.

In November 2020, twenty young Peruvians became certified “trainers in negotiation skills according to the AWVN/Harvard method”. These young people will train delegations of companies and trade unions in negotiating the collective labour agreement with a focus on win-win situations – ganar-ganar in Spanish. In doing so, they give substance …

Introducing Judith Brighton

The DECP is constantly looking for innovations together with partners and unions. One of the points of attention is developing sectoral social dialogue. Trade unions and NGOs do have quite a bit of experience in this field. But the question is if employers in sectors and value chains see social dialogue as …

Introduction de Judith Brighton

Le DECP est constamment à la recherche d'innovations avec ses partenaires et syndicats. L'un des points d'attention est le développement du dialogue social sectoriel. Les syndicats et les ONG ont une assez grande expérience dans ce domaine. Mais la question est de savoir si les employeurs des secteurs et chaînes …

NEWLY ELECTED BOARD TANZANIA EMPLOYERS (ATE) ONBOARDED WITH DECP-NHO SUPPORT

The Association of Tanzania Employers ATE elected and installed a few weeks ago a new board. The important novelty is that the Board is only composed of company CEO’s. This is a move to ensure the presence of high level business leaders and to strengthen the link between ATE and …

South Bolivia determined to emerge stronger from the crisis

With the support of DECP the three employers' federations in the south of Bolivia have jointly developed a plan to restart and further develop the economy. The plan and the active lobby have already led to a lot of dynamism at the national level, but also in the south of …

CRM significantly improved and applied

ITC-ILO, the international training centre of the ILO, introduced in 2012 their well know CRM system. Since then, it has been installed and implemented in over 65 countries. Recently, a new version has been introduced with more security, new graphic interface and a survey section. In February and March the …

Employers' organisations stimulate formal employment

Employers' organisations from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia are starting worktables to develop ideas for the promotion of formal employment in the region. That was the outcome of a discussion following the publication of the report "Diagnostico y estrategia de reactivación postcovid-19 en Colombia". This international comparative study was carried …

Anticipate the crisis – it will come

Be prepared for when the crisis comes. Make sure to have a strong reputation. Make sure to tell the right and honest stories during normal times, so that during a crisis you can be consistent.That was the key messages Anthony Thompson presented to his audience during a webinar on crisis …

DECP Flash Summits successful kick-off for challenging post-COVID year

2020 has been an unprecedented year for employers' organisations. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread worldwide in the second quarter, DECP first focused on acute support for employers’ organisations. With financial support we have helped them to inform their (member)companies about the pandemic and to lobby governments for effective crisis policies. …

Revealing psychosocial effects of Covid-19 on workers

The CNPB, Benin’s umbrella employers' organisation, has commissioned an in-depth study of the psychosocial impact of Covid-19 on employees. The aim of this study is to determine the consequences on productivity and what can be done to minimize the negative effects as much as possible. 1400 private sector companies were …

Successful seminars on Social Dialogue development in Indonesia

Both the Covid-19 pandemic and the introduction of The Omnibus Law (Job Creation Law) make a successful Social Dialogue (SD) more than necessary. Applying a high-quality SD will help parties to preserve harmonious relations and prevent conflict. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic APINDO and KSBSI decided to organize the SD …

Le soutien COVID en Afrique de l'Ouest bien accueilli

Depuis le moment où le DECP a commencé à soutenir les actions ciblées du COVID, les partenaires en Afrique de l'Ouest ont utilisé avec succès cette opportunité. Les actions visent spécifiquement à éviter une nouvelle propagation de la pandémie, des lieux de travail sûrs et la poursuite des activités économiques …

COVID support in West Africa well received

From the moment DECP started supporting COVID targeted actions, partners in West Africa have made successful use of this opportunity. Actions are specifically focussing on avoiding further spread of the pandemic, safe workplaces and continuation of economic activities and productivity.In Togo some publications of the ILO on these issues have …

E-learning with impact

Employers’ organisations are now discovering the use of digital means with the aim of achieving the same effect of training, or even more.But that does not happen automatically. Using ZOOM, TEAMS or Skype requires different skills and methods than we are used to. What can you do during COVID-times and …

CNP-Togo publishes two practical guides

Due to the Corona-crisis, DECP experts are not allowed to travel. This does not mean that DECP is paralyzed. In the contrary! The combination of advice on distance and financial support with the aim to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the private sector turns out to be very effective. …

TOWARDS MORE “POLDER” IN UGANDA

VIDEO INCLUDED !  

DECP and ITCILO set the standard for adult learning

For many years, DECP is cooperating with ITCILO, the International Training Centre of the ILO, when it comes to training activities. A lot of knowledge and insights have been gathered with regard to adult learning. Because training courses form an important part of the services provided by employers’ organisations, DECP …

Cooperation with Maastricht University again fruitful

From April to June, DECP has been working together with a team of 6 students of the master programme ‘Learning & Development in Organisations’ of the Maastricht University. As part of their study the students have to do research and deliver conclusions, recommendations, practical models and tools. DECP cooperates for …

CGECI and DECP conduct long distance webinar

Although the corona pandemic has disrupted many processes, the employers’ organisation of Ivory Coast (CGECI) and DECP find creative ways to continue their collaboration.Of course, the management of CGECI is focussing on COVID-19 related topics such as preventing the virus from spreading and advocate for the interests of the private …

2019 ASSESSMENT UGANDA AND TANZANIA EMPLOYERS ORGANISATIONS: IMPORTANT PROGRESS

2020 WORKPLANS MADE BUT RESPONDING TO THE EFFECTS OF CORONA NOW HAS ABSOLUTE PRIORITY!!

Colombian industry wants to invest in sustainable supply chains

Colombian companies are interested in the International Responsible Business Agreements (IRBC’s) as a way to make their supply chains sustainable. That is the conclusion of the fact-finding mission by Femke den Hartog and Peter Boorsma which took place in March. Boorsma is country manager of DECP. Den Hartog is corporate …

Flying start for ECAM-CEO-platform

A newly formed platform of CEO’s of leading Malawian companies had a flying start in its efforts to create a better business climate. Immediately after its formation the CEO-platform was influential in limiting the economic damage as a result of measures against the coronavirus. The ECAM-CEO-platform was formed following a …

Peruvians put negotiation skills training into practice

Peru soon will have a pool of trainers that can train workers’ and employers’ delegations of companies in negotiation skills. Earlier this month twenty young men and women attended the ToT-training on negotiation skills that was given by Martien Robertz and Dirk Joosse, a joint project of Mondiaal FNV and …

SAFE focussing on Skills

The 9th meeting of the South Asian Forum of Employers (SAFE) took place in Kathmandu (Nepal) on 28 & 29 February 2020. The meeting was attended by representatives from Nepal, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the ILO. And of course by DECP who facilitated the meeting and in particular …

Towards structural Social Dialogue in Indonesia

On Tuesday 10 March, during the state visit of the Dutch king and queen to Indonesia, a ceremonial meeting took place from 16:00 to 17:00 hours regarding the social dialogue programme of DECP and CNV International in Indonesia. During this meeting a letter of intent about structural embedding of social …

ECOP reinforcing membership

The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) is an employer’s organisation with a strong membership. It provides a wide range of services to its members which includes information on industrial relations as well as a wide range of training programmes. ECOP faces the challenge that a number of its members …

Negotiation skills. To everyone’s advantage

From 25-28 February a cross-cutting training on negotiation skills has been conducted in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. This cross-cutting activity was particular in more than one aspect. In the first place, it was part of a series of trainings in the framework of developing social dialogue in the West African French …

ILO training center and DECP tighten tires

On 10 and 11 February, Jorge Illingworth - director of the ILO training institute in Turin - and DECP manager Peter Boorsma jointly provided training on effective communication. The training was part of the successful EBMO course for managers of employers' organisations. Participants come from both DECP partner countries and …

EFP meets the expectations of members

At the end of December 2019 the Employers Confederation of Pakistan (EFP) held elections for the appointment of a new Board. The Board will be in place for a period of three years. It was agreed by the Board that the President Majyd Aziz and the Vice President Zaki Ahmed …

New political situation brings employers and trade unions together

Employers federations of Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, Tarija, Potosí, Chuquisaca and La Paz want to set up a constructive dialogue with regional trade unions. Talks can concern all kind of topics of mutual interest, like regional development, OSH and employability. That was the conclusion of a workshop for managers of employers’ …

BEF asks searching questions

The DECP undertook a two day mission in January 2020 to Dhaka to meet with the Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF). The purpose of the mission was to discuss in detail the Membership Survey which had been undertaken in 2019. This was the first major Membership Survey to be undertaken by …

AEB promotes private sector development in view of upcoming elections

During a 2 day mission to Burundi to discuss the implementation of the current 2019 plan for cooperation and define a new workplan for 2020, the DECP representative could again observe the very difficult circumstances in which the national employers’ organisation, the Association des Employeurs du Burundi (AEB), has to …

Agriterra and DECP cooperate in Togo

The employers’ organisation of Togo -Conseil National du Patronat du Togo- represents 21 sectors. This turns the CNP-Togo into the real voice of business towards stakeholders and discussion partners like the government, trade unions and TVET schools. However, there is still a lot of space to grow.One of the most …

It’s not hard to admit mistakes…

It’s not all that hard to admit mistakes. Or is it? Most people actually find it hard to admit that they were wrong, that their actions or words caused a situation that harmed others. Personal and cultural factors are in the way of taking responsibility for putting things right.Nevertheless taking …

WORKING VISIT OF EAST AFRICAN EMPLOYERS’ ORGANISATIONS TO THE NETHERLANDS

For many years DECP has been cooperating with East African employers’ organisations. Country managers and experts have paid visits to Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Malawi and Zambia on a regular basis, conducting workshops, trainings and advisory visits. Learning with each other and from each other can be stimulated by getting …

Annual meeting DECP and ITC-ILO inspires cooperation partners

Since 2006 DECP has been cooperating with the International Training Centre of the ILO, ITC-ILO. The employers’ activities of ITC-ILO are responding to a large extent to the needs of DECP’s partner organisations and therefore to the needs of DECP. The experienced trainers of ITC-ILO are used to working with …

Negotiating in Nepal. Go for it!

The DECP undertook a two day workshop for the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) in Kathmandu in December 2019. The workshop which was facilitated by Dirk Joosse and Andrew Moore from the DECP was attended by some 23 delegates from the seven FNCCI provinces across Nepal.The …

Why productivity matters

This was the academic title of the 5 day workshop DECP organized together with the Training centre of the ILO (ITC-ILO) for 9 employers' organisations of Africa. The title could also have been: ‘how to increase the size of the pie of the economy, to be able to share more?’The …

Exploring possibilities to support social dialogue in Morocco

In a joint mission, DECP and FNV representatives explored the possibilities to support progress in social dialogue in Morocco.The country is developing at a steady pace with an average growth rate of 3% to 4% , it enjoys relative political stability, and it is more and more an investment hub …

Santa Cruz’ entrepreneurs fight red tape by publishing Guide of Business Procedures

December 11, 2019 – Today the Bolivian employers’ organisation Federación de Empresarios Privados de Santa Cruz (FEPSC) presented the Guía de Trámites Empresariales del Departamento de Santa Cruz (Guide of Business Procedures of the Santa Cruz department. The Guía is meant to fight red tape -bureaucracy- and in this way …

Employers organisations’ of Andean countries start project to promote formality

At the end of November, representatives of the OECD and of employers’ organisations of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia came together in Lima (Peru) to discuss the informal economy and find ways to enlarge the formal sector in their countries. The participants agreed to make an inventory of possible actions, …

ECOP secretariat undergoes training on communication and effective use of social media

ECOP reports:  Last 13-14 November 2019, the ECOP Secretariat attended a Social Media and Communication Training at Holiday Inn and Suites, Makati City. The two-day workshop was a course recently developed and hosted by the Dutch Employers’ Cooperation Programme (DECP) to help employer organizations like ECOP become more proficient in using …

Crosscutting event on Migration for ASEAN and SAFE countries

In collaboration with the ILO Training Centre ITCILO, the DECP held a two day workshop at the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) in Kuala Lumpur. The workshop looked in detail at “Maximising the role of employers’ organisations in the ACE and SAFE countries in fostering safe and productive migration”.The workshop was …

New perspectives for CAMFEBA

The Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business associations (CAMFEBA) still faces a number of challenges due to the limited amount of experience of the secretariat. The challenge facing the organisation is to bring together the considerable experience of the CAMFEBA Board and the secretariat.A one day mission by the DECP …

Introducing the Africa Strategy of VNO-NCW & MKB Nederland

The Africa Strategy of the Dutch Private Sector has been launched on Tuesday, November 26th. The Strategy was handed over to Prime Minister Mark Rutte by Mr. Hans de Boer, the President of VNO-NCW, during a trade mission to Nigeria. Together with NABC, NLinBusiness, PUM and FMO, DECP has contributed …

360° Master training for French speaking Africa

Together with  the ILO Training Centre, based in Turin, Italy, DECP organized a nine week Master Training on how to manage effectively employers’ organisations. The long duration covers a distance learning phase of eight weeks, and a face to face training of one week, the latter being organized in Abidjan, …

West Africa: A tour by the DECP management to look at the future

In January this year Mr. Peter Bongaerts was appointed director of DECP. One of his objectives is to get to know all partner organisations, either through cross-cutting meetings or to pay a visit to their countries and offices. The West African region is considered to be a region with a …

Leadership makes the difference

Everything comes or falls with leadership. All developments that you want to initiate that involve other people need leadership. We need leaders with an exciting and challenging vision. And especially leaders who enter into a dialogue with all parties involved.  In the vision of DECP, every BMO can play a …

A business members’ organisation is a… business

What is a business members’ organisation from a business man’s point of view? Right, a business. A BMO can only maintain itself if income is at least as high as the costs are. And therefore, many BMOs supply services, organise workshops and similar activities. Like any other business, a BMO …

Cross-cutting workshop on policy influence via Advocacy and Lobby

The five partners countries of DECP in West Africa (Togo, Bénin, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Mali) gathered in Abidjan for a two day workshop on advocacy and lobbying. This workshop is part 2 of a series of 3 workshops, which all have as a common objective to increase knowledge …

DECP at international social dialogue conference: “dialogue paves to way for progress”

Social dialogue is the way forward for progress. That was the main message DECP-director Peter Bongaerts put forward at the Building Bridges conference on social dialogue organised by Mondiaal FNV on the 8th of October, 2019. According to Bongaerts, employers face major challenges, such as technological developments, demographical changes, the …

Ghanese, Nepalese and Peruvian social partners visit DECP

A strong belief that social dialogue is for the benefit of both workers and employers and for society as a whole. That is what social partners from Ghana, Nepal en Peru have in common. In order to learn from the Dutch experiences with social dialogue, they visited DECP on Wednesday …

Female entrepreneurship in Togo. A successful example!

It is always a pleasure to spend time with the management of the CNP-Togo (Conseil National du Patronat du Togo) the Togolese employers’ organisation. Representing 21 economic sectors, representing 1.300 private companies and employing together over 110.000 people, CNP-Togo really is the voice of business. DECP and CNP-Togo cooperate strongly …

CNP-Togo. Continuous development of the team and complementary competencies

The employers’ organisations of Togo, CNP-Togo, is working on continuous improvement of the team performance and of individual competence development of the team members. Last April, DECP conducted a teambuilding session in which the various aspects of the strategy and activities of the employers’ organisations were discussed. More in particular, …

ECOP. It’s all about the members!

The DECP undertook a two day advisory mission to the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) in Manila. The main objective of the mission was to discuss in detail the number of challenges facing ECOP in respect of recruitment and retention of its membership.The main challenge facing ECOP is finding …

Polder version Uganda in final preparation

 During 2 days, the Ugandan employers’ federation FUE and trade union NOTU explored the latest version of a text with joint ideas to launch a better bipartite social dialogue.Bipartite social dialogue is almost non-existent in Uganda, as in many African countries. Social dialogue at national level is mainly tripartite and …

EFP as a turntable in South Asia

The DECP undertook a two day advisory mission to the Employers' Federation of Pakistan (EFP) on 12 and 13 September 2019. The mission provided the opportunity for the DECP to discuss the progress being made with the EFP Membership Survey. The EFP had recruited the services of five interns who …

Social Economic Council from Benin on a study visit to the Netherlands

A delegation from the Social Economic Council from Benin (Conseil National du Dialogue Social) visited the Netherlands to learn more about the Dutch consensus economy, the so-called ‘Polder Model’. The visit was organized by CNV Internationaal.The delegation, consisting of representatives from the government, workers' and employers' organisations, was particularly interested …

Employers of Cochabamba celebrate 50th anniversary

Earlier this month the Federación de Entidades Empresariales Privadas of Cochabamba (Bolivia) celebrated their 50th anniversary. Part of the festivities was a documentary in which former presidents tell about the history of the employers’ federation. Apart from defending the interest of the affiliated sector organisations, FEPC also gave birth to …

Empresarios Cochabambinos celebran su 50 aniversario

18 de septiembre de 2019 - Este mes, la Federación de Entidades Empresariales Privadas de Cochabamba (Bolivia) celebró su 50 aniversario. Parte de las festividades fue un documental en el cuál los ex presidentes cuentan la historia de la federación. Aparte de defender el interés de las organizaciones de sector …

Train the trainers. Refreshing!

It is very hot in Danang. When I open the curtains of my hotel room in the morning, I see that the windows are wet due to condensation. The air conditioning does its job well.Today we visit five companies in the Danang area. We notice how many hands pile bricks …

Vocational Education and Membership Management

At the end of July, Jos van Erp and Martien Robertz from DECP -the latter as the new country manager as successor to Rogier Chorus- visited Mongolia. Mongolia, more than 3 million inhabitants living on a surface that is 50 times as large as the Netherlands, urgently needs a well-educated workforce …

THE GLOBAL YOUTH EMPLOYMENT FORUM 2019

The Global Youth Employment Forum 2019 was held from 1 to 3 August 2019 in Abuja, Nigeria.DECP asked Ms BALJINNYAM Chinzorigt (Baljaa), who is Director of Foreign Relations and Cooperation Department of DECP’s partner-organisation in Mongolia MONEF, to summarize her experiences for the DECP website. Please find her impressions below:‘More …

Workers and employers join forces to revitalize the national industry

Lima, 10 August 2019 - This morning, 147 union leaders of the Food, Beverage and Related Federation (CGTP ABA) and the Federation of Manufacturing Industry Workers (Fetrimap) exchanged opinions on how to revitalize the Peruvian industry with employers of the National Society of Industries (SNI).Amid all the political turmoil in …

Trabajadores y empleadores unen fuerzas para revitalizar la industria nacional

Lima, 10 de agosto de 2019 - Esta mañana, 147 dirigentes sindicales de la Federación de Alimentos, Bebidas y Afines (CGTP ABA) y la Federación de Trabajadores de la Industria Manufacturera (Fetrimap) intercambiaron opiniones sobre cómo revitalizar la industria peruana con los empleadores de la Sociedad Nacional de Industrias (SNI).En …

Association for Labour starts functioning

The bipartite platform for social dialogue in Peru Asociación para el Trabajo has started its activities. The trade union central Confederación General de Trabajadores del Perú (CGTP) and the employers’ organisation Sociedad Nacional de Industrias (SNI) came together to discuss topics of mutual interest. Workers and employers want to start …

ASSOCIATION OF TANZANIA EMPLOYERS (ATE) BOLDLY MOVING FORWARDS ON MANY FRONTS

During a recent mission, it was a pleasure to see ATE moving forward on many topics, with bold and courageous moves, which can be an example for many other employers’ organisations in the region.At the level of governance, the ATE General Assembly agreed to the proposal of the Executive Director …

Start talking! Tackling the skills gap in Zambia

No better illustration for the problem of the Zambian labour market than raw statistics. By year end 2017 41 percent of the Zambian workforce was either unemployed or qualified as a member of the ‘potential workforce’. At the same time Zambian businesses can’t find the people to do the work …

CAMFEBA explores members needs

The DECP undertook a two day mission to the Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations (CAMFEBA) on 23 and 24 July 2019 in Phnom Penh.The mission provided the opportunity for the DECP to discuss in detail with the secretariat the idea of producing a “Policy Agenda” to cover the …

Constructing the future of Nepal

The DECP undertook a two day mission to Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) in Kathmandu in July 2019.The mission had two main objectives. The first was to discuss in detail how the DECP could enhance the work of the FNCCI with its members in relation to …

Membership Survey for Bangladesh

The DECP has spent a considerable amount of time and effort in working with the Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF) in order to put in place a Membership Survey. The current membership of the BEF is some 160 organisations but has the potential for a major increase in this number.In order …

employers’ organisation AEB progresses in a difficult environment

During a 2 day mission to Burundi to discuss the implementation of the current 2019 plan for cooperation, the DECP representative could again observe  the very difficult circumstances in which the national employers’ organisation, the “Association des Employeurs du Burundi (AEB)”, has to work.Since the heavy troubles and killings in …

Successful completion of bipartite training-of-trainers

18 trainers certified after third training-of-trainers: 9 representatives Apindo (employers’ organisation) and 9 representatives KSBSI (trade union). Trainers are ready for dissemination of Social Dialogue (SD) throughout Indonesia.DECP and CNV Internationaal together support a social dialogue (SD) project in Indonesia. After 5 successful regional workshops, where the necessity of development …

DECP participates in VET Toolbox Hackathon

In 2018 the European Union has launched the VET Toolbox aimed at strengthening Vocational Education and Training (VET) systems in developing countries. The VET Toolbox supports labour market analysis and offers practical advice on strengthening the links between VET and the private sector, making VET more effective and relevant, including …

ECOP “Future Proofing Business and Industry”

The Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) held its Annual Conference in Manila on 27 & 28 May 2019. The theme of the conference was “Future Proofing Business and Industry”. The conference was attended by some 500 delegates and provided the opportunity for members to hear at first-hand how a …

Zambia Data means money

A modern buzzword: ‘data’. Data analysis, data collection, data mining. But that is all sophisticated internet stuff. Good for Google, Amazon and other web giants. But what has it got to do with BMO’s?Simple: ‘data’ basically also means ‘facts’. Facts means knowledge and knowledge forms the basis for success. Not …

ILC. Nice to meet you!

The management of DECP took advantage of the yearly ILO Conference in Geneva to spend a week meeting partners, friends and other stakeholders. After all, this occasion is the opportunity by far to meet chairmen and executive directors of employers’ organisations, representatives of likeminded organisations and organisations DECP is cooperating …

A poldermodel for Ghana

The cooperation between GEA and DECP has already some history. It started from the outset, i.e. the creation of DECP in 2006 and has been lasting since. Its major focus was on capacity building for the development of membership and representativeness, on the interventions of the GEA to create a …

Studying in The Netherlands

A team of master students of the Maastricht University has conducted research for DECP with regards to the experiences of students from emerging countries who studied in The Netherlands. How do they experience studying in The Netherlands? What are the main differences between Dutch universities and universities in their home …

New Board for FUE and initiation training

DECP continues its support in these various areas, to strengthen the role and the functioning of FUE.During a mission end of May, several concrete initiatives have been taken.  FUE elected a new Board. At the request of FUE leadership, a one day training was organized for the new Board members, …

Balancing act during election time

The usually friendly and relaxed atmosphere of Blantyre, Malawi’s main business town, is becoming more tense by the day. It’s election time in one of Africa’s smaller countries, this May 2019. Groups of mostly young people daily crowd the streets for their election rally’s. One group in blue, the other …

Cambodia Developing a policy agenda

The Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business associations (CAMFEBA) has had a difficult two years in terms of management which has meant that it has not been able to set out a strategic plan on which it can deliver.The DECP undertook a two day mission to spend time with the …

Embracing social dialogue

Would it be possible to get employers and employees around the table in the departments of Tarija and Chuquisaca, as had happened before in the larger departments of Santa Cruz and Cochabamba? That was the question when Roel Rotshuizen and Arnaldo Montero from CNV Internationaal and Sip Nieuwsma and Peter …

Workshop success for ZFE

Over 400 participants from a membership base of 450 companies. That was the overwhelming turnout for a workshop series organised by Zambia Federation of Employers in May. Subject of the workshop series was the new Employment Code, a new law on all aspects of employment, that recently passed Zambian parliament. …

Pakistan EFP Board retreat in Dubai

The retreat provided the Board with the opportunity to take a look at the achievements of the EFP over the last two years under the Presidency of Majyd Aziz. It was noted that an increase of some 41% in membership had enabled the finances of the EFP to be on …

Bangladesh Membership survey and strategy

The DECP undertook a two day mission to the Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF) in Dhaka. The objective of the mission was to agree on the details of a BEF Membership Survey and the recruitment of a number of potential new members.It was agreed that the DECP would provide both technical …

Togo Team building for performance improvement

The Togolese employers’ organisation CNP-Togo (Conseil National du Patronat du Togo) consists of approximately 16 staff members. They are all educated professionals, but most of them only joined CNP-Togo just a few years ago. Therefor, Mr. Tamégnon and Mr. Tété Benissan -president and executive director of the employers’ organisation- decided …

Vietnam Roundtable meeting Women Entrepreneurship

On Tuesday 9 April 2019, delegations of Vietnamese and Dutch women entrepreneurs met in the Melia hotel in Hanoi to discuss women empowerment and business opportunities in Vietnam. The roundtable meeting was organised by DECP and its partner organisation VWEC, the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council, as part of the Dutch …

West Africa Reinforcing social dialogue

Social dialogue is a process which in the West African French speaking countries generally is perceived as an effective method to achieve agreements, both between employers and employees (bipartite) as with governments (tripartite).Based on the needs of employers’ organisations in the region, DECP started a process of training to support …

Colombia DECP specialists analyse labour absenteeism

The National Association of Entrepreneurs of Colombia (ANDI) is concerned about the increase in absenteeism in Colombia, mainly due to common illnesses. Speaking with the Dutch Employers' Cooperation Program (DECP) it was decided to bring in two specialists to Bogotá. What would draw the attention of the specialists? What are …

Successes and challenges

The Federation of Kenyan Employers (FKE) is very active in important policy areas. In some cases, there are important breakthroughs, in other areas there are challenges. These are in a nutshell the impressions which are brought back by the DECP country manager, who spend a few days with FKE to …

Employers federation growing in activities

The Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) looks back on a transition in management. A new executive director has taken over and starts launching new ideas and activities. During a visit of the country manager, the eagerness of the organisation to play an important role as voice of business has been …

ATE dealing with minimum wages

The Association of Tanzanian Employers (ATE) is strongly involved in the topical minimum wage discussions currently being held, after a modification in law, which changed the minimum wage system and decided to merge the different sectoral minimum wage boards in one wage board for the private sector, next to one …

Training Negotiation skills

DECP recently organized a workshop on negotiation skills in Kenya which was attended by participants from employers’ organisations majorly from East African. Two participants of FKE wrote a summary of their experiences.

Second training-of-trainers promising!

For development and implementation of Social DialogueDECP and CNV Internationaal together support a social dialog (SD) project in Indonesia. After 5 successful regional workshops, where the necessity of development of a social dialogue between Apindo (employers) and KSBSI (Trade Union) was confirmed by local representatives of the two parties, the …

Resolution on migration and starting up social dialogue

On 11 and 12 February 2019 the 8th meeting of the South Asian Forum of Employers (SAFE), was held in Delhi, India. The meeting was well organised by the hosts of the Council of Indian Employers, CIE, encompassing the three central employers ’organisations AIOE, EFI and SCOPE. Representatives of the …

Employers’ organisation AEB to work in a difficult environment

During a 3 day mission to Burundi in February 2019, the DECP representative could appreciate the very difficult circumstances in which the national employers’ organisation, the ‘Association des Employeurs du Burundi’ (AEB), has to work, whereby often the focus is rather on survival than on development.Since the heavy troubles and …

Committees develop capacity in skills development

The Ivorian employers’ organisation CGECI (Confédération Générale des Entreprises de Côte d’Ivoire) and the DECP have designed a programme for 13 private sector organisations. A few years ago a structure has been set up in which each line of business is represented by a committee. Each committee has 13 members. …

Malawi Problems? Stay cool and focus…..

What to do as an employer’s organisation when times are really hard and money short? That was the key question to be discussed during a two day governance workshop in Senga Bay on Lake Malawi.Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) went through a serious governance crisis when in short succession …

DECP & ITC-ILO Building stronger EBMOs together

The new DECP director Mr. Peter Bongaerts and special advisor Jos van Erp paid a visit to the ITC-ILO in Turin on January 16th. The main purpose of this visit was to evaluate the long-standing cooperation between the two organisations and to discuss how to benefit of each other’s knowledge …

Colombia Hans de Boer participates in DECP workshop

November 28, 2018 – ‘Make sure you have an eye for the concerns of your employees’. That was the message from Hans de Boer - chairman of VNO-NCW and DECP - to his South American colleagues in Bogotá, Colombia. De Boer was in Bogotá because of a trade mission of …

Nepal Getting ready for a new start

At the end of November DECP held a well-attended workshop on lobby and advocacy in Nepal. It was the first element of a long-term cooperation programme between DECP and the Nepalese BMO and Chamber FNCCI. Nepal went through hard times, including political upheavals and a devastating earthquake in 2015. This …

CGECI, clear choices to improve impact

7 and 8 November a mission took place to Ivory Coast. The management of the CGECI -Confédération Générale des Entreprises de Côte d’Ivoire- and of DECP know each other for several years. The need to identify strategic issues for cooperation and to agree upon the development of concrete programmes in …

CNPB, ambitious and optimistic

5 and 6 November a mission took place to Burkina Faso. Already in 2010 and 2011 DECP carried out several workshops and training sessions for the staff of the employers’ organisation (CNPB, Conseil National du Patronat Burkinabé). Now, both the General Secretary Mrs Philomène YAMEOGO and the DECP country manager …

Cambodia Exploring priorities

The Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations (CAMFEBA) in Phnom Penh faces a number of challenges as it moves towards 2019.The DECP undertook a two day mission to meet with board members and the newly appointed general manager and the secretariat. Resulting from the discussions one of the key …

Bangladesh Improving membership management

The DECP undertook a two day mission to the Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF) in Dhaka to discuss the proposal for a membership survey. The BEF is looking to increase its current membership in order to enhance its representation and services and sees the survey as a way of understanding the …

A photo of a dead child

How is the photo of a dead refugee child on a Turkish beach connected to a group of African employers’ advocacy officers on a three day training in Nairobi, September 2018? The answer is hidden in the underlying trends in communication that change the tone of voice, the format and …

Progress and challenges

Sometimes the work that DECP is doing, like supporting of employers’ organisations to become more pro-active, more innovative, to represent a real active voice of business and to offer quality services, is frustrating. Often one sees business as usual, whereby the organisations continue to survive, but are not growing to …

Social dialogue to next phase

Impressions of a special advisorIn October we visited Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The main goal of our mission: implementation of Social Dialogue as a business model.First we flew to Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon. It is the largest city in Vietnam and with 7 million …

Social partners establish a common agenda

Friday 21 September - the day of love in Bolivia - employers and trade unions from the Cochabamba region have set a common agenda for improving the economy of the region. This concerns the fight against smuggling - something that Cochabamba suffers heavily - the quality of employment and the …

EFP discovers members’ needs

The Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) has undertaken a number of changes over the last eighteen months. These changes have been in the profile of the organisation as well as an increase in membership and services. The DECP undertook a mission to the EFP to discuss in detail how these …

MONEF promotes a strong vocational skills policy

The Mongolian Federation of Employers MONEF took a big step in the direction of a strong vocational skills policy. It recently set up a centre for occupational standards and at a seminar in September 2018 two of its sectors - the meat processing industry and construction - decided to start …

Visit to Bénin and Togo: it tastes like more!

DECP recognizes the importance of the West African region in its five year programme based on the Theory of Change. Therefore, not only the employers’ organisations of large French speaking countries are contacted to cooperate but smaller ones as well. Two DECP special advisors have undertaken a mission to Bénin …

Visit to Bénin and Togo: it tastes like more!

DECP recognizes the importance of the West African region in its five year programme based on the Theory of Change. Therefore, not only the employers’ organisations of large French speaking countries are contacted to cooperate but smaller ones as well. Two DECP special advisors have undertaken a mission to Bénin …

‘Foundation of Labour’ officially established

On Tuesday 12 June 2018, the signatures were put in the residence of the Dutch Ambassador in Lima: the Asociación para el Trabajo in Peru is a fact. Chairman Andreas von Wedemeyer of the employers' organization Sociedad Nacional de Industrias (SNI) and Gerónimo López Sevillano, general secretary of CGTP confederation, …

DECP goes to the edge

Sometimes at DECP we have to go to the edge in our ambition to serve our partners. In the case of MONEF, our Mongolian partner, our help was solicited for its regional organisations in the Far West of this vast country. Capacity building was the aim of our visit; Rogier …

FKE to launch study on effects of strike

Wide spread industrial action and strikes is a recurrent phenomenon in Kenya. This is in particular the case in the public sector. Recent strikes, such as the university teachers strikes and especially the doctors and nurses strikes in the public sector, caused major upheaval in Kenya. Also because of their …

A challenging context

To say that Burundi is not doing well is a serious understatement. The country is politically unstable and constantly under threat of civil unrest and political violence. The economy in a very bad state. Since a few years, the economy is in recession, the country faces constant lack of foreign …

Creation of Industrial Safety Counsil

On 8 June, the trade union Central Obrera Departamental (COD) and the employers' organization Federacíon de Empresarios Privados de Santa Cruz (FEPSC) established the Council of Industrial Safety and Health at Work, with the aim of promoting the prevention of labour accidents and occupational diseases. The departmental health service Sedes …

Skills development: Next steps to turn ideas into reality

DECP has developed a clear vision on programmes with regard to skills development; concepts and ideas should be turned into practice through an action agenda. Employers’ organisations can take the lead themselves. For example by identifying economic sectors that have the potential to grow but that suffer at the same …

Election time

The portrait of Emmerson Mnangagwa is everywhere in the streets of Harare, Zimbabwe’s crowded and vibrant capital. It’s June 2018 and the successor of the long reigning Robert Mugabe wants to have a second term in office as president, this time elected by the people, not installed by the army. Election …

DECP and FNV support start of bilateral social dialogue

Ghana is going through an interesting period which brings new prudent hope: economic growth picked up again strongly and jumped from an annual growth rate of around 3 % to 7-8% since the new government took over. But many challenges remain: difficult and expensive access to finance which limit borrowing …

Two worlds meet

In March 2018, Mondiaal FNV asked DECP for something special: Camposol – one of the largest agricultural companies in Peru – was preparing the collective labour bargaining that would start at the end of May. Would it be a good idea to fly in some DECP trainers on negotiation skills …

Where people meet

For a lot of employers’ organisations, trade unions and representatives of governments, the yearly International Labour Conference in Geneva is a place to meet others, to discuss and to get inspired. The same goes for the DECP management. The ILO Conference offers an excellent opportunity to meet with partners from …

New strategic plan adopted by FKE

FKE, the Federation of Kenyan Employers, is one of the most important employers federations in Africa. Via its associational and direct membership, it represents about half of formal employment in the country. Amongst them also an important number of companies of Dutch ownership or origin, active in sector such as …

African EO's to launch Diploma courses

At present, many of the African DECP partner employers organisations offer short 2-3 day courses in subjects area’s such as labour law, industrial relations or HR management. Quite a number now have expressed the ambition to expand and upgrade this training offer by moving to longer high level Diploma courses …

15 female entrepreneurs become skilled in leadership and innovation

On 30 April, the Permanent Observatory for Leadership and Innovation was inaugurated in the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz. The Observatory is an initiative of the chamber for Small Industry and Handicrafts CADEPIA. The inauguration coincided with the final meeting of a project of the employers' organisation FEPSC, UPSA University …

Workshop on skills development unifies eight countries

Skills development is a crucial condition for economic growth. This statement is recognized and confirmed by almost all employers’ organisations. At the same time the issue is an ocean of challenges. That is why DECP developed a cross-cutting workshop. Unfolding the problem with the help of a problem tree reveals …

Ongoing development and training of trainers

End of March,  VCCI (Vietnam) organised various activities to make a next step in further internationalisation of Vietnamese economy. To join international economy Vietnam aims to join various Free Trade Agreements (FTA’s). For this reason, among others, changes in the Labour Code are foreseen.During a consultation of VCCI members in …

Support of social Dialogue

29th of January till 2nd of February CNV Internationaal and DECP conducted two conferences in Makassar and Balikpapan in Indonesia. These conferences were the second step in a project to support Apindo (Employers Association)  and KSBSI (Trade Union) in developing Social Dialog in the various regions of Indonesia. Previously conferences …

Developing Skills and regional Chapters

DECP undertook a two day mission to the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) on 14 & 15 February 2018.The mission had two main objectives. The first being to discuss preparations for the proposed one day conference on skills to be held in Manila on 20 April 2018. The event …

DECP and African employers' organisations

The DECP country manager for Africa, Mr Arnout de Koster, visited in two weeks the employers organisations of 4 countries (Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) to finalise the work plans for partnership with DECP. These work plans provide for a double approach: for some themes, so-called cross cutting activities (1) …

Strengthening its structure

On 19 and 20 February 2018, the 7th meeting of the South Asian Forum of Employers (SAFE), was held in Karachi, Pakistan. The meeting was exceptionally well organised by the hosts of the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP). Representatives of the six employers’ organisations co-operating in SAFE participated.Members felt the …

EFP moves forward

The Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) held a Board Retreat in Lahore 22 & 23 February 2018. The retreat was financed and facilitated by DECP and provided the opportunity for the Board and secretariat members to discuss the progress they had made over the last twelve months and to look …

DECP and African employers’ organisations.

The DECP country manager for Africa, Mr Arnout de Koster, visited in two weeks the  employers organisations of 4 countries (Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) to finalise the work plans for partnership with DECP. These work plans provide for a double approach: for some themes, so-called cross cutting activities (1) …

DECP and African employers’ organisations.

The DECP country manager for Africa, Mr Arnout de Koster, visited in two weeks the  employers organisations of 4 countries (Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) to finalise the work plans for partnership with DECP. These work plans provide for a double approach: for some themes, so-called cross cutting activities (1) …

DECP and African employers’ organisations.

The DECP country manager for Africa, Mr Arnout de Koster, visited in two weeks the  employers organisations of 4 countries (Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) to finalise the work plans for partnership with DECP. These work plans provide for a double approach: for some themes, so-called cross cutting activities (1) …

Train-the-trainer programme scales up developments

The last few years, DECP has trained over 50 trainers in Vietnam with the aim to scale up innovations in the field of social dialogue. Issues that are relevant and even crucial for improving the business climate were transferred to them. Skills on negotiation, mediation, lobby and OSH (Operational Safety …

Workshop on skills development

A workshop on Integrating Skills Development in the ASEAN Confederation of Employers (ACE) was held in Bangkok from 11 -12 December 2017.The workshop was attended by representatives from all the employers’ organisations from the ASEAN countries and provided the opportunity for them to share experiences and best practice under the …

Preparing cooperation for 2018

A one day mission to the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) was undertaken by the DECP Country manager. The mission provided the opportunity to discuss current developments within the EFP and the increase in membership and income.It was agreed that DECP would facilitate and fund a two day EFP Board …

Employers and trade unions find each other

The current political unrest in Peru contrasts sharply with the determination with which the employers' organisation Sociedad Nacional de Industrias (SNI) and the largest confederation Confederación General de Trabajadores del Perú (CGTP) are working on a bipartite social dialogue. "After three years of regular contact, an internship at the Labor …

Retreat of the Ghana Employers Federation facilitated

DECP staff organised and facilitated a 2 day retreat for the Board of the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) on 3 and 4 November 2017. The main objective was to examine and define with the board new plans for the further development of the organisation. GEA is the main and most representative …

Work disturbed by power failures

The Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) are facing big challenges executing both their daily work and their long term plans due to frequent and long power failures. A power generator bought with support of DECP brings a bit of relieve but not enough to cover for all black outs. …

Successful workshop membership strategies

Substantial representativeness is key for employers’ organisations (EOs). It determines their influencing capacity towards their governments and hence their ability to act as an effective and influential voice of business. It also determines largely their capacity for resources and action. And unfortunately representativeness is a serious challenge for many EOs …

Growth in membership

The Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) have made a steady increase in membership, going from under 400 members three years ago to 465. The growth has come from a systematic approach executed by ZFE-officers Clara Theu and Pondani Phiri. Recruitment is strongly supported by DECP-initiated market research executed in 2016. …

Bolivia Employers develop app to fight administrative burden

The Bolivian employers’ organisation Federación de Entidades Empresarials Privadas de Cochabamba (FEPC) is developing an application for Apple and Android cell phones that contains all procedures employers have to go through. The information in the application will be actual, precise and validated by the government institution that handles the procedure. …

Succesfull workshop to boost skills development

Not only in Europe skills mismatch and skills shortages have a serious impact on the economic development. Also Africa struggles with the issue. In Tanzania for instance, 40% of all companies consider skills mismatches as one of the major deficiencies in the business environment.The workshop’s main objective was to identify, …

Employers' Federation next step

A two day mission was undertaken to the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF) on 15 and 16 October 2017. This mission was a follow up to the fact finding mission undertaken in May 2017 during which initial discussions had taken place on what support could be provided to the BEF if …

Designing the outlines of a new future

A two day mission was undertaken by the DECP to the Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations (CAMFEBA) in Phnom Penh. The main objective of the mission was to establish the current situation within CAMFEBA bearing in mind it currently does not have a General Manager in place.Several issues …

MONEF goes for skills development on the long term

From 5 to 6 September 2017 DECP and its Mongolian partner employers’ organisation MONEF held a workshop in Ulaan Baatar at which skills policies in Mongolia were discussed. The workshop served as the starting point of a three year project on improving skills policies in Mongolia, and the input of …

DECP meets with EFP to discuss progress

The DECP undertook a two day advisory mission to the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) on 11 and 12 September 2017. The purpose of the mission was to meet with the President and members of the EFP Board together with the Secretary General to discuss current developments and also to …

Tanzania DECP conducts retreat of the Board of ATE

DECP staff organised and facilitated a 2 day retreat for the Board of the Association of Tanzanian Enterprises (ATE) which is the main and most representative employers’ organisation of the country.The retreat served a double objective: first, to provide some systematic training on employers’ organizations and their functioning to the …

DECP trains employers' organisation on advocacy and lobbying

Tanzania is recording a rather bad position in the international indicators on the quality of the business environment. ‘Doing Business’ of the World Bank classifies Tanzania at position 132 out of 190 countries, whilst the World Economic Forum, in his Competitiveness Report, is hardly any more positive when classifying Tanzania …

ECOP, How are you doing?

 A two day advisory mission was undertaken to the Employers’ Confederation of Employers of the Philippines (ECOP) by the DECP country manager Andrew        Moore.The main objectives of the mission included receiving an update on the current developments within ECOP and its work on enhancing its regional network …

Skills Development is key issue

Employers have often stressed that the requisite skills needed to accelerate production in the private sector are in short supply. In view of this the Ghana Employers’ Association GEA, with support from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), undertook a survey to ascertain the available skills and skills that are in …

Skills Development DECP expands network

DECP has identified the complex landscape of Skills Development as one of the key issues for next programme period. One of the focus area’s will be the French speaking countries of West Africa. Earlier this year desk research has been conducted and fact-finding missions to Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast …

ZFE works on new strategy and business agenda

Board and staff of the Zambia Federation of Employers worked during two days in July on the building blocks for a new business agenda, a new strategic plan and development of ZFE’s service portfolio. Lead by ZFE’s new chairman Wesley Chishimba from First Quantum Minerals Kansanshi Mine and facilitated by …

ECAM works on new strategy and business agenda

Board and staff of the Employers Consultative Association of Malawi ECAM worked during two days in July on the building blocks for a new business agenda, a new strategic plan and development of ECAM’s service portfolio. Lead by ECAM’s Chairman Emmanuel Banda from Illovo Sugar Malawi and facilitated by DECP’s …

ILO Geneva Meeting with DECP at the Conference

A delegation of DECP was present at the ILO Conference from 5 to 7 June in Geneva, Switzerland. The aim was to meet representatives of existing and potential EOs and other stakeholders in order to have updates with regard to current major topics and to explore whether some EOs could …

Strengthening SMEs in peripheral regions

From 13 to 14 June 2017 DECP and its Mongolian partner EO MONEF organised a seminar on SME policy in Kharkhorin for members of the MONEF regional organisations in Central and West Mongolia. 20 persons from SMEs in these regions attended. At the meeting a seven point action plan was …

ITC ILO DECP Capacity building for social negotiators

Social negotiators are often not trained in macroeconomics and may strongly need such training in order to be efficient, fact oriented and successful  in social dialogue, be it tripartite or bipartite. This was the starting point for DECP to organize, with ITC ILO and the Dutch Trade Union FNV, a …

Annual General Meeting strengthens relationship DECP

The Annual General Meeting of the ASEAN Confederation of Employers (ACE) was held in Phnom Penh on 12 May 2017. This meeting provided the opportunity for the DECP to meet with a  number of members of ACE to discuss what steps could be taken to make ACE an effective employers …

Next steps for ACE and CAMFEBA

The Annual General Meeting of the ASEAN Confederation of Employers (ACE) was held in Phnom Penh on 12 May 2017. This meeting provided the opportunity for the DECP to meet with a  number of members of ACE to discuss what steps could be taken to make ACE an effective employers …

Getting to know the Employers Organisation (BEF)

The DECP undertook a fact finding mission to Dhaka to meet with the Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF) to explore the possibility of possible cooperation between the two organisations.The meeting with the BEF provided the opportunity for the DECP to discuss the work of the South Asia Federation of Employers (SAFE) …

New opportunities for EFP

The DECP Country Manager for Pakistan Andrew Moore undertook a mission to the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) in May 2017. The purpose of this mission was to discuss developments agreed at the EFP Board Retreat held in Dubai. It was clear that progress had been made since the election of …

Advisory mission to Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda

DECP country manager for East Africa, Arnout De Koster, visited three countries. In essence to check the progress of the implementation of the work plan between DECP and the respective employers organisations in these countries.The work plans are essentially directed at strengthening the services of the employers organizations for their …

Workshop for management Business Associations

VCCI’s Bureau of Employers Affairs (BEA) and VCCI’s Vietnamese Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) facilitated this first training for Managers of Business Associations in Vietnam and members of The Club of Trainers of VCCI. Experiences in Vietnam together with experiences of the trainers of this workshop with the EMBO training of …

Advisory mission to Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda

DECP country manager for East Africa, Arnout De Koster, visited three countries. In essence to check the progress of the implementation of the work plan between DECP and the respective employers organisations in these countries.The work plans are essentially directed at strengthening the services of the employers organizations for their …

Advisory mission to Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda

DECP country manager for East Africa, Arnout De Koster, visited three countries. In essence to check the progress of the implementation of the work plan between DECP and the respective employers organisations in these countries.The work plans are essentially directed at strengthening the services of the employers organizations for their …

Fact-finding in West Africa (1)

At this moment DECP is not active in West Africa. The need to invest in the economic development of this part of Africa however is identified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This made DECP decide to undertake a fact-finding mission to several West African countries, among which Burkina Faso.Employers’ …

ZFE happy with membership pack

Staff at the Zambia federation of Employers (ZFE) are very happy with the membership pack they developed and produced last year with the help of DECP. The pack, which gives an overview of ZFE’s activities and gives arguments for the membership of ZFE, has helped in recruiting new members and …

Ivory Coast Fact-finding in West Africa (2)

At this moment DECP is not active in West Africa. The need to invest in the economic development of this part of Africa however is identified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This made DECP decide to undertake a fact-finding mission to several West African countries, among which Ivory Coast.Employers’ …

Introducing Social Dialogue in provinces

On Thursday 27th of April an important step was made in the co-operation between DECP and APINDO. At that date a Round table was held together with the Indonesian Trade Union KSBSI, and its Dutch partner CNV Internationaal. The four partner organisations around the table decided to start a social …

Haiti Training seminar on social dialogue

CNV Internationaal and DECP together designed and conducted a training seminar on social dialogue for the executive board of the trade union SYTBRANA, affiliated to the CTSP, ITUC affiliate in Latin America, and the management of BRANA, the brewery of HEINEKEN in Haiti with the financial support of the Trade …

EAC Social partners move jointly to a lobby plan

The East African region (EAC) is moving to a common market. Free movement of workers is one of the pillars of this common market. In that framework, the regional social partners, the East African Employers Organization ( EAEO), and the East African Trade Union Congress (EATUC), published end December 2016 …

Refreshment training on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) approach

Again EOSH Trainers show their abilities. Market still needs more developmentDuring a two day Refreshment Training in Hanoi for the ILO certified EOSH, trainers educated by DECP developed  more knowledge and skills. ‘E’ stands for ‘Electronic’ because this training module is available for entrepreneurs and their employees on the internet. …

Myanmar Fact finding and future perspectives

A fact finding mission was undertaken by the DECP to Myanmar. The purpose of the three day mission was to meet with representatives from the The Republic of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry (UMFCCI) to discuss their possible membership of the ASEAN Confederation of …

EAEO Exchanging ideas regarding Employers of the Year Award

Many English speaking African Eos -united in the East African Employers’ Organisation (EAEO)- organize annually an Employers of the Year Award. They award company’s best practices in different fields of industrial relations and HR management, with subcategories in issues such as employee relations, compensation and benefits, inclusive HR practices, training …

DECP supports consultative roadshow VCCI on Labour Code Changes

Over 80 representatives of VCCI members in the Danang Region gave their opinion on planned changes in the labour Code of Vietnam. This was the last  Roadshows in a series of three, after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. These meetings have the objective to influence the government in taking …

Second training of trainers lobbying skills

Lobby is very important for the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and its members in the actual situation in Vietnamese economy. In the current situation of new laws being developed in the light of new Free Trade Agreements, political influence through effective Advocacy and Lobby is essential.After the …

ECAM: commitment from ceo's

The Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) is gaining more and more commitment form Malawian business leaders, thus gaining more weight in talks with Malawian government. With support from DECP, ECAM is currently running a programme of breakfast meeting with a selection of ceo’s. The involvement of ceo’s became very …

CNPM develops communication tools

Mid-February a DECP delegation undertook a mission to the Moldavian partner organisation CNPM. The main objective was to explore in detail the needs for communication of CNPM and propose concrete measures to advance in internal member communication.In-depth discussions took place with the complete staff of CNPM. They all recognized the …

Advisory mission to Phnom Penh

The resignation of the General Manager of CAMFEBA in December 2016 after only two months in post meant that the organisation was facing a number of challenges in the short term. The DECP country manager Andrew Moore undertook a two day mission to meet with members of the Board as …

South Asian Forum of Employers held 6th meeting

On 20 and 21 February 2017 the 6th meeting of the South Asian Forum of Employers (SAFE), was held in Lalitpur, Nepal. The meeting was very well organised by the hosts, the Nepalese FNCCI. Representatives of five co-operating employers’ organisations participated.We had extensive discussions on ‘vocational skills’ and it is …

DECP supports the Employers Confederation in Manila

The DECP supported the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) both financially as well as technically by attending and contributing to a two day workshop for representatives from ECOP Regional Chapters from across the Philippines.The workshop provided the opportunity for some 30 delegates to discuss in detail how they can …

Facilitating Board retreat for employers federation

The DECP facilitated a two day Board retreat in Dubai on 23 & 24 January 2017 for the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP). The objective of the retreat was to review progress that has been made since the previous retreat in September 2015 and to set objectives for the coming …

DECP trains employers to develop negotiation skills

During the second week of January staff and members of the Sociedad Nacional de Industrias (SNI) in Peru participated in a training on negotiating skills.In Peru negotiations often fail and arbiters take over with unwanted outcomes for all involved. The objective of this training given by DECP expert Dirk Joosse, …

Kenya Strengthening the links between sector and central employers organisations in Africa

Unlike in Europe, the employers organisations landscape in Africa puts far less accent on the sector level. Sector associations exist, but the interlinkage with the central organisations is weak. And many sectors associations are not very active in advocacy, lobbying, social dialogue or services. As such, the opportunities linked with …

Kenya More freedom of movement of persons in the East African Community

The East African Community (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ruanda, Burundi and South Sudan) is moving forward to more integration. This process of creating a joint common market as well includes free movement of persons and workers. In this area, it is foreseen to move slowly to full free movement. This process …

Sixth Consultation Conference Labour Relations Network in Ho Chi Minh City

Vietnam Chamber of Commerce VCCI: Development of Labour relations still priority in Vietnamese companies!During this sixth Conference VCCI repeated the priority for Vietnamese businesses to improve Labour Relations, thus meeting international standards and improve productivity.Mr. Thanh -Vice president of VCCI and General Director of the Ho Chi Minh City branch …

Refreshment course in December

On 13 and 14 December 2016 The Club of Trainers VCCI/ VWEC  organized  a  refreshment training in Hanoi.This was the first refreshment training fully facilitated by Vietnamese trainers. Country manager Dirk Joosse was present but his only role was to contribute additional information or deepen the issues at stake. A …

Cambodia CAMFEBA board retreat

The DECP country manager for Cambodia Andrew Moore undertook a four day mission to the Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations (CAMFEBA). The purpose of this mission was to facilitate a Board retreat which was held at the Kirirom Hillside Resort, Cambodia. The retreat was attended by a majority …

Peru Employers and unions examine the Dutch Polder model

In November 2016 a delegation of six directors of the main employers' organization and the largest trade union federation in Peru were in The Hague for a three weeks internship at the Labour Foundation. They interviewed staff and were allowed to attend closed meetings. The aim of the internship was …

Bolivian employers' organization FEPSC starts incubator for women entrepreneurs

The Bolivian employers' organization Federación de Empresas Privadas de Santa Cruz (FEPSC) soon will start with an incubator for women entrepreneurs. The FEPSC recently signed an agreement with representatives of the trade union COD, the UPSA university and the vocational training institute Infocal.UPSA has experience in preparing female university students …

The Gazelles Awards

On 10 October 2016 the ceremony of the “Gazelles”-awards, for the best companies in terms of employment in Macedonia, took place in Skopje. This competition was organised for the first time by the Employment Agency of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the Business Confederation of Macedonia (BCM), …

Lobbying for the APINDO regions

From 26 to 27 October 2016 a seminar on lobbying at regional level was held in Jakarta, with 23 chairpersons and secretaries of the regional APINDO associations. DECP country manager Rogier Chorus presented the state of the art in lobbying, including an 8 step lobby action plan. Participants applied their …

Getting to know the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP)

A two day mission was undertaken to the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) in Manila. The mission provided the DECP with the opportunity to agree on a number of areas in which the DECP could support ECOP over the coming months.ECOP faces a number of challenges in increasing its …

A major upgrade of ZFE's ICT infrastructure

Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) recently completed a major upgrade of their ICT infrastructure by putting an optic fibre internet cable into place.  The new connection finalises a project carried out with the assistance of DECP. The project included a new website and introduction of a customer relations management system …

Strengthening negotiations skills

From 7 to 8 September 2016 a seminar on negotiating skills was held in Ulaanbaatar, with 12 members who have experience in negotiating with the unions. The experienced DECP trainer Dirk Joosse presented the state of the art in negotiating, and held three Role Plays that were recorded on video. …

Malawi ECAM builds a recruitment strategy

The Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) completed an extensive market research to get an overview of medium to large sized companies in the country. The objective of the research is to build a recruitment strategy in order to grow the membership.The researchers, interns hired with support of DECP, identified …

Training of Trainers of Lobbying skills

From 13 to 15 September 2016 a Training of Trainers on Lobby skills was held in Hanoi, with 22 participants.  DECP trainer Arnout de Koster presented the state of the art in lobbying. Dirk Joosse of DECP introduced what to focus on during training of these skills to future participants …

Ghana New country manager gets to know GEA

The new DECP country manager for East Africa,  Mr. A De Koster, visited the Ghananian Employers Association ( GEA)  to determine the future agenda of collaboration with DECP.The Dutch economic presence in the country is important and Dutch companies are active in diverse sectors  such as agriculture, port management, food …

DECP's new country manager meets FUE

The new DECP country manager for East Africa,  Mr. A. De Koster, undertook a 2 day mission to the federation of Ugandan Employers ( FUE) mainly to determine the future agenda of collaboration with DECP.Uganda has the benefit of growing rapidly , with annual growth figures of 6 to 7 …

New DECP country manager meets ATE

The new DECP country manager for East Africa,  Mr. A. De Koster, on August 17/18 undertook a 2 day mission to the federation of Tanzanian Employers (ATE) mainly to determine the future agenda of collaboration with DECP.Tanzania has witnessed in recent years some fortunate developments, economically (growth 6 à 7%) …

New DECP country manager meets FKE

The new DECP country manager for East Africa,  Arnout  De Koster, on August 19th  visited the Federation of Kenyan Enterprises (FKE) mainly to determine the future agenda of collaboration with DECP.Kenya is one of the success stories in development in Africa, characterized by rather high growth and developing itself as …

Meeting CAMFEBA and other members of the ASEAN Confederation of Employers (ACE)

The DECP undertook a two day mission to the Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations (CAMFEBA) in Phnom Penh.The mission provided the opportunity for the DECP to report back to the CAMFEBA Board on the meetings it had held with members of the ASEAN Employers Confederation (ACE) in the …

Monitoring progress made on EPF's Growth Strategy

Following on from the EFP Board retreat funded and facilitated by the DECP in Dubai in September 2015 the DECP country manager for Pakistan Andrew Moore undertook a three day mission to the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) in Karachi. The main purpose of the mission was to establish progress …

The first generation trainers continue training the second

The promising start of the second generation Vietnamese training in HCMC last April has been followed up by an even more successful second training at the end of June. The first three days the candidates had the opportunity to practice  the training parts like interactive presentations, exercises and role plays. …

Mongolia A regional workshop on SME's

On 13 and 14 July 2016 DECP Director Paul WITTE and special advisor Rogier CHORUS attended the Europe-Asia Business Forum, which is held every four years, this time in the Mongolian capital Ulaan Baatar. They were invited by the Mongolian Employers’ Federation MONEF, and thus had the occasion to hear …

DECP's new country manager meets the CNPM

DECP’s outgoing country manager Jean-Marie Standaert and the incoming one, Arnout De Koster, paid a visit to the Moldova employers organization CNPM to prepare the workplan for the coming years, and to ensure also the transition of the former to the new country manager. Moldova is a former Soviet republic, …

DECP's new country manager meets the EAEO

The East African Employers Organisation ( EAEO) has been established a few years ago with strong DECP support. It comprises  the employers organisations of the East African union member states (EAC) . The EAC  strives to create an economic and social union, mirroring the EU in the long term. There …

Fifth conference on the labour relations network

In the fifth  Consultation Conference VCCI/ The Club of Trainers on Labour Relations again  shared their views with experts/ representatives on Labour relations. Representatives of VCCI/ VWEC, Vietnamese trainers (trained by DECP), MOLISA (ministry of Social Affairs) ,  Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (Trade Union), as well as  a number …

Refreshment training on mediation skills

After the Mediation Training in September/ November 2014 VCCI/ VWEC and DECP facilitated a refreshment training 20th  and 21st of June in Hanoi. All participants continue to underline the utmost importance of the use of this product in the present situation of the Vietnamese economy.  Too many conflicts arise and …

Social Dialogue training by Vietnamese trainers

During a one and a half day training course Vietnamese trainers, educated by DECP on the Issue of Social dialogue/ Negotiation Skills facilitated  a negotiation skills training for representatives of participating companies (total of 23) and trade unions active in those companies. This skills training is a very important part …

Developing Social Dialogue in the regions

From 21 to 23 June 2016, J.M. Standaert, special advisor DECP, visited BiznesAlbania with the aim to inform them about the termination of the cooperation by the end of 2016 as decided by the Dutch Parliament and to agree with them on last joint activities for 2016. We agreed that …

A firm commitment to Social Dialogue

On a recent mission to Peru  DECP was pleased to note that Peruvian employers’ and workers' organizations are determined to continue with the establishment of a social dialogue in their country. After the election of mr. Pedro Pablo Kuczynksi as president early June,  further development of this dialogue seems imminent, …

ASEAN A brainstorm with the Asean Confederation of Employers (ACE)

On May 10th and 11th  the DECP both facilitated and supported financially a brain storming meeting of the members of the ACE (ASEAN Confederation of Employers).The meeting provided the opportunity for members of ACE to discuss in detail how they wanted to see their organisation develop so that it was …

A seminar on negotiating skills

From 12 to 13 May 2016 a seminar on negotiating skills was held in Jakarta, with 28 members who represent APINDO in the regional Wage Councils. DECP provided two highly experienced trainers, who presented the state of the art in negotiating, and held three role plays that were recorded on …

Assisting companies in implementing CSR

Regional employers’ federations of Bolivia will assist companies in implementing CSR. With financial support by DECP  managers and professionals of the BMOs met in Santa Cruz de la Sierra on 12 and May 13 in order to work out a business plan for each region and to train advisory skills. Since …

Setting up a membership survey

The DECP undertook a two day mission to the Cambodian Federation of Employers & Business Associations (CAMFEBA) in Phnom Penh on 12 and 13 May 2016.The mission provided the opportunity to take forward the proposal to undertake a Membership Survey. The survey will look at the current and potential membership …

Checking the EFP 2015/2016 workplan

The DECP undertook a mission to the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) in Karachi from 18 -21 May 2016. The advisory mission provided the opportunity for the DECP to establish the progress made on the 2015-16 workplan  agreed by the Board in Dubai in September 2015.The mission also provided the …

The first generation of trainers trains the second

On 4th and 5th of April 2016 a Training of Trainers of negotiation skills, facilitated by Vietnamese trainers of the ‘first generation’ for the ‘second generation’ of Vietnamese candidate trainers,  took place in Ho Chi Minh City. The training is the first of two sessions (second one in June). The …

The ZFE presents its Manifesto to the government

Prior to the general elections of 11 August 2016 President Lungu’s Government has received ZFE’s views on the way forward for the Zambian economy. The ZFE Manifesto was presented by ZFE president Tyson Bruno Chisambo to Fackson Shamenda, Minister of Labour and Social Security, during the celebration of ZFE’s 50th …

The CNPM celebrates its 20th anniversary

On Friday 22nd of  April 2016, the National Confederation of Moldovan Employers (CNPM) celebrated the 20th anniversary of its foundation in the National Hall in Chisinau. The guests were welcomed by Mr. Cerescu, president, and speeches were given by the Prime Minister of Moldova, Mr. Pavel Filip, and by the …

A workshop on implementing strategic planning

An informal workshop with APINDO staff members was held on 8 March 2016 in Jakarta. The implementation of strategic planning at staff level was discussed: strategy was the subject of an earlier meeting with staff and Board in January 2015.APINDO is preparing a better balance between its ‘industrial relations’ (social …

A pilot training in Social Dialogue

During a two day training in DaNang in the centre of Vietnam 20 Employers participated in a special training as part of the Social Dialog project of VCCI/ BEA. This Project is initiated with support of the Norwegian Employers and Trade Unions to help the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce on …

South Asian Forum of Employers 5th meeting

On 10 and 11 March 2016 DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS attended the 5th meeting of the South Asian Forum of Employers (SAFE), hosted by the Sri Lankan EO in Colombo. Representatives of the six co-operating employers’ organisations participated: we exchanged information on lobbying activities, mainly on social policy matters, …

Creating employment awards

BCM together with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of Macedonia decided in 2015 to reward Gazelles on Employment in Macedonia. The SME’s who comply with some pre-determined criteria on creating employment will receive an award from the ministry and from BCM. The whole programme is conducted by a …

ZFE Board retreat

Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) are looking for the launch of a new business charter prior to the general elections later this year. The business charter should hold items that in general improve the economic environment in Zambia improving both the business environment and society in general.  Designing and launching …

Pakistan Monitoring progress on the EFP Growth Strategy

Following on from the EFP Board retreat funded and facilitated by the DECP in Dubai in September 2015 the DECP country manager for Pakistan Andrew Moore undertook a three day mission to the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) in Karachi. The main purpose of the mission was to establish progress …

Setting the agenda with CAMFEBA

Resulting from the DECP fact finding mission to the Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations (CAMFEBA) in 2015 a follow up mission was undertaken by the country manager Andrew Moore to take forward a number of important issues.One of the key areas to be addressed during the mission was …

Macedonia Launching an award for SME's

From 24 to 26 January 2016, J.M. Standaert, country manager for Macedonia, visited BCM in Skopje  firstly to support  the efforts of the organisation to get representativity from the new minister of labour of Macedonia. He also attended a workshop with the deputy minister of the ministry of labour and …

ECAM Board retreat

The Employers’ Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) are looking to enhance their capacity following a two day workshop for their executive committee supported and facilitated by DECP. ECAM are specifically looking to strengthen their capacity in the field of advocacy and policy making in order to build and strengthen its …

2 Workshops in Nairobi

The DECP held two workshops in Nairobi between 30 November and 4 December 2015. Each workshop was attended by representatives from Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia.The first workshop “Running Sustainable Training Services for Members” was held over two days and provided delegates with the opportunity to share experiences on …

Uganda Finalising the FUE Business Agenda

The DECP undertook a two day mission to the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) in Kampala in December 2015. The purpose of the mission by the country manager Andrew Moore was to discuss the progress of the publication of the FUE Business Agenda 2015- 17. Final approval of the text …

The EAEO's Technical and Executive Committees meet

The DECP attended a meeting of the Technical Committee of the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) in Arusha on 26 November 2015.The meeting provided the opportunity for the members of the EAEO to discuss their proposed Strategy for the period 2016 -18. It was agreed that the EAEO should concentrate …

Planning DECP-APINDO cooperation in 2016

On Monday  2  November Rogier Chorus, in his advisory capacity,  discussed future co-operation with APINDO Executive Director Agung PAMBUDHI. DECP will support the publication of a brochure on co-operation between the central and regional APINDO levels that can serve as an acquisition tool.As a follow-up to the regional workshops a …

DECP program to enhance labor relations

On November 2nd en 3rd  2015  Vietnamese trainers from both the South and the North met in HO Chi Minh City for a refreshment and reflection training ‘partly’ prepared by the Dutch trainers of DECP/ AWVN.  Partly, because DECP decided to delegate the Program development of the second day of …

Entrepreneurs in Tarija improve their communication skills

What is the role of communication in a lobbying process? This question was discussed at length during a workshop on communication held at the employers' organization FEPT, the federation of private employers of  the region of Tarija (Bolivia). When do you involve the media? And how do you ensure that …

Starting Social Dialogue

Peruvian employers and trade unions have a growing interest in social dialogue and want to widen  their talks beyond the traditional negotiations about wages and working conditions. DECP is supporting the employers of the Sociedad Nacional de Industria (SNI), a Business Members Organisation  (BMO) with a history of over a …

Advisory mission to the CNPM

From 11 to 13 November, J.M. Standaert, country manager of DECP for Moldova, visited CNPM, the partner of DECP in Chisinau. He met the president, Mr. Cerescu, Mr. Dinu Armasu, the director general, and Mr. Vladislav Caminschi, director. They discussed about the on-going projects as on the data-base of members, …

Fact finding mission to ECAM

From October 17th  to 22nd  2015   DECP Country Managers Andrew Moore and Jannes van der Velde undertook a fact-finding mission to Malawi with a view toget a good understanding of the business and investment climate of Malawi;to obtain a clear picture of the challenges that ECAM is facing and ECAM’s …

Rethinking Advocacy

The Zambia Federation of Employers  (ZFE) with the support of DECP are planning to rethink their advocacy strategy following the worsening  political climate in the country. The current government, in office since January 2015, has been implementing business unfriendly policies. It has become almost impossible for companies to lay off …

Workshop in Medan Strengthening the region

On 28 October 2015 DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS, together with Board member Harijanto and staff members Wahyu and Butar-butar of APINDO attended the fourth workshop on supporting the APINDO regions in Medan, North Sumatra. 25 members from the Sumatra Utara province, which is well known for its enterprising population, …

Getting to know CAMFEBA

The DECP undertook a fact finding mission to Cambodia from 27 -30 October 2015.The objective of the mission was to explore the possibility of the DECP working with the Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations (CAMFEBA).During the course of the four day mission the DECP held meetings with the …

An Action Plan for the Employers' Federation

The Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) faces a number of challenges. These relate not only to their need to enhance their policy input at a national and province level but also to look in detail at their current and potential membership.In order to address these issues the DECP together with …

The EAEO's Executive Committee meets in Nairobi

The DECP undertook a two day mission to Nairobi on 17 & 18 September 2015.The first day of the mission was spent at the offices of the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE). This provided the DECP country manager Andrew Moore with the opportunity to discuss the current position of the …

Advisory visit to BCM

From 16 to 18 September 2015, J.M. Standaert, special advisor of DECP for Macedonia, visited our partner in Skopje, the Business Confederation of Macedonia (BCM). The aim was to update information about the state of play regarding the application of BCM for membership of the Economic and Social Council of …

Enhancing MONEF's communication

From 16 to 18 September 2015, J.M. Standaert, special advisor of DECP for Macedonia, visited our partner in Skopje, the Business Confederation of Macedonia (BCM). The aim was to update information about the state of play regarding the application of BCM for membership of the Economic and Social Council of …

The GEA Business Agenda 2016-18

The economy in Ghana is currently facing a number of challenges which in turn is putting a considerable amount of pressure on the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) as it strives to collect subscriptions and provide services.      The two day mission to the GEA by the Country Manager Andrew …

The EAEO's Technical Committee meets in Zanzibar

A meeting of the technical Committee of the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) took place in Zanzibar on Friday 24 July 2015.The meeting was attended by representatives from all the member countries Kenya/Tanzania/Rwanda/Uganda/Burundi/Zanzibar.The meeting provided the opportunity to discuss in some detail the progress that had been made in making …

Monitoring ATE's progress on its workplan 2015

The Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) in Dar es Salaam faces a number of challenges when it comes to bringing in subscriptions. During the course of a three day mission in July, the DECP Country Manager Andrew Moore shared with staff a number of tools that could be used to …

The FKE Business Agenda 2016-2018

The DECP Country Manager for Kenya Andrew Moore undertook a one day mission to the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) in Nairobi in July.The main objective of the mission was to discuss the final draft of the proposed FKE Business Agenda 2016 – 2018 which is planned to be launched …

Meeting the new CEO of the Private Sector Foundation

A one day mission was undertaken by the DECP to the Private Sector Federation (PSF) based in Kigali on 31 July 2015.The PSF is the focal point for the private sector in Rwanda and has seen a number of changes as the country develops. The most recent change has been …

Regional employers' federations implement Customer Relations Management tools

Five regional employer federations in Bolivia agreed to implement  the CRM tool that was developed by ITC-ILO in Turin. The tool that was developed especially for employer organizations on the basis of open source software, is already used by the APEX-organization Confederación de Empresarios Privados de Bolivia (CEPB). Therefore the …

A sector organisation for the Footwear and Leather Industry

On Tuesday 23 June 2015, the Business Confederation of Macedonia (BCM), partner of DECP, organised a brainstorming session with several representatives of the footwear and leather industry with the aim to set-up a new sector organisation which will promote the interest of the industry. The meeting was chaired by Mr. …

A Lobbying seminar in the northern region

On 17 and 18 June 2015 DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS held a seminar on lobbying capacity building at local and central levels for 36 persons, mainly members of the MONEF regional associations in North Mongolia, and some central MONEF staff members.At the meeting that was held on the shores …

The Business Agenda 2016-2018

The DECP undertook an Advisory mission to the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) in Kampala from 20 -22 July 2015.The mission provided the opportunity to discuss the development of the “FUE Business Agenda 2016 -2018” which is due to be launched in October 2015. It was agreed that as Uganda …

Setting the cooperation agenda

A fact finding mission was undertaken to the Employers' Federation of Pakistan (EFP)   by the Country Manager Andrew Moore between 19 – 21 May 2015.Although the DECP had undertaken a number of workshops with the EFP an in-depth study of the current environment was seen to be useful in …

Working towards an FKE Service charter

One of the key issues facing many employers organisations is how their staff interface with members both in their day to day work as well as when they are undertaking recruitment and retention.On April 1-2 the DECP supported training  on “Customer Services” for all the staff of the Federation of …

Higher standards in Occupational Safety and Health

During a three day training course (April 8 – 10) Vietnamese trainers, who had earlier been trained by DECP on the issue of OSH in 2013, were introduced to the ILO EOSH- package (E-learning). This package has been translated into Vietnamese in 2014 with the support of DECP. The trainers …

A refreshment course in negotations and mediation

On April 13th and 14th  22 Vietnamese trainers from both the South  and the North met in Hanoi for a refreshment and reflection training prepared by the Dutch trainers of DECP/ AWVN.  Training of Teachers in negotiation skills occurred in 2011 in Hanoi and 2012 in HCMC.  Mediation Training took …

A workshop on strengthening the Apindo regions

On 23 and 24 April 2015 DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS, together with Board members Harijanto and Hilman and Executive Director Pambudhi of APINDO held a seminar on supporting the APINDO regions. 20 members from the provinces Banten, West-Java and  Jakarta attended the seminar that was a try-out for 4 …

Launch of the BiznesAlbania newsletter

During a visit to Tirana for meetings with BiznesAlbania, J.M. Standaert, the country manager of DECP for Albania, was informed about the launch of an electronic newsletter for the members of BiznesAlbania: it is a very nice presentation about the  activities of the confederation. He also attended the opening session …

Developing the FUE's new Business Agenda

A two day mission to the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) was undertaken by the DECP Country Manager Andrew Moore.Meetings took place with the Executive Director of the FUE who is also the  Chairman of the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) to prepare the Annual General Meeting of this organisation …

Meeting the new Executive Director of CNPM

From 16 to 19 March 2015, J.M. Standaert, country manager of DECP for Moldova visited our partner in Chisinau, the CNPM, the National Employers’ Confederation of Moldova. He met first the new executive director, Mr. Dinu Armaşu, and discussed with him a range of issues of future cooperation, such as …

The GEA Business Agenda

The DECP undertook a two day advisory mission to the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) in Accra from 2- 4 March 2015.The main objective of the mission was to take forward the work that had already been started on the preparation and publication of the new GEA Business Agenda 2015 -2017. …

Fact-finding mission to the Employers' Federation of Pakistan (EFP)

The DECP has had a good working relationship with the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan (EFP) for some five years. During this time a number of trainings have taken place which has helped considerably the EFP to enhance its capacity.In order to build on this relationship the newly appointed Country Manager …

The East African Employers' Organisation meets in Arusha

The Annual General Meeting of the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) was held in Arusha, Tanzania on 31 March 2015. The meeting was preceded by a meeting of the EAEO Executive Committee. The meetings provided the opportunity for the two coordinators working with the EAEO and supported by the DECP …

Towards a more effective Social Dialogue

How to equip social partners for a more effective social dialogue in Vietnam?After the first two Conferences in 2014 this was the third Consultation Conference (Hanoi 15th of April 2015).  Participants in these Conferences are the most important stakeholders in this project: the Ministry of Social Affairs (MOLISA), trade unions, …

Kenya Cooperation with FKE in 2015

A two day mission was undertaken to the Federation of Kenya Employers in Nairobi on 2 & 3 February by the DECP. The preparation of the “FKE Business Agenda 2015-17” was the main issue for discussion. It was agreed that the publication will be ready in April with a presentation being …

Working on Occupational Safety and Health

At the invitation of the CNP-Togo, J.M. Standaert, country manager for Togo, visited Lomé from 15 to 20 February 2015 and met the acting president and staff of CNP-Togo, but also the director of the Caisse Nationale de la Sécurité Sociale (CNSS) which is in charge of the prevention policy …

The EAEO Technical Committee welcomes progress

The continued development of the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) is seen by its Employer Organisation members as a crucial part of their policy work at an East African Community (EAC) level. A considerable amount of concern has been expressed by its members and the DECP over the lack of …

A seminar on strategic planning for APINDO

On 27 and 28 January 2015 DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS held a workshop on strategic planning and the relation between board and secretariat at the APINDO office. 5 Board members, including Chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani and Executive Director Pambudhi attended the workshop that focused on developing an APINDO strategy for …

Cooperating with ATE in 2015

The DECP Country Manager for Tanzania Andrew Moore undertook a short mission to the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) on 29 & 30 January 2015.The mission provided the opportunity to look in detail at the workplan between ATE and the DECP for 2015. It was agreed that the ATE Business …

Employer of the Year Award

Zambia Country Manager Jannes van der Velde attended and addressed a very lively event, the Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) awarded the Zambian Employer of the Year Award 2014 to Chibuluma and Kasansi, two mining companies. The two companies shared this years’ prize for the overall quality of their performance …

Advising the FUE and developing a workplan for the EAEO

A three day mission was undertaken to Uganda by the DECP Country Manager Andrew Moore.The mission had two main objectives the first was to meet with staff at the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) in Kampala to discuss in detail progress being made on the development of the “FUE Business …

Moldova Advisory mission to CNPM

From 9 to 13 November, country-manager J.M. Standaert visited CNPM in Chisinau. The aim was firstly to discuss the progress of launching a newsletter for the members of  CNPM and next to interview some sector organisations about their functioning and specially about the collection of membership fees. Indeed as one …

A second Conference on Labour Relations

The objective of the activity was to start a network “to share views with experts/ representatives on Labour relations to help establish a system / organization in Vietnam to survey and ensure the quality of the training provided to members (of VCCI) and to ensure that skills and quality of …

How to find and keep new members

On 2 and 3 October 2014 DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS held a working session on membership policy for 15 representatives of the MONEF staff and the regional and district associations. The participants actively discussed ways to improve membership policy and the fee system to be applied.  Special attention was …

Bolivia DECP supports a Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Entrepreneurs of the five most important regions of Bolivia set up an observatory for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).  The initiative of the Federaciones de Empresarios Privados for an CSR Observatory is a response to the growing interest among employers for this issue in Bolivia. The Observatory is founded with support …

New CRM becomes backbone of ZFE's work processes

From 18 to 25 October 2014 DECP country manager Jannes van de Velde undertook an advisory mission to the Zambian Federation of Employers (ZFE). He noticed that the customer relations management system (CRM) is quickly becoming the backbone of many work processes at the  ZFE. The ZFE recently upgraded their …

South Asian Forum of Employers' meeting in Colombo

On 27 and 28 October 2014 DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS attended the 4th meeting of the South Asian Forum of Employers. The representatives of  5 employers’ organisations who attended the meeting exchanged information on minimum wage policies in their countries and the input given by their organisations. They also …

Round Table by the Albanian Food&Drink Association

On Tuesday 28 October BiznesAlbania with its member BUP (Albanian Food & Drink Industry) and support of DECP organised a Round Table in Tirana on the challenges of the EU-regulations for the Albanian Food and Drink Industry.The event was chaired by Mr. Luan Bregasi, president of BiznesAlbania and of BUP. …

Partnership Agreement with the FEP La Paz

The Federación de Empresarios Privados de La Paz (FEPLP) in Bolivia is going to cooperate closely with DECP. In October 2014 both organizations signed a partnership agreement in which they agreed to cooperate in 7 areas in the years to come.The cooperation between DECP and FEPLP started in 2011 and …

Setting the agenda for 2015-2017

On 30 and 31 October 2014 DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS visited the Indonesian Employers’ Organisation APINDO in order to discuss continued co-operation with DECP for the 2015-2017 period.He met APINDO President Wanandi, Executive Director Pambudhi and Dept. Director Savitri. Eight areas for co-operation were identified, including a seminar for …

Advisory mission to FKE

A two day mission to the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) by the DECP country manager for Kenya Andrew Moore, provided the opportunity to take forward a number of issues agreed between the FKE and the DECP for the period 2014-17.It was agreed that FKE would hold meetings over the …

Future development of the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO)

A three day mission to the Association of Tanzanian Employers (ATE) was undertaken by the DECP country manager Andrew Moore from 26-29 October 2014.The mission provided the opportunity to discuss the proposed plans for the future development of the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) which had been agreed at the …

Rwanda Follow-up to the Senior Management Retreat

The DECP made a short mission to the Private Sector Federation (PSF) in Kigali Rwanda to follow up on the Senior Management Retreat which had been held in May 2014 and had been supported both technically and financially by the DECP.The original purpose of the mission was to agree on …

ITC-ILO Membership strategies for employers' organisations

From 21 to 25 September, ITC-ACT/EMP organised a workshop on membership strategies for employers’ organisations: it was attended by 32 delegates from organisations from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Balkan countries. Lectures were given by prof. Adrian Sargeant and prof. Stephen Pidgeon, both from the University of Plymouth and …

The FUE Governing Council Retreat

Resulting from the success of the first Governing Council Retreat held in October 2013 for the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) Governing Council a      further two day retreat was held at the Laico Victoria Lake Hotel in Entebbe on 31 July and 1 August supported both technically and financially …

Workshop on drafting a newsletter

In the framework of the new cooperation programme for 2014 – 2017, Mr. J.M. Standaert, country-manager for Moldova, conducted on 13 and 14 August a 2-day workshop with staff members of CNPM and some of its members on launching a regular newsletter for the members. The aim of the workshop …

The future of the East African Employers Organisation

The future development of the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) was the main issue for discussion at two meetings of the Executive Committee of the EAEO held in Geneva on 1 June 2014 and in Nairobi on 26 August 2014.A key issue addressed was the process for the appointment of …

Reviewing the Business Agendas of Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda

The development of new Business Agenda’s was the theme of a two day workshop held in Nairobi 27 & 28 August 2014. The workshop was attended by a total of fifteen delegates from the Employers Organisations (EO’s) of Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Ghana.The workshop provided the opportunity for policy …

A workshop on Lobbying and Advocacy

From 26 to 28 August, J.M. Standaert and R. Chorus , special advisors of DECP, held a workshop on lobbying and advocacy in Kalishta, Macedonia, with BCM and some of its members. The workshop was chaired by Mr. Mile Boskov, president of BCM, and was attended by 18 representatives of …

GEA's services and the recruitment of members

In October 2013 the DECP supported both technically and financially a two day retreat for the Council of the Ghana Employers Association (GEA). Resulting from this retreat a number of developments have taken place both at a Council level as well as within the GEA Secretariat. These developments on both …

Developing the ATE Business Agenda for 2015-2017

The DECP Country Manager for Tanzania Andrew Moore undertook a mission to Dar es Salaam and to Zanzibar from 21-25 July 2014.The visit to the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) in Dar es Salaam had two main objectives. The first was to develop further the work being undertaken in producing …

Working towards an FKE Business Agenda for 2015-2017

A one day mission to the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) in Nairobi was undertaken by the DECP Country Manager Andrew Moore on 28 July 2014.The mission provided the opportunity to meet a number of newly appointed staff at the FKE and to take forward the workplan agreed between the …

A new regulation on temporary work

From 29 to 31 July, the DECP-country-manager for Albania visited BiznesAlbania and met the president, Mr. Luan Bregasi, and his main advisors, Mr. Koli Sinjari and Ermir Bregasi.  At the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy he attended a meeting chaired by Mr. Bashkim Sala, advisor to the minister, to …

Health insurance for the private sector

From 2 to 5 July, Mr. J.M. Standaert, country manager for Burundi, visited AEB, the Association of Employers of Burundi in Bujumbura. He first paid a visit to the new premises of the “Mutuelle de Santé des Entreprises du Secteur Privé” (MSP) which was set-up by AEB based on a …

Training the Employers' Federation of Pakistan

For the fourth consecutive year  DECP trained the board of the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP). The training took place from 5 till 8 May 2014 with the assistance of ITC/ILO  at their training facility in Turin , Italy.The most important item for discussion was how to follow-up on last …

Follow-up workshop on a newsletter

From 13 to 15 May, J.M. Standaert, special advisor of DECP for Macedonia, visited BCM in Skopje in order to assist it in preparing a newsletter for the members. While important  steps have been taken, BCM will still need to do further work like getting a clearer picture of the …

The development of business parks

In May 2014 the general managers of the regional employers federations of Bolivia met  in Santa Cruz de la Sierra to discuss business parks development in their region and the way employers could be involved.  During the  two days event, organized by the local Federación de Empresarios Privados de Santa …

Assessing the East African Employers Organisation

The future of the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) was one of the key issues to be discussed with the Executive Director of the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) Aggrey Mlimuka during a three day mission undertaken by the DECP Country Manager for Tanzania Andrew Moore.The mission also provided the …

Working towards financial sustainability

The DECP Country Manager for Uganda Andrew Moore, undertook a three day mission to the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) in Kampala in May 2014.The mission had two main objectives. The first objective being to establish the progress being made by the FUE Board and the secretariat to address a …

Seminar on Strategic Planning

On 20 and 21 May 2014  DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS gave a seminar on strategic planning for 19 representatives of the MONEF staff and representatives of the regional associations. The participants actively discussed ways to improve strategic planning, based on SWOT and other analyses and resulting in realistic objectives …

Senior Management Training Retreat

The Private Sector Federation (PSF) in Rwanda faces a number of challenges  both in its internal organisation as well as with its dealing with members.The DECP supported a one and a half day retreat on 23- 24 May 2104 in Kigali for senior staff. This retreat provided the opportunity to …

New CRM software for communication with members

From 25 to 28 May 2014, J.M. Standaert, country manager of DECP for Albania, attended a workshop in Tirana during which Mr. Paolo Salvai, ITC/ACTEMP-advisor, presented to the staff of BiznesAlbania (BA) new CRM software for communication with their members. This CRM software was developed by ITC/ACTEMP with financial support …

How to draft a newsletter

On Wednesday 9 April 2014 the country manager of DECP for Macedonia, Mr. J.M. Standaert conducted a workshop with 6 staff members of BusinessMacedonia (BCM) and of some member organisations on how to draft a newsletter for the members. There was a lot of interests from the participants and they …

A Conference on Women Entrepreneurship

On Thursday 10 April, J.M. Standaert, country manager for Macedonia, attended a Conference on “Women Enterpreneurship: Promotion, Lobbying and Advocacy” in Skopje organised by the Association of Business Women of Macedonia which is a member of BusinessMacedonia (BCM): there were about 100 participants and several interesting proposals were raised during …

Mediation Skills Training

Our partner in Vietnam (VWEC) is concerned  about the growing social unrest  and notices a worsening of labour relations in Vietnam which is having a negative effect on the business environment and thus on the willingness of foreign companies to set up operations in Vietnam.  DECP will therefore start with …

Upgrading the Zambia Federation of Employers' newsletter

On his advisory mission to the Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) in March 2014DECP country manager Jannes van der Velde i.a. discussed the opportunities which restyling and upgrading their magazine The Zambian Employer will bring. The latest issue - autumn 2013 -  of the ZFE magazine was received very well …

Profiling ATE's training and legal services

A two day mission (13-14 March) was undertaken to the Association of Tanzanian Employers (ATE) by Andrew Moore the DECP Country Manager for Tanzania.The mission provided the opportunity to meet with the new Head of training and to discuss in detail how ATE could improve its marketing of its training …

Tackling financial challenges

A three day mission was undertaken to the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) in Kampala by Andrew Moore the Country Manager for the DECP from 17 – 19 March 2014.The FUE continues to face many financial challenges but is working hard to implement a long term sustainable approach. A major …

DECP and BiznesAlbania conclude a Partnership Agreement

On Monday, March 24th  2014, a delegation of DECP headed by its director, Mr. Ronald de Leij, attended in Tirana a special board meeting of BiznesAlbania at which a Partnership Agreement was signed between BiznesAlbania and DECP.The ceremony was attended by the Albanian Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Mr. …

How to draft a newsletter with BiznesAlbania

Since one of the goals of BiznesAlbania for 2014 is to strengthen the relations with its members, the country-manager of DECP for Albania, J.M. Standaert organised a workshop for the staff of BiznesAlbania on how to prepare a newsletter for the members. The workshop was divided in 2 parts, first …

Women entrepreneurs team up with BusinessMacedonia

From 4 to 6 February 2014, Mr. J.M. Standaert,  country manager for Macedonia visited BusinessMacedonia in order to agree about the implementation of the workplan for 2014. At this occasion he met with the president of BCM and Mr. Mile Boskov, together with the president of a new member, Mrs. …

GEA and DECP planning for 2014 - 2017

A two day mission was undertaken by Ronald de Leij and Andrew Moore to the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) in Accra. The main objective of the mission was to meet with the Executive Director of the GEA Alex Frimpong and the President Terence Darko to discuss in detail plans for …

Building PSF staff capacity

The DECP country manager for Rwanda Andrew Moore undertook a two day mission to the Private Sector Federation (PSF) in Kigali. The main issue discussed with the PSF CEO Hannington Namara was what support the DECP could give to help in building the capacity of the PSF to meet the …

Funding options for the EAEO / training ATE at fundraising

The country manager for Tanzania Andrew Moore undertook a short mission to Dar es Salaam on 18 February 2014. The mission had two main objectives.The first objective was to meet with the representative from Danish Industries   based in Dar es Salaam with regards to possible funding opportunities for the …

Workshop on Lobbying and advocacy

At the request of the Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Moldova (CNPM), J.M. Standaert and R. Chorus, senior advisors of DECP, gave a workshop in Purcari (Moldova) for the members of CNPM on Lobbying and Advocacy. The aim was to exchange information and good practices on lobbying and …

DECP and PSF explore areas for further cooperation

The Director of the DECP,  Ronald de Leij, and Andrew Moore, Country Manager for a number of East African countries undertook a mission to meet with the Executive Directors of the national Employers Organisations in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to kick-off the cooperation for 2014 -2017.The meeting with the …

FUE and DECP examine plans for 2014-2017

The Director of the DECP,  Ronald de Leij, and Andrew Moore, Country Manager for a number of East African countries undertook a mission to meet with the Executive Directors of the national Employers Organisations in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to kick-off the cooperation for 2014 -2017The meeting with the …

Kenya FKE and DECP discuss their cooperation in 2014-2017

The Director of the DECP,  Ronald de Leij, and Andrew Moore, Country Manager for a number of East African countries undertook a mission to meet with the Executive Directors of the national Employers Organisations in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to kick-off the cooperation for 2014 -2017.The meeting with the …

ATE and DECP planning their cooperation in 2014-2017

The Director of the DECP,  Ronald de Leij, and Andrew Moore, Country Manager for a number of East African countries undertook a mission to meet with the Executive Directors of the national Employers Organisations in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania to kick-off the cooperation for 2014 -2017.The meeting with the …

Preparing a Partnership Agreement between DECP and BiznesAlbania

 From 27 to 29 January 2014, Mr. J.M. Standaert, country manager for Albania, visited BiznesAlbania in Tirana. The aim was to discuss and agree about a proposal for the conclusion of a Partnership Agreement which will be signed in the following weeks.Mr. Standaert visited also Mr. Bauwens, advisor at the …

Employer of the Year Awards 2013

The DECP country manager Andrew Moore attended the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) sixth annual Employer of the Year Awards (EYA) in Dar es Salaam on Thursday 5 December. The Guest of Honour for the event was the Vice President of the Republic of Tanzania Dr Mohamed Gharib Bilal. The …

Goodbye but not farewell

Special advisor Thieu Korten of DECP paid a regular visit to DECP partner Suriname Trade and Industry Association (VSB/STIA) from  4th to the 7th of December. The future relation between VSB and DECP was the most import subject discussed. DECP considers VSB as a more mature employers organisation which means …

A new Strategic Plan

On 16 and 17 December 2013 DECP together with ITC/ILO trained board members and other leading officials of the Ethiopian Employers organization (EEF) in the capital of Ethiopia Addis Ababa. The training was organized because a new board of EEF was elected in the summer of 2013 and EEF had …

Republika Srpska a Round Table in support of Private Capital

With support of DECP, the Union of Unions of Employers of Republika Srpska (UUPRS) in Bosnia-Herzegovina organized a Round Table on Tuesday 17 December 2013 in Banja Luka on Ways to support Private Capital in RS. The meeting was chaired by the president of UUPRS, Mr. Predrag Zgonjanin, and attended …

Launching Health Insurance for the Private Sector

On Thursday December 5th, 2013,  the founding assembly of a new “Mutuelle de Santé des Entreprises du Secteur Privé” took place in Hotel Source du Nil in Bujumbura. This new Mutual Insurance is an initiative by AEB, the Association des Employeurs du Burundi, and is based on a feasibility study …

Uganda Tackling a number of challenges

The Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) is currently facing a number of challenges in terms of its ability to meet its financial obligations. Building on the FUE Council Retreat held in Kampala in October 2013, which was supported both financially and technically by the DECP, a follow up meeting was …

Training of Trainers Course in Occupational Safety and Health

DECP organized, together with the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry a train the training course on Occupational Safety and Health in Hanoi and Cam Pha, Vietnam. The first part of the training course with 15 participants consisted of a 3 day training of …

Training the PSF districts

The development of the membership and advocacy role of the 30 Districts of the Private Sector Federation (PSF) in Rwanda will be a key element if the organisation is to be successful in representing the private sector.Therefore the DECP provided both technical and financial support for the training of  some 120 staff …

Prime Minister works with CNPM for a better business climate

On Tuesday 12 November 2013, in the Hall of the Republic in Chisinau, the National Confederation of Employers of Moldova (CNPM) organised a Forum of Businessmen with over 800 attendants. During his welcome address, the president, Mr. Leonid Cerescu, thanked DECP for the support given which made it possible to …

General managers meet to discuss funding strategies

In November 2013 general managers of several regional federations of employers discussed the possibilities to increase revenues, in particular the potential of industrial areas and trade fairs as sources of income.The workshop which was also attended by Peter Boorsma,  DECP country manager for Bolivia, follows another workshop earlier that year …

(Chuquisaca) Employers work out a strategic plan

Late November 2013 Peter Boorsma, special advisor of DECP for Bolivia, visited the Federación de Empresarios Privados de Chuquisaca (FEPCh) to discuss future cooperation. FEPCh and DECP signed a Partnership Agreement in 2012.The employers organized in the FEPCh in Sucre are working out a strategic plan in order to strengthen …

(Tarija) Getting to know the employers federation of Tarija

In November 2013  DECP’s country manager Peter Boorsma visited the Federación de Empresarios Privados in Tarija (FEPT) in the south of Bolivia in order to get acqainted with the FEPT and explore possible cooperation. Although the FEPT is only 1,5 years old,  the employers’ organization had already two success stories. …

(Potosi) Getting to know the employers association of Potosi

In November 2013 Peter Boorsma, special advisor of DECP, visited the Federación de Empresarios Privados of in the Bolivian region Potosí (FEPP) for the first time with the objective to get a picture of its strengths and weaknesses. He found a representative and dynamic organisation and was impressed by the …

(La Paz) Employers want a better business climate

During a working conference in the center of La Paz entrepreneurs made clear what according to them should be done to improve the business climate of the region. The La Paz-region is lagging behind in economic development, compared with other regions of Bolivia. All sector organizations presented a document illustrating …

DECP supports South Asian Federations of Employers (SAFE)

For the third consecutive time the Employers Federations of Afghanistan , Nepal , India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had their yearly meeting. This time on October 3 and 4 in New Delhi, India. These high level meetings -with the support of DECP and ITC/ILO- have as objective to discuss items …

Workshop on Doing Business and looking ahead to 2014-2017

On 2 and 3 October 2013 DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS gave a workshop to 15 representatives of the government, the central employers’ organisation MONEF, professional associations and enterprises on the World Bank ‘Doing Business’ report 2013 for Mongolia.The participants actively discussed ways to improve Mongolia’s ranking based on the …

Training the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry

From 7 till 10 October DECP trained in Dubai together with ITC/ILO  a delegation of board members and secretariat staff of the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). It was the third consecutive year that such a training took place. In the previous years the trainings were concentrated on …

Addressing structural issues

The Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) faces a number of challenges both in financial terms as well as in its structure. It also faces a number of issues in respect of  the completion of its new offices on the outskirts of Kampala.In order to address a number of these issues the DECP …

DECP and PSF preparing training for the districts

The DECP country manager for Rwanda Andrew Moore undertook a short mission to the Private Sector Federation (PSF) in Kigali from 13 – 15 October 2013. The purpose of the mission was to discuss details for the training of some 120 PSF staff and  Chairman’s of the District Committees. The training would look at …

The GEA sets its priorities for 2014

The Ghana Employers Association (GEA) held a two day retreat on 18 & 19 October 2013 with both financial and technical support from the DECP. The retreat  was  attended by some 33 delegates from both the GEA Council membership and the GEA  secretariat.The retreat provided the opportunity to take time out from the normal …

Negotiations skills Training of trainers check up

On  October 28th  2013 (HCMC) and  October 29th 2013 (Hanoi) TOT Vietnamese  trainers Negotiation Skills met for a checkup  with their DECP/ AWVN trainer Dirk Joosse after the ToT negotiation skills taking place in 2011 in Hanoi and 2012 in HCMC. Most important in these regular meetings is sharing experiences …

DECP supports IT-based Customer relationship management

DECP’s counterpart employers’organisations are – almost without exception – perennially plagued by financial problems. There are several reasons for this unfortunate situation, such as e.g. a lack of sufficient visibility. As a consequence, getting their members to pay their subscription fee - on time - is a familiar problem for …

A Round Table on the promotion of private capital

From 10 to 13 September 2013, DECP-country manager for Bosnia-Herzegovina Jean-Marie Standaert visited Banja Luka and met the business’ confederation of the entity RS, the UUPRS, the Union of Employers’ Organisations of Republika Srpska. As promotion of private capital is a hot issue in RS, according to the new president …

Planning for 2014-2017 / Health insurance for the private sector

From 22 to 25 September 2013 DECP’s country manager for Burundi, J.M. Standaert, visited the Association of Employers of Burundi (AEB) in Bujumbura. The aim of the visit was to discuss and agree about a business plan for 2014 – 2017 that will be integrated in DECP’s Business plan.  AEB’s …

Kenya Looking ahead to 2014-2017 Kenya

The DECP undertook a short mission to the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) in  Nairobi from 29-30 August 2013. The main objective of this mission was to meet with the Executive Director of the FKE Jacqueline Mugo to discuss future cooperation between the FKE and the DECP for the period …

Albania Looking ahead to 2014-2017 Albania

From 21 to 23 August, J.M. Standaert visited BiznesAlbania with the aim to receive follow-up information about the Business Policy Book that BiznesAlbania prepared in view of the parliamentary elections of end of June in Albania, and to discuss with them the proposals that will be included in the draft …

Tanzania Looking ahead to 2014 - 2017 Tanzania

In order to begin planning for future cooperation between the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) and the DECP for the period 2014-17 Andrew Moore the DECP Country Manager undertook a three day mission to Dar es Salaam. The mission provided the opportunity to meet with the Chairman and Vice Chairman …

Looking ahead to 2014 and beyond

From Aug. 12-14  the DECP undertook a three day mission to the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) in Accra, Ghana. The main objective of the mission was to discuss possible areas of collaboration between the DECP and the GEA for the period 2014-2017. Among the areas discussed were industrial relations, pensions, …

Drafting a business plan for 2014-2017

From 14 to 16 August 2013, the country manager for Moldova, J.M. Standaert, visited CNPM with the aim to update the spider diagram with characteristics about CNPM’s strengths and weaknesses as well as to discuss a draft businessplan for 2014 – 2017 for submission by DECP to the Ministry of …

Looking ahead to 2014-2017 Uganda

The DECP undertook a three day mission to the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) in Kampala from 19–21 August 2103. The main objective of the mission was to discuss future collaboration between the FUE and the DECP for the period 2014-17. Potential areas of cooperation are an HR service for SME’s, …

ZFE and DECP to enhance lobbying efforts

The Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) and the Dutch Employers Cooperation Programme (DECP) will focus on increasing ZFE’s strength as a lobby organisation. Reinforcing ZFE’s lobbying processes and structures will be one of the key elements of the ZFE-DECP working plan for 2014 and beyond.ZFE has made a lot of …

Cooperation between DECP and PSF

From August 22-24 the DECP undertook a two day mission to the Private Sector Federation (PSF) in Kigali. The main objective of the mission was to discuss the continuation of the working relationship between the PSF and the DECP.During the course of the mission the country manager Andrew Moore had …

Opportunities for future cooperation

From 26 till 31 August 2013 DECP country manager Jan Karel Bout visited Jakarta. During the visit it was noted that Indonesia is clearly feeling the consequences of the economic slowdown in emerging markets as well as the foreseen contraction in the money supply by the federal reserve board of …

FNPAIA updates its Policy Book

At the occasion of its 10th  anniversary, the FNPAIA, the Federation of Employers of Agriculture and Food Industry of Moldova, held a festive General Council on 3 July 2013 in Chisinau in the presence of the minister of labour and social affairs, Mrs. Buliga, and the minister of agriculture, Mr. …

ProInvest follow up: Consolidating capacity built

It was agreed at the closure of the ProInvest programme in September 2011 that the DECP and the ILO/ITC would follow up in the areas of Advocacy and Communication with the Employers Organisations (EO's) involved in the programme. It was important to ensure that the investment made not only by …

Looking ahead to 2014-2017

From 23 to 26 July 2013,  J.M. Standaert, country manager of DECP for Macedonia, visited the Business Confederation of Macedonia (BCM) in Skopje. He had talks with the president, Mr. Mile Boskov, and some board members on the future development and actions of BCM, in particular setting priorities  and planning …

Advisory visit to the employers' organisations

From 11 to 14 June 2013,  DECP’s  country-manager for Bosnia-Herzegovina Jean-Marie Standaert, visited the employers’ organisations of Bosnia-Herzegovina: the state-level APBiH and the entity level organisations, i.e. in the Federation, the UPFBiH in Sarajevo, and the RS, the UUPRS in Banja Luka. With representatives of each organisation, proposals for cooperation …

Addressing the needs of Small and Medium Enterprise

On 19 and 20 June DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS, together with MONEF staff member Narmandakh, gave a seminar to 24 representatives of professional associations on sustainable SME growth and development in Mongolia.The participants actively discussed SME policies. At the end of the seminar they developed a list of priorities, …

Training of Trainers on Occupational Safety and Health

DECP organized, together with the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry a train the trainers course on Occupational Safety and Health in Hanoi, Vietnam. The first part of the training  course with 22 participants consisted of a 3 day training of potential trainers for …

Serving ATE's members is key

The DECP made one of its regular advisory missions to the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) in Dar es Salaam. The mission provided the opportunity to continue discussions on the long term sustainability of the organisation. The DECP put forward a number of ideas on how ATE could communicate more …

The EAEO launches its report on the Free Movement of Workers

The East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) launched its report on “An Assessment of the Implementation of the EAC Common Market Protocol Commitments on the Free Movement of Workers”. The launch was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on Friday 17 May 2013 and was attended by some 70 people from …

The challenge of Technical Vocational Education and Training

The DECP undertook one of its regular advisory missions to the Private Sector Federation (PSF) in Kigali from 20-21 May 2013.The mission provided the opportunity to take forward the proposed idea from the DECP for the PSF to hold a workshop in Kigali on the future of Technical Vocational Education …

DECP supports a national event on the Training Levy

The DECP undertook one of its regular missions to the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) from 4-5 March 2013. The main objective of the mission was to take forward the work on the proposal to hold a national policy event in May 2013 on the implementation of a “Training Levy”. …

DECP supports Conciliation and Arbitration Centre

On May 28th 2013 the Chamber of Commerce of Oruro (Bolivia) started the activities of the local Conciliation and Arbitration Centre for business disputes by holding a seminar for managers, lawyers and law students.The objective of the seminar was to provide information on definitions, regulations and procedures of commercial conciliation …

A network meeting for Vietnamese trainers

On May 23d and 24th  (Hanoi)  and  May 27th and 28th   (HCMC) two Dutch trainers from DECP/ AWVN facilitated a network meeting of the Vietnamese trainers trained by DECP to train Vietnamese employers on Negotiation Skills in Labour Relations. Due to the difficult economic situation in Vietnam activities in this field …

DECP supports 3 membership events to raise GEA's profile

The DECP undertook one of its regular advisory missions to the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) in Accra Ghana from 26-29 May 2013.The mission provided the opportunity to discuss in detail the three membership events which had taken place over the last few months and which had been promoted and supported …

DECP assists Pakistan Employers with Business Agenda

In cooperation with ITC/ILO  DECP worked with the board of the Employers Federation of Pakistan( EFP) to create a Business Agenda. The meeting took place at the premises of ITC/ILO in Turin from April 2 till April 5.  For four years DECP has been supporting the Pakistan employers in their …

Visit to the Suriname Trade and Industry Association (VSB)

Special advisor Thieu Korten of DECP paid a regular visit to DECP partner Suriname Trade and Industry Association (VSB/STIA) from the 8th to the 12th of April 2013. The visit was combined with the attendance of the annual meeting of the Caribbean Employers’ Confederation which was organized in Paramaribo. DECP …

Advisory mission to CADIN

Thieu Korten, special advisor of DECP, visited the Camara de Industria de Nicaragua (CADIN), a partner of DECP, to discuss running cooperation projects.  Meetings were held with members of the Board, with the executive director of CADIN, Roberto Solorzano, and with Juan Carlos Amador, director of CENAMI, which is CADIN’s …

DECP supports workshop for managers of regional employers' organisations

On April 17th general managers of regional Bolivian employer organizations organized a workshop in order to exchange expertise and experience. The focus of the workshop, that took place in Cochabamba,  was not on policies but on managing employer organizations. All seven general managers of the regional federations participated.One of the …

DECP supports innovative approach by ITC/ILO

In the autumn of 2012 the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC/ILO) in Turin developed an innovative approach for the training of high-level staff and board members of business member organisations. It was called the Master Training on Effective Business Member Organisation. It combined 10 weeks of  e-learning and …

A national policy event on the Training Levy

The DECP undertook one of its regular missions to the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) from 4-5 March 2013. The main objective of the mission was to take forward the work on the proposal to hold a national policy event in May 2013 on the implementation of a “Training Levy”. …

Preparing a national policy event on Social Security

The DECP undertook one of its advisory missions to the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) in Dar es Salaam from 11 – 13 March 2013. The main objective of the mission was to take forward plans for both a national policy event as well as a regional membership event.Employers in …

The PSF moves towards financial stability

             The Private Sector Federation (PSF) of Rwanda continues to undergo many changes  under the leadership of Hannington Namaka.The drive towards financial stability was enhanced considerably by the launch of the “Golden Circle” membership. Some 150 major companies attended the launch with a number of them making financial commitments.The two …

DECP trains Indonesian employers on minimum wages

From 15 till 24 March 2013  DECP visited Indonesia to meet and train employers of the employers’ organization Apindo on minimum wage issues. DECP cooperated in this with ITC/ILO from Turin and ILO office in Jakarta. Employers from Apindo’s regional organisations in West and East Indonesia participated in trainings in …

Vietnamese trainers prove their skills

In March 2013 two training sessions were held in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) by Vietnamese trainers - trained by DECP/AWVN – facilitating the training completely by themselves.They acquitted themselves well and showed to be quite capable of conducting the training.The DECP/AWVN trainers present witnessed the progress of the Vietnamese …

Lobby workshop Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council

DECP special advisor Thieu Korten and Nguyen Hoang Yen, a female Vietnamese trainer, jointly presented a two-day workshop on lobby in Ninh Binh, a province in the North of Vietnam.  The workshop was attended by 22, mainly female, participants  many of them operating small businesses.It was definitely not the first …

Regional meetings with employers by BiznesAlbania

From 18 to 27 March, BiznesAlbania has organised with the support of DECP, several regional meetings in order to collect suggestions and proposals for the improvement of the Doing Business climate in Albania. The aim is to prepare a “business book” with those proposals that will be presented by BiznesAlbania …

DECP supports women entrepreneurs in West Africa

 Last year DECP supported 2 workshops specifically developed by ILO-ITC for women employers’ organisations and their members, one in Bangkok and one in Johannesburg.  Both workshops were highly valued by the participants. So when women employers’ organisations from West Africa appealed to ILO-ITC and DECP to organise a similar workshop, …

Working towards an Employers Summit

The DECP undertook a one day mission to the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE) to discuss how the FKE would follow up on their “FKE Manifesto” which had set out in detail what employers wanted from the newly appointed government.The proposal of an “Employers Summit” was discussed in detail. This …

Federation of Employers play a key role in social dialogue

The Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) will be playing a key role in the tripartite discussions between government, labour unions and the Zambian business community on improving the Zambian economy. That was one of the main conclusions to be drawn from the address minister Fackson Shamenda (Labour) made at the …

Advocacy initiatives by CNPM and FNPAIA

From 5 to 8 February 2013,  J.M. Standaert, country manager of DECP, visited Moldova in order to develop with the partners CNPM and FNPAIA advocacy actions on main issues that concern the employers and business of Moldova. With CNPM it was agreed to organise in September a large congress on …

The Ghana Employers Association's Agenda for 2013

The DECP country manager for Ghana Andrew Moore undertook a four day mission to the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) in Accra from 12 – 15 February 2013.The advisory mission provided the opportunity to complete the work undertaken by the GEA in preparing a “Membership Pack”. The GEA, with support from …

The EAEO's Technical Committee meets in Nairobi

The East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) had during the course of 2012 commissioned a study to look at what needed to be done at an East African Community (EAC) level to ensure free movement of workers as set out in the EAC Protocol. In order to discuss the results of …

DECP supports an ambitious advocacy programme

With a view to important parliamentary elections to be held in June 2013 in Albania, the employers’ organisation BIZNESALBANIA wants to prepare and advocate to the political parties the expectations of its members about the programme of the new government and asked for the cooperation of DECP in order to …

The Ethiopian Employers Federation's 60th anniversary

The Ethiopian Employers Federation (EEF) celebrated its 60th anniversary in Addis Ababa on January 16 and 17. The meeting’s theme was  “Employer : Entrepreneur and Engine of Growth“. More than 500 members and guests attended the celebrations in the Main Conference Hall of the Economic Commission for Africa. The Prime …

The Federation of Uganda Employers' key issues for 2013

The DECP undertook one of its regular advisory missions to the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) in Kampala from 20 – 23 January 2013.The mission provided the opportunity to start work on a number of key issues which had been identified as areas for development during 2013.The FUE is currently making plans …

ATE 's initiatives for 2013

The Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) faces a number of challenges in terms of its funding during the course of 2013. The DECP undertook a mission to Dar es Salaam to meet with the Executive Director Aggrey Mlimuka to discuss what support DECP could provide during 2013.It was agreed that …

The EAEO's Executive Committee meets in Kigali on January 28th 2013

The Executive Committee of the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) held a meeting in Kigali on Monday 28 January 2013. The meeting was Chaired by      Jacqueline Mugo the current Chair of the EAEO and Executive Director of the Federation of Kenya Employers FKE.The meeting discussed the developments which had taken place …

Building new services for PSF's members

The Private Sector Federation (PSF) in Rwanda has made considerable progress over the last twelve months in streamlining its staffing and building up the services it is offering to its members. The DECP undertook an advisory mission from 24 – 26 January 2013 during which it worked closely in providing technical …

10th Anniversary of the UPFBiH in Sarajevo

On Tuesday 4th of December 2012,  the Association of Employers of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (UPFBiH) celebrated the 10th anniversary of its foundation. About 200 members and guests, among them 5 ministers and the speaker of the parliament, attended the celebration.  They were welcomed by the president, Mr. Safudin Cengis, …

Looking ahead to 2013 with the VSB

Special advisor Thieu Korten of DECP paid a regular visit to DECP partner Surinam Trade and Industry Association (VSB/STIA) from the 4th to the 8th of December. DECP discussed with the VSB the low ranking of Surinam in the World Bank Doing Business report. There are some doubts both at …

Next steps for the Ghana Employers Association

The DECP country manager for Ghana, Andrew Moore undertook a three day advisory mission to the Ghana Employers Association in Accra in November 2012.The mission was an opportunity for the DECP to discuss plans for 2013 with the Executive Director of the GEA Alex Frimpong. It was agreed that with …

Meeting the East African Business Council and ATE Arusha

A two day mission was undertaken to Arusha by Andrew Moore DECP to meet with a representative from the East African Business Council (EABC) in order to discuss the progress being made by the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO). It was established that the research commissioned by the EAEO to …

Celebrating RUEA's 5th Anniversary

On 21th November 2012, RUEA organised a special celebration in Yerevan at the occasion of its 5th anniversary: RUEA was founded on 15th November 2007 by about 120 members.  In 2009 it concluded a Partnership Agreement with DECP.  Today,  it represents over 10.000 enterprises, employing more than 60.000 people.About 150 …

Third and final session: Training of Trainers concluded in Ho Chi Minh City

Negotiating skills are vital tools for most of us but in particular for employers’ organisations. For that reason DECP continued the previous series of training sessions on “Negotiations in Industrial Relations” for the benefit of  VWEC Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC)  the second part of …

Developing services for members of the ACCI

From 25 till 29 November 2012 a delegation of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry attended a workshop at the Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITC/ILO) in Turin, Italy. This on the invitation of DECP and ITC/ILO and as a follow-up to the capacity building workshops for …

Next steps for the Federation of Uganda Employers in 2013

The DECP Country Manager for Uganda Andrew Moore undertook one of his regular advisory missions to the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) from 26 – 30 November 2012. The mission provided an opportunity to discuss with the FUE Executive Director proposed plans for the continued working relationship between FUE and the …

Employers in La Paz seek cooperation with DECP

The Federation of Private Employers in the department La Paz (FEPLP) wants to cooperate with DECP in order to improve services to the member organizations. Early October 2012 the DECP country manager for Bolivia visited La Paz and had talks with president Luis Urquizo and general manager Soraya Fernández. Both …

The 3rd National Conference on Social Dialogue

On 4th October 2012, the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia (RUEA) organised its 3rd National Conference on Social Partnership with focus on Social Dialogue in the Regions and Development of Regions. It was attended by several representatives of the members, trade unions and ministries, as well as embassies. Reports …

Meeting the leaders of CNPM and FNPAIA

From 17 to 19 October 2012  J.M. Standaert, country manager for Moldova, visited the presidents and their main collaborators of CNPM and FNPAIA. He discussed with them a number of hot issues that figure on the agenda of the Moldovan parliament. He was also briefed by them about the on-going …

Working with the Employers on CSR, Labour and the Environment

From 19-24 October 2012  a DECP delegation visited the Bangladesh Employers Federation (BEF) in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. The delegation which consisted of DECP’s Special Advisors Chiel Renique and Jan karel Bout had  as objective to discuss labour and environmental issues and the international reputation of Bangladesh industry.The Bangladesh …

Enhancing the effectiveness of South Asia employers organisations

 On 2 and 3 October 2012  the Employers Organisations of South Asia (SAFE) met in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The meeting was supported by ITC/ILO and DECP and focused on The Future of South Asian Employers organizations . High level representatives of Afghanistan , Bangla Desh , India , Nepal , …

Big increase in membership for the Zambia Federation of Employers

From October 22 till 27th   DECP country manager Jannes van der Velde undertook an advisory mission to the ZFE. While there, he learned that following strong opposition of the Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) against a very sudden change in the minimum wage law the membership of ZFE grew by over …

Developing a new concept

The DECP Country Manager for Rwanda Andrew Moore undertook a two day mission to the Private Sector Federation (PSF) on 8 & 9 October 2012 in Kigali.The PSF continues to make progress under the management of its new CEO. One of the key initiatives is the development of a “Golden …

Codes of Practice for the wood industry

DECP organized, together with the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council a 3 day workshop on the design and developing of  safety and health Codes of Practice for Wood Industry in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The ultimate result should be the drafting of some Codes of Practice (CoPs).About 25 participants attended …

DECP helps the Camara de Industria provide a new service for SME's

In Nicaragua, as in almost every country, the industrial sector consists largely of small and medium sized enterprises. These SME’s often face problems which for them are much more difficult to solve than large companies.  One of the most important problems for SME’s in Nicaragua is their relation with the …

A new service centre for the members of the GEA

From 31 July to 2 August, J.M. Standaert, country manager for Georgia, met the staff of GEA, Mr. Misha Kordzakhia, vice-president, Mr. Konstantine Nanobashvili, director, and Mrs. Elene Makarashvili, director, and discussed the proposal to set-up a new service center for the members of GEA. Mr. Henrik Zimmerman, project manager …

Next steps for the Federation of Kenya Employers

A one day mission to Nairobi by the DECP country manager Andrew Moore provided the opportunity to meet with Jacqueline Mugo the Executive Director of the Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE). The meeting discussed possible future developments within the FKE and what role the DECP could play in providing technical …

Preparing the next FUE Strategic Plan

The DECP country manager for Uganda Andrew Moore undertook a two day mission to the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) in Kampala on 22 & 23 August 2012. The main objective of the mission  was to discuss with the Executive Director the long term  plans for the FUE and what …

Zambia Job Evaluation requires special skills

The Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) are in the process of exploring whether they can broaden their services with ‘job evaluation’, which would also provide them with an additional income source. From 21-23rd of August 2012,  DECP conducted an intensive and specialised  training on the subject in Lusaka, following up …

EAEO Free Movement of Labour in the EAC

The DECP attended and supported a meeting of the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) Technical Committee meeting  in Arusha, NorthernTanzania on 16 & 17 August 2012. The meeting  provided an opportunity for members to discuss developments made by the EAEO Coordinator  in representing their interests at the East African Community …

DECP assists Indonesian employers in minimum wage discussions

From August 29 till August 31 2012  DECP discussed with and trained Indonesian Employers in Minimum Wage systems in Jakarta. This together with ITC/ILO from Turin. The Minimum Wage system has been decentralized to the regions and the final decision on the rates is in the hands of the regional …

Moving ahead with the Private Sector Federation (PSF)

Following on from the successful training by the DECP for both District staff and Chamber Directors at the Private Sector Federation (PSF) in Rwanda the country manager Andrew Moore undertook a one day mission to Kigali. He met with the CEO Hannington Namara to discuss what further technical assistance, e.g. …

Communication 'brainstorm' with FKE staff

The DECP undertook a half day training session at the FKE in Nairobi on Monday 2 July 2012. The training concentrated on how the FKE communicated with its members and also how it was communicating internally.The training looked in detail at how FKE could not only recruit members but how …

Training of Trainers expanded to Ho Chi Minh City

HCMC is the third location where DECP  (from July 3 to 10th)  started a Training of Trainers (TOT) after East Africa and Hanoi.  Negotiating skills are vital tools for most of us but in particular for employers’ organisations. These sessions are meant to train and coach future trainers using the …

Getting to know the new president of the AEB

From 15 to 18 July, J.M. Standaert visited the Association of Employers of Burundi (AEB) in Bujumbura. It was the occasion to meet the new president of AEB, Mr. Théodore Kamwenubusa, and to discuss and agree on follow-up activities for the informal sector of Rumonge, as well as to consider …

Lobby Workshops for the Vietnamese Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) in Hanoi and Haiphong

In cooperation with the Vietnamese Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) of the Vietnamese Chamber of Commerceand Industry (VCCI),  DECP special advisers Thieu Korten and Rogier Chorus held a 2 day lobby workshop both in Hanoi and Haiphong.The subjects they dealt with were the different phases of the lobby process (preparation, implementation …

Promoting Fiscal Reform

On Thursday 7 June, the Union of Employers of the Federation of BiH, together with the University of Travnik, organised a conference in Vitez, a town in the center of Bosnia-Herzegovina, with the participation of the Prime Minister, Mr. Niksic, and the Minister of Finance, Mr. Krajina. The conference was …

A new training centre for BUSINESSMACEDONIA

From 27 to 29 June, J.M. Standaert, country manager of DECP for Macedonia, visited Skopje with the aim to discuss the set-up of a new training center for the members of BUSINESSMACEDONIA.   Concrete steps were agreed, i.a. the appointment of a project manager who will be responsible for the preparatory …

DECP supports engine of economic growth

DECP recently supported the Private Sector Federation (PSF) of Rwanda in reaching its next level of development.  During a week in June DECP trained all of PSF’s 30 district coordinators and 10 chambers directors in the fields of advocacy, communication and member recruitment and retention.PSF are in the process of …

Consultations with the VSB (STIA)

Special advisor Thieu Korten of DECP paid a regular visit to DECP partner Suriname Trade and Industry Association (VSB/STIA) from the 15th to the 19th of May. The current financial and economic situation was discussed. According to a recent rapport this situation has improved during the last 2 years, inflation …

A Centre for Arbitration in Oruro

DECP partner Camara de Comercio de Oruro in Bolivia asked DECP for support to start a centre for arbitration in the city of Oruro. The department of Oruro is one of the few departments in Bolivia which still does not have such a centre. The reason for establishing an arbitration …

How to draft a newsletter - upgrading OSH - legislation

At the invitation of CNP Togo, J.M. Standaert, special advisor of DECP, conducted 2 workshops with the members of the CNP Togo on 15 and 16 May 2012. The first one was a follow-up of the previous workshop on communication in February 2012, about drafting a newsletter by the sector …

DECP supports the re-organisation of the PSF

The Private Sector Federation (PSF) in Rwanda has undergone a large number of changes at  senior management level over the last two years. The appointment of the new CEO Hannington Namara has brought about a large reorganisation which has resulted in the PSF looking for technical support on a wide …

Promotion of sustainable Small and Medium Enterprises

On 22 and 23 May 2012 DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS, together with MONEF staff members Jantsan and Narmandakh, gave a seminar on sustainable SME growth and development in Mongolia20 regional members of the Mongolian employers’ organisation MONEF attended the seminar, and actively participated in the discussions. SMEs from five …

Working with the Pakistan Employers Federation

From 20 till 24 May 2012  15 board members of the Pakistan Employers Federation ( PEF) , under the leadership of their President Mr. Javed Haji Muhammad ,visited the campus of the International training Centre from the ILO in Turin ,Italy.This to be trained by Arnout de Koster from ITC/ILO …

Meeting the Chair of the EAEO

The DECP undertook a one day mission to the Nairobi on 17 May 2012.  The mission provided an opportunity for the country manager Andrew Moore to meet with Corinne Abbas at the Netherlands Embassy in Nairobi to brief her on developments with the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) as well …

East African Employers Organisation publicly launched

Seizing the opportunity of a Summit of the East African Community, the East African Employers Organisation was publicly launched at a well attended party on Thursday evening April 26th in the Kibo Palace Hotel in Arusha, Tanzania.The East African Employers Organisation (EAEO), bringing together the national employers organisations of the …

Meeting the EAEO Coordinator

A one day mission to Nairobi was an opportunity for the DECP to hold a meeting with the newly appointed coordinator for the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) who will be based in Arusha. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss in detail how the EAEO will communicate effectively with …

Vocational training and the FUE

The DECP country manager for Uganda undertook one of his regular advisory missions in April 2012.The mission provided the opportunity to discuss developments on the policy papers being prepared by FUE resulting from their published Business Agenda. The main issue being developed at the current time was on the issue …

Meeting the President of ZANEMA

The DECP country manager for Tanzania undertook an advisory mission to meet with both ZANEMA (employers organisation for Zanzibar) and with the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) in Dar es Salaam.The main issue discussed with the President and Executive Director of ZANEMA was the role that it could play one …

Defining next steps with the PSF's new CEO

A number of developments have taken place over the last eighteen months at the Private Sector Federation (PSF) in Rwanda. In April 2012 the country manager undertook a one day mission to Kigali to discuss with the newly appointed CEO Hannington Namara what DECP can do to help in the …

DECP signs Partnership Agreement with the Federacion de Empresarios de Chuquisaca

Thieu Korten, former country manager of DECP for Bolivia, and Peter Boorsma, who became country manager for Bolivia starting 1st of May, visited the departments Cochabamba, Oruro and Chuquisaca in Bolivia from 9th to 17th of April. In Cochabamba they discussed a number of current cooperation projects with the Federación de …

Occupational Safety and Health workshop on safety signs

On 7 and 8 March, J.M. Standaert, country manager of DECP for Georgia, conducted a workshop for the staff and members of GEA on safety signs based on the European regulations and standards. His presentation was followed by 2 exercises during which several other important issues were discussed. The level …

Employers' organisations revisited

From 24-30 March DECP’s Jan Karel Bout visited Addis Ababa. This to renew contacts with the Ethiopian Employers Federation (EEF) and to participate in a training.Together with Arnout de Koster from ITC/ILO and Hezron Njuguna of ILO Addis Ababa 20 members and staff  of EEF were trained during a three …

First steps towards Social Dialogue

On Thursday and Friday 15 and 16 March, J.M. Standaert co-chaired the BOSMIP 4 Round Table organised by APBiH with financial support of the European Union, via BUSINESSEUROPE, and of DECP. The meeting was dedicated to the social dialog in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It was attended by representatives of Workers’ and Employers’ …

A joint mission by CBI and DECP

From 27 to 30 March 2012 a Joint Mission of CBI and DECP took place in Albania. Mr. Nuijten, account manager of CBI, and J.M. Standaert, special advisor of DECP, met the president of the Exporters’ Association of Albania, Mr. Alban Zusi, and discussed various proposals for cooperation with CBI. …

A stronger position for the Zambian Federation of Employers

The Zambian Federation of Employers (ZFE) have won themselves a much stronger position due to a series of actions opposing governmental plans to raise minimum wages. ZFE’s membership increased by over 10 percent due to the lobby and negotiating process, among the newcomers being some big foreign investors.Since its installation …

A Joint Mission by CBI and DECP

From 25 to 27 March 2012, Mr. Reinoud Nuijten, account manager of the CBI (Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries)  and J.M. Standaert, country manager of DECP,  visited the confederation of Employers of Kosovo, KPK, and met 2 of its prominent members, “Women in Business” and KEA, …

The Trainers are training

On Febr. 14-15  2012,  a special meeting took place in Arusha, Tanzania, of newly trained trainers of the employers’ organisations FKE, ATE, FUE and PSF from resp. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. The objective was twofold: firstly, to support the trainers in deepening their skills and expertise in the field …

Improving communication skills

On February 9-10  DECP  and the  Conseil National du Patronat du Togo (CNPT) had organised a workshop on communication in Lomé.Messrs. Erik Van Vooren and Ronald Driesen had prepared a tailor-made programme in close consultation with Jacob Mondedji of CNPT.  Through a combination of presentations and practical exercises the instructors …

BIZNESAlbania promotes Small and Medium Enterprises

On 2 and 3 February 2012, BIZNESALBANIA organised the BOSMIP 4 conference together with the Faculty of Economy of the University of Tirana. The conference was dedicated to the promotion of SME’s in Albania. The opening session was chaired by Mr. Luan Bregasi, president of BIZNESALBANIA, and addresses were given …

Counseling Small and Medium Enterprise

Thieu Korten, special advisor of DECP, visited the Camara de Industria, a partner of  DECP, for a regular visit to discuss running cooperation projects with the Camara. Meetings were held with the new general manager, Roberto Solorzano and the general manager of the helpdesk for SME’s CENAMI, Juan Carlos Amador. …

Advisory mission to APBiH and UPFBiH

On Wednesday 29 February 2012, J.M. Standaert, country manager of DECP for Bosnia-Herzegovina, visited the state-level organisation APBiH and the entity level organisation UPFBiH.With APBiH he discussed the programme and budget of the forthcoming Round Table on Social Dialogue in Bosnia-Herzegovina which will take place in the framework of the …

Strategic development of RUEA

From 21 to 23 February 2012, J.M. Standaert visited the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia (RUEA) in Yerevan and had several meetings and talks with the management and staff of the organisation together with representatives of NordMatall and the Bildungswerk of the Wirtschaft of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Mr. Manzke and Zimmerman.During …

How to set up training services for employers

DECP together with the training Centre of the International Labour Organisation (ITC/ILO) organised a training about the setting up and managing of training for Employers. This was done in Jakarta from 27 till 29 February 2012 for members of the Employers organisation  Apindo . Experts of the Irish Business and …

DECP and BiznesAlbania step up their cooperation

From 12 to 14 January 2012, J.M. Standaert, country manager for ALBANIA, visited BIZNESALBANIA with the aim to strengthen the cooperation and agree on further initiatives and development of new services for the members, as well as on further streamlining the collection of membership fees. He also had a follow-up …

Implementing the FUE 2012 workplan

The DECP Country Manager for Uganda undertook an advisory mission to the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) in from 9 to 11 January 2012. The mission was to pick up on the FUE-staff meeting last November to prepare the FUE workplan for 2012, which meeting was facilitated by the DECP.  Like …

East African Employers Organisation up and running

In February 2010 the employers organisations at national level of the countries that constitute the East African Community (EAC) unanimously decided the foundation of an East African Employers’ Organisation (EAEO) to represent employers’ interests at EAC level. This EAEO was formally registered on September 12th, 2011.On January 12 and 13 …

Developing the ATE workplan for 2012

DECP involvement in the development of the 2012 work plan for ATE was the   main objective of the advisory mission to the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) by the country manager Andrew Moore from 16 - 18 January 2012.It was clear from discussions during the course of the mission …

The VSB is moving ahead

Special advisor Thieu Korten of DECP paid a regular visit to DECP partner Suriname Trade and Industry Association (VSB/STIA) at the end of November/beginning of December. He combined this visit with attending the Second Regional Meeting of the employers’ organisations of the Dutch West Indies and Suriname in St. Eustatius.DECP …

Enhancing the Apindo secretariat's lobbying skills

On November 22 and 23  2011,  DECP`s Jan Karel Bout and ITC/ILO`s Arnout de Koster gave a training on lobbying for Apindo’s central secretariat in Jakarta.The objective was to improve the secretariat’s lobbying skills in view of the more substantive  role that it is expected to play in the future.The …

Training of Trainers concluded

Negotiating skills are vital tools for most of us but in particular for employers’ organisations. For that reason DECP started a series of training sessions on “Negotiations in Industrial Relations” for the benefit of  VWEC Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council. These sessions are meant to train and coach future trainers using …

Addressing a range of issues with the FUE

From October 31st to November 2nd  2011  DECP undertook a three day mission to the FUE in Kampala. The main objective of this mission was to work closely with the FUE management to see how they can address a number of  financial issues. The mission was also an opportunity for …

How to draft a newsletter for FNPAIA

On 2 and 3 November 2011, J.M. Standaert, country-manager of DECP for Moldova, conducted in Chisinau a workshop for the staff professionals of several regional associations of the FNPAIA, food and agribusiness organisations of Moldova. The workshop was opened by Mr. Alessandru Slusari, president of FNPAIA. The workshop was divided …

DECP is expanding its activities

DECP special advisor Thieu Korten visited DECP partners in Bolivia in the departments of Cochabamba, Oruro and Chuquisaca. A number of current projects in the field of communication, e.g. magazine, electronic bulletin and website, were discussed.There were some preliminary discussions about new projects for setting up a quality-control system for …

Training of trainers in Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)

On 10 and 11 November, BIZNESALBANIA organised a Train-of-trainers workshop on OSH in Tirana with support of DECP. It was opened by Mr. Luan Bregasi, president of BIZNESALBANIA. The lectures were given by ir. Jean-Charles Lysen, international expert on risk-assessment. About 17 Albanian safety managers attended this 2-days workshop: the …

ATE's workplan for 2012

DECP’s Country manager Andrew Moore attended a two day workshop held by the Association of Tanzanian Employers (ATE) in Dar es Salaam on 17 & 18 November 2011 in order to agree on its work plan for 2012. The workshop was held in the knowledge that major funding from DANIDA …

The Private Sector Foundation (PSF) in transition

The Private Sector Federation (PSF) in Rwanda is currently in a state of transition. The CEO had recently resigned from the organisation and the appointment of a new CEO was expected in January. Elections of the Chairs to the ten Chambers within the PSF covering all aspects of the business …

Federation of Uganda Employers' Planning for 2012

Planning for 2012 was the theme of the two day Federation of Uganda Employers (FUEworkshop held in Kampala on 25 & 26 November 2011 and facilitated by the DECP. The workshop provided the FUE staff with an opportunity to look at what they had achieved in 2011 and what they …

Governance and Lobbying for members of the CNPB

On 30 November and 1 December 2011, the “Conseil National du Patronat Burkinabé” (CNPB) organised a workshop on governance of an employers’ organisation and also one on  lobbying. The opening ceremony was chaired by Mr. Nacoulma, 1ste vice-president of CNPB, with a welcome address by both Mr. J.J. Speelman, first …

Establishing the South Asian Forum of Employers (SAFE)

Representatives of the employers organizations of Afghanistan , Bangla Desh , India , Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka met in Colomba, Sri Lanka, on October 4th  and 5th  2011. The meeting was an initiative by DECP ,  the training institute of ILO ( ITC/ILO) and ILO New Delhi.During the meeting …

Getting to know the Employers' Federation of Ceylon

Early in October 2011 Jan Karel Bout visited the Employers Federation of Ceylon in their head- quarters in Colombo the capital of Sri Lanka. During the visit Ravi Peirisand Kanishka Weerasinghe respectively CEO and Deputy CEO of FEC explained the vision : “ to promote social harmony through productive employment …

Lobbying skills are vital

From October 3rd till 7th  2011  DECP organised  workshops on Lobbying in Ho Chi Minh City and in Hanoi.  Subjects dealt with were: collecting information for the lobby campaign, how to prepare the message and how to communicate this message and which tools to use. During the workshops exercises were …

Government appreciates RUEA's role

Under the theme “To a better and healthy life at work”, the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia (RUEA) organised the 2nd Social Partnership Conference in Yerevan: more than 140 experts and representatives of the government and social partners attended this 2 days event which took place on 11 and …

Advising on how to collect subscriptions

From October 22nd  to 26th  2011 DECP’s country manager for Tanzania undertook an advisory mission to the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE)  in Dar es Salaam. This time he concentrated mainly on two important issues. The first was to work with ATE on a number of membership issues which included …

An open discussion on Tourism policy

On 27 October 2011, with the support of DECP, the Business Confederation of Macedonia (BCM) organised a Round Table on the tourism sector of Macedonia, in close cooperation with its member, the Macedonian Chamber of Tourism (MCT). The RT was chaired by Mr. Boshkov, president of BCM. The country-manager of …

Strategic planning for the East African Employers Organisation

The development of the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) was the main focus of a  mission to Nairobi for the DECP.  A meeting took place with Jacqueline Mugo (chair elect) of the EAEO during  which the DECP discussed a proposed Strategic Planning workshop which would look at both the short …

Launching GEA's Business Agenda

Attendance at the 51st Annual General meeting of the Ghana Employers Association was one of the main reasons for the DECP to undertake a mission to Accra from 6-8 September 2011.  The meeting was the opportunity for the GEA to launch its Business Agenda which had been prepared under the …

Launching the FUE Business Agenda

A short mission to Uganda was undertaken by Andrew Moore the DECP country manager on 9 September 2011. The main objective for the mission was to attend the launch of the FUE Business Agenda. The launch was attended by some 100 delegates and the guest of Honour was the Vice …

Persuasive Communication

ARUSHA, 12-14 September 2011. In the framework of a major project* to enhance the capacity of the leading Employers’ Organisations in East-Africa and Ghana, DECP supported a seminar on ‘persuasive communication’ organised in Arusha (Tanzania).  The 3-day seminar proved to be an intelligent mix of knowledge transfer and exercise to …

Drafting a newsletter at BIZNESALBANIA

A workshop on drafting a newsletter was organised for the staff professionals of BIZNESALBANIA and its members on 14 and 15 September 2011 in Tirana. 12 staff professionals (9 women and 3 men) attended the workshop which was conducted by our country manager, J.M. Standaert, and financially supported by DECP.After …

Improving the performance of 25 Branch Associations

On 21 and 22 September 2011  DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS gave a seminar on capacity building for the Mongolian Branch Associations (BA) in Ulaanbaatar. Representatives of 25 BA’s attended the 4 workshops on governance & internal organisation; attracting & keeping members; communication & lobbying; and labour relations & wage …

Acquiring the technique of Job description and Job evaluation

From September 21st to 23rd  2011 DECP organised a workshop in Lusaka, Zambia on job description and job evaluation. The knowledge of job description and how to evaluate jobs is limited in Zambia. ZFE has often been asked by their members to provide this kind of service but had until …

Getting to know the Conseil National du Patronat du Togo

From 25 - 27 September 2011,   Bram van Overbeeke and J.M. Standaert, carried out a fact-finding mission to Togo. They were warmly welcomed by the Bureau and the Executive Director of the “Conseil National du Patronat du Togo”, CNP Togo. They were introduced to the CNPT governing board and received …

Working on key issues with the PSF Kigali

The DECP undertook a short mission to Kigali in order to discuss progress  on the proposals it had put forward for PSF development.The DECP was very pleased to learn that a majority of its proposals had been accepted and had been acted upon. DECP agreed to work on key issues …

Communicating with members and completing the ATE Business Agenda

The DECP undertook one of its regular missions to the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) in Dar es Salaam. The major issues worked on during the mission included enhancing ATE communication with its members by producing not only a more comprehensive monthly “News Flash” but also a monthly “Economic Brief”. Another …

Training the Trainers negotiating skills - sessions 1 and 2

Negotiating skills are important tools for most of us but in particular for employers’ organisations. For that reason DECP has started a cycle of three training courses on “Negotiations in Industrial Relations” for the benefit of  VWEC Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council. These courses are meant to train and coach future …

Revitalising the Federation of West African Employers' Associations ( FWAEA)

From July 4 to 8 -2011,  DECP, ILO/ITC and ProInvest organised a workshop in Dakar with a twofold objective: contributing to a revitalisation of the Federation of West African Employers’ Associations (FWAEA) and strengthen its members by providing training on a number of core issues. The workshop was attended by …

Improving APINDO's lobbying capacity

In the week of July 11 DECP together with ITC/ILO had consultations and workshops for the Indonesian Employers organisation Apindo. The workshops concentrated on strengthening of Lobbying by using research and relevant data. The workshops also discussed the added value the central and regional organisations of Apindo can provide to …

Working on the FKE's Business Agenda and on its Membership Pack

A mission was undertaken to the FKE in the last 2 weeks of July by the country manager Andrew Moore, during which progress was made on a number of important issues.A considerable amount of time was spent with the Head of Research and Advocacy to help put the final touches …

The FUE Membership Pack as a tool for recruitment and retention of members

The DECP mission to the FUE in Uganda in July 2011 was an opportunity to see the newly launched FUE Membership Pack. This publication, which had been supported by the DECP, will provide a major tool in the FUE drive for recruitment and retention of members. It was also agreed …

Safety signs for CNPM and a workshop on FNPAIA's Policy Book

From 7 to 10 June, J.M. Standaert, country manager of DECP for Moldova, visited CNPM as well as their member FNPAIA. At CNPM he participated on Wednesday 8 June, in a workshop with the OSH experts for placing safety signs in the new premises of CNPM, and he next had an …

Training MONEF on 4 key issues

On 13 and 14 June 2011 DECP special advisor Rogier CHORUS gave a seminar on capacity strengthening for the MONEF central secretariat at Ulaanbaatar. With 22 attendants virtually the whole secretariat participated at the 4 workshops on Governance & internal organisation; Attracting & keeping members; Communication & lobbying; and Labour …

Partnership Agreement between the ACCI and DECP

On Thursday June 23rd 2011 the Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) ‘s vice chairman Mr. Khan Jan Alokozai signed, on behalf of ACCI, a partnership agreement with the Dutch Employer’s Cooperation Programme (DECP) in The Hague (The Netherlands).DECP is a joint initiative of the Dutch government and the …

Train the trainers on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH)

From 20 to 24 June DECP and its Vietnamese partner the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized a 3 day Train the Trainers course in Hanoi. The workshop was jointly presented by the OSH-expert Theo-Jan Heesen and the Vietnamese expert Nguyen Hung Cuong …

Workshop making and keeping members and collecting contributions

On 30 June and 1 July, BIZNESALBANIA with the support of DECP organised a special workshop for its members on “making and keeping members”, with a special focus on “collection of contributions”. About 20 staff and board members attended the workshop. Presentations were given by Prof. Erik Van Vooren and …

A step forward for the East African Employers Organisation

The development of the East African Employers Organisation (EAEO) took a significant step forward as a result of two meetings on 9 and 10 May 2011, held in Nairobi, at the offices of the FKE (Federation Kenya Employers).The first meeting was with the Executive Directors of the Employers Organisations from …

Regular visit to the Camara de Industrias Nicaragua

Thieu Korten, special advisor of DECP for Nicaragua, visited the Cámara de Industrias de Nicaragua in Managua from 3rd until the 7th  of May 2011.Current cooperation projects, like the development of a communication strategy, setting up a newsletter and the development of environmental guidelines for SME’s, were discussed.CADIN brought up …

DECP workshops on communication strategy in Bolivia

From 17-21 May, 2011 DECP organized two workshops about communication strategy for 2 umbrella organizations in Bolivia, one established in Oruro and the other one active in the province of Chuquisaca. These federations, the Federación de la Empresa Privada de Oruro and the Federación de la Empresa Privada de Chuquisaca …

DECP meets and trains Pakistan Employers Federation

From May 16–20, 2011 the board members of the Pakistan Employers Federation (EFP) were invited to the Training Centre of ILO in Turin by ITC-ILO and DECP. During these five days the 13 delegates from Pakistan discussed with ITC/ILO and DECP the economic situation of Pakistan and ways and means …

Round Table on the revision of the Labour Law

On Thursday 19 May 2011, CNPM organised a Round Table in Chisinau about the revision of the labour code of Moldova. Last December, the board of CNPM decided that this revision would be a priority for CNPM in 2011. A working group with experts of members of CNPM prepared several …

Modernising the Labour Law

The Vietnamese Labour Code dates back to 1994.  At that time the Vietnamese economy was making its first moves towards a more market oriented economy providing greater opportunity to the private sector. Since that date the number of workers in the private sector increased from a meagre 4.4 million to …

Conference and Advisory Mission to VSB Suriname

Thieu Korten, special advisor of DECP for Suriname, and the DECP specialist for labour relations Sip Nieuwsma, visited the Suriname Trade and Industry Association (VSB) from April 5-9, 2011 to discuss current matters with the president and the general manager of the VSB. Mr. Nieuwsma had prepared the view of …

Advisory missions to Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania

From 6-16April 2011, DECP Country manager Andrew Moore undertook 3 advisory missions to Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania respectively. Below you will find summaries of his visits.Visit to the FUE – Federation of Uganda Employers (Kampala)Mr. Andrew Moore made one of his regular advisory visits to the FUE in Kampala. The …

2 Training Courses in Vietnam

DECP presented 2 training courses in Hanoi in March 2011. The first one, called “Management of Business Associations” dealt with several subjects. DECP’s special advisor Thieu Korten discussed amongst others ‘lobbying’, ‘attracting members’, ‘organisational structure of business associations’, ‘communication’ and ‘services’.In the second workshop DECP’s director Ronald de Leij dealt …

Communication training for women entrepreneurs Mali

As a follow-up to an earlier workshop in 2008 for the Conseil National du Patronat du Mali (CNPM)  DECP, from March 14-18, 2011, organised 2 workshops on Communication for members of the Réseau des Femmes Opératrices Economiques in Mali.Some 45 businesswomen/entrepreneurs attended the workshops, led by Messrs. Van Vooren and …

Advisory mission to Uganda

The DECP country manager for Uganda undertook one of his regular visits to the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) in Kampala from January 31st until February 4, 2011.The issue of the role of FUE in developing a clear advocacy role in Uganda was a key issue discussed during the mission. …

Pro€Invest training in Rwanda and discussions with PSF Rwanda

DECP attended and assisted in the facilitation of the Pro€Invest Seminar on Advocacy held in Kigali from 28 March – 1 April, 2011. This seminar was the opportunity for the Employers Organisations from Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Ghana to report on their progress in developing their Business Agendas and …

Getting to know the FEPO

Thieu Korten, special advisor of DECP, paid a visit to DECP partners in Bolivia from 14 til 23 February 2011.He had meetings with the board of the Federations of employers in the cities Cochabamba, Oruro and Sucre.In Cochabamba the results of an already completed cooperation project, a survey amongst the …

Workshops on Communication in Bolivia

Mid February 2011, DECP-expert Peter Boorsma gave a series of workshops on communication in Bolivia. Participants were the staff and board members of the ‘Federación Entidades Empresariales Privadas de Cochabamba’ and the ‘Federación de Empresarios Privados de Oruro’.In the 2018-2022 programme period, DECP supports employers’ organisations in 22 countries. Employers’ …

Developing OSH policy in Armenia - February

On 23 and 24 February 2011, the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia (RUEA), partner of DECP, organised a coordination meeting in the capital of Yerevan with representatives from the ILO-Moscow office, the German NordMetall and DECP (J.M. Standaert). The main objective of this meeting was to prepare for the …

Advisory mission to Tanzania

An increase of over 12% in membership during 2010 has provided the staff at Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) with encouragement to continue to bring new members into the organisation.In February 2011 the DECP, during the country manager’s mission to Dar es Salaam, explored a number of new ideas for …

The 1st General Assembly of BIZNESALBANIA

After two years of preparatory work and the registration of its statutes on 1 December 2010, BIZNESALBANIA held its first general assembly on 17 February 2011 in Tirana. Twenty-seven associations were present and they elected Mr. Bregasi with a large majority as the president of the confederation.Also were elected 10 …

First negotiation training by ATE, FKE and FUE

One of DECP’s prime objectives is to try to expand and improve the services that its partner organisations are able to offer their members. With that objective in mind DECP organised a number of training workshops in negotiation skills in 2009 and 2010 for members and staff of the EO’s …

How to organise a Job Fair

At the request of the Union of Employers of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (UPFBiH), DECP agreed to sponsor a workshop in Sarajevo for the staff of UPFBiH and the directors of the cantonal Employment Agency about the organisation of job-fairs, based on the experience of “UWV – Banenmarkt” in the …

Sharpening the Business Agenda and other issues at the FKE

From 19-21 January 2011, the DECP Country Manager for Kenya, Andrew Moore, undertook one of his regular advisory missions to the FKE.During the mission discussions took place with senior staff on the continued development of the FKE Membership Pack. The need to involve the FKE regional structure in membership recruitment …

Supporting the informal sector in Rumonge Burundi

On 24 and 25 January 2011, the Association of Employers of Burundi (AEB)  organised 2 conferences with representatives of the informal sector, especially from the fishery on Lake Tanganyika, and from the palm oil producers. A first part of the conference contained a presentation of the AEB, explaining its organisation, aims …

Getting to know the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry

In the last week of January 2011, DECP met with an eleven fold delegation of high-ranking executives and staff of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). The three day meeting was held at the ITC/ILO training centre in Turin and was very informative to both sides. ACCI presented …

Maximising the influence of Employers' Organisations

One of DECP’s most ambitious current projects is the one undertaken with the ILO-ITC with a grant by the EU’s Pro€Invest programme.  It involves employers’ organisations (EO’s)  in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The overall objective  is to contribute to the improvement of the business climate in East-Africa and Ghana, by stimulating private sector development through the …

Training-of-trainers in negotiation skills (Kenya)

Negotiation skills are very important to every employer. Training such skills is an important and rewarding task for an employers’ organization.  After try-outs in Kenya and Uganda in 2008, DECP,  in close cooperation with the Dutch General Employers’ Association AWVN and with the assistance of ITC/ILO, started a training of trainers project on …

workshops on Occupational Safety and Health

Together with the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, DECP organized two workshops of 1,5 days each on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH). The workshops were held in the Vietnamese cities of Quy Nhon and Can Tho.  During the workshop introduction, Thieu Korten of DECP underlined the importance of a good OSH policy …

Launch of policy book by FNPAIA Moldova

During a special session in Chisinau on Wednesday 24 November, chaired by its president, Mr. Alexandr Slusari, the Council of FNPAIA, the Federation of Agriculture and Food Industry of Moldova, approved the Policy Book. This Book contains 16 chapters with proposals and suggestions for improvement of the business of the …

Training on membership of APINDO in Indonesia

In the context of the cooperation agreement between the Indonesian Employers and Business organisations KADIN and APINDO and DECP, DECP -in cooperation with ITC/ILO- gave follow-up trainings to Indonesian Employers of APINDO. The participants expressed that the trainings were very successfulThe trainings took place on 29 and 30 November in Jakarta and on 2 and …

Advisory missions to Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania

Andrew Moore, the DECP Country Manager for a number of East African countries, travelled to the following countries, visiting DECP’s partner organisations in the region: The Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE), Kampala, 26 November – 4 December After attending the ProInvest training in Kampala on “How to set up and run sustainable training services”, Andrew Moore …

Advisory mission to UPFBiH in Bosnia-Herzegovina

From 11 to 13 October, J.M. Standaert, DECP country manager for the Balkan region, paid a visit to the Union of Employers of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina (UPFBiH) in order to discuss new proposals for cooperation. These proposals were submitted by the new director of UPFBiH, Mr. Mladen Pandurevic.  Mr. Standaert also visited the …

The Employer of the Year Award in Zambia

The Zambian Federation of Employers held its 2010 Employer of  the Year Award on Saturday 23rd October 2010 at Taj Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka. Deserving employers were awarded based on the exemplary workplace policies they introduced as well as programs aimed at improving productivity. This year a new category on Corporate Social responsibility was included. …

Advisory mission to VSB in Suriname

Thieu Korten, special advisor of DECP for Suriname, visited the Suriname Trade and Industry Association (STIA- VSB) from 19th – 22nd of October.  He had in-depth discussions with both the president and the general manager of the VSB and an agreement was reached about some future projects and workshops. Action will be taken to reduce the number of …

Drafting a Policy Book of the FNPAIA

In view of the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Moldova, DECP agreed to support FNPAIA (National Federation of Employers in Agriculture & Food Industry) in preparing a “Policy Book” of the organisation with the views and wishes of the members regarding the policy towards agriculture and food processing industry in Moldova.  FNPAIA is the umbrella organisation of all agriculture …

Advisory missions DECP country manager to Rwanda, Ghana and Tanzania

Andrew Moore, the DECP country manager, travelled to Rwanda, Ghana and Tanzania for advisory visits to the DECP’s  partner organisations PSF, GEA and ATE. The Rwanda Private Sector Federation (PSF) October 21-22. Andrew Moore had prepared a paper outlining a number of steps which could be taken in order to strengthen PSF’s operations. He discussed his …

support in drafting a workplan for the AEB

With the aim to develop an action plan to strengthen the AEB, Mr. J.M. Standaert visited the AEB, the Association of Employers of Burundi, from 8 to 11 September 2010 in Bujumbura. He had an extended range of meetings with the secretary-general of the AEB, Mr. Gaspard Nzisabira, on the ways to develop new …

Macedonia: Advocacy on seasonal work in food processing industry

On Thursday 23 September 2010, the Business Confederation of Macedonia (formerly called CERM) organised a Round Table in Skopje during which it presented a report on the assessment of Regulations and Practices on the Seasonal Employment in Agribusiness in Macedonia.  This Round Table was attended by several stakeholders and representatives of the social partners. …

Advisory missions by DECP country manager to Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania

Andrew Moore, the DECP Country Manager for a number of East African countries, travelled to the following countries, visiting DECP’s partner organisations in the region: The Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE)  20-21 September 2010. The key objective of this two day visit was to work with FKE staff on the development of their “Business Agenda”. During …

National Conference on Social Partnership

On Thursday 29 September 2010, the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia (RUEA), with the financial support of DECP, organised in Yerevan the First National Conference on Social Partnership. The aim of the conference was to improve the social partnership in Armenia after the conclusion of the Social Partnership Agreement in April 2009. The opening …

advisory mission to CNPM

From 2-4 August 2010 Bram Van Overbeeke visited the Conseil National du Patronat du Mali (CNPM) in Bamako (Mali) at the occasion of the inauguration of the new CNPM headquarters. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the president of Mali, quite a few cabinet ministers and many other dignitaries, thereby recognising the importance they attach to the private sector in general …

Workshops on Collective Bargaining in Vietnam

Labour relations are vital to every economy and even more to labour intensive economies of developing countries. Vietnam is one of these countries. Unsettling  labour  disputes  and  frequent  strikes  jeopardize  the  process  of  development  and even when they  are sparked by an understandable desire to improve labour and  employment conditions, they easily end up …

workshop on Communication

From August 30th to September 3rd 2010  DECP and the Conseil National du Patronat Burkinabé (CNPB) jointly organised 2 workshops on Communication for the benefit of the staff and members of the CNPB.  Both the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Deputy Ambassador of The Netherlands addressed the opening ceremony, thus underscoring their commitment and …

Cooperation DECP with RUEA Armenia

From 5 to 9 July 2010 a delegation of IOE and ILO/ACT/EMP visited the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia. In September 2009 DECP concluded a Partnership Agreement with RUEA.  During the visit of above delegation, the director of RUEA invited all main project-partners to exchange ideas and information on the further development of …

advisory mission to CADIN

Thieu Korten, special advisor of DECP for Nicaragua, visited the Cámara de Industrias de Nicaragua (CADIN) in Managua from 8th until the 13th of July.  Possible cooperation projects were discussed, like the setting up of a newsletter and a magazine, the development of environmental guidelines on a sector basis and a sector model for setting up …

Visit to CERM/BCM in Macedonia

From 13 to 15 July 2010, Mr. Standaert, country manager of DECP for Macedonia, paid an advisory visit to CERM in Skopje.  The Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Macedonia has recently changed its name into “Business Confederation of Macedonia”. With this change the organisation wants to underline that it is more …

Training of trainers in negotiation techniques, Dar es Salaam, July 2010

From Wednesday 14 July till Friday 16 July 2010 a training of trainers in negotiation skills was held in Dar Es Salaam. Under the auspices of DECP and with the logistic support of ITC/ILO, trainers of the AWVN (the Dutch General Employers Association) trained trainers of DECP-partners in Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya …

Advisory mission: DECP visits several business organisations in Bolivia

DECP’s special advisor for Bolivia, Thieu Korten, visited Bolivia from 25th of July until  1st of August. Several business organisations were visited like the umbrella organisation for the department of Cochabamba, the Federación Empresarios Privados de Cochabamba (FEPC), and the Cámara de la Construcción in the same city. Future projects, like the publication of a …

Workshops on communication and lobby, held in Vietnam

From April 12-16, 2010 two workshops on communication and lobby were jointly organized by the DECP and the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (branch of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry - VWEC). DECP director Ronald de Leij and special advisor Thieu Korten were the trainers for these events. The first workshop was given …

BOSMIP III seminar with APBiH in Sarajevo

On 10 and 11 June 2010, the APBiH, the association of employers of Bosnia - Herzegovina (state level) organised an international seminar on the role of SME’s in the economic development.  This seminar took place in the framework of the BOSMIP 3 programme of BUSINESSEUROPE with funds of EuropeAid.  Examples of policies of 2 …

Workshops on capacity building in Mongolia

DECP special advisors Thieu Korten and Rogier Chorus gave several workshops on capacity building for the regional branches of the Mongolian Employers Federation MONEF in the provinces of Uvs (West Mongolia) and Dornod (East Mongolia).  The first workshop took place on 23 and 24 June 2010 in Ulaangom, the capital of the Uvs province, with …

Advisory mission to EEF in Ethiopia

On June 30 and July 1 DECP special advisor Jan Karel Bout visited Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. The purpose of his visit was to evaluate the development of the private sector in this country and to investigate possibilities to strengthen the Ethiopian Employers Federation (EEF).  During this visit consultations took place with the Minister of …

Visit to AEB and AFAB in Burundi

From 12 to 15 May, J.M. Standaert, special advisor DECP, visited AEB and AFAB in Bujumbura, Burundi. AEB, the Association of Employers of Burundi, had organised an important Round Table on  21st April, at which the leaders of the main political parties of Burundi were invited.  The purpose of the Round Table was to present the Memorandum of …

Promotional conferences KPK Kosovo

On 26 and 27 May 2010, J.M. Standaert, special advisor, attended 2 out of 8 regional conferences that the Confederation of Employers of Kosovo (KPK) organised with the support of DECP. They took place in Ferizaj and Gjilan. The aim of the conferences was to hear from local businessmen the difficulties and problems encountered …

Workshop 'Result oriented communication' held in Zambia

On May 26 & 27, 2010, DECP organised a workshop together with the Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) in Lusaka, Zambia  entitled “Result oriented communication”.  The workshop was given by Jannes van der Velde, a Dutch communications expert.The participants were staff members of the Zambia Federation of Employers as well as ZFE member companies. Together they practised basic communication …

first workshop in the framework of BOSMIP 3

On 8 and 9 April 2010, DECP attended the first of a series of workshops organised in the framework of BOSMIP 3 for the employers’ organisations of the Western Balkan countries.BOSMIP 3 is an initiative of BUSINESSEUROPE and funded by EuropeAid. This first meeting was organised by the Confederation of …

advisory mission to BIZNESALBANIA.

On 27 to 30 April 2010, Mr. J.M. Standaert, special advisor of DECP, visited Tirana with the aim to examine with the promotors of BIZNESALBANIA about the state of their registration at the court of Tirana.  More than 30 sector and local business organisations of Albania decided on 8 January 2009, during a founding assembly, …

Advisory missions DECP country manager to Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda

Andrew Moore, the DECP Country Manager for a number of East African countries, travelled to the following countries, visiting DECP’s partner organisations in the region: Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE): April 24th – May 1st During this visit to Kampala, he took the opportunity of visiting the Eastern regional office of the FUE, where he had meetings …

Advisory missions DECP country manager to Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda

Andrew Moore, the DECP Country Manager for a number of East African countries, travelled to the following countries, visiting DECP’s partner organisations in the region:Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE): April 24th – May 1stDuring this visit to Kampala, he took the opportunity of visiting the Eastern regional office of the …

Advisory missions DECP country manager to Tanzania, Nairobi, Rwanda and Uganda

Andrew Moore, the DECP Country Manager for a number of East African countries, travelled to the following countries, visiting DECP’s partner organisations in the region:Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE): April 24th – May 1stDuring this visit to Kampala, he took the opportunity of visiting the Eastern regional office of the …

Advisory missions DECP country manager to Tanzania, Nairobi, Rwanda and Uganda

Andrew Moore, the DECP Country Manager for a number of East African countries, travelled to the following countries, visiting DECP’s partner organisations in the region:Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE): April 24th – May 1stDuring this visit to Kampala, he took the opportunity of visiting the Eastern regional office of the …

Visit of BIZNESALBANIA to a 'clean industry center' in Bulgaria

On Wednesday 24 March 2010, DECP organised a visit of Mr. Sala, International relations coordinator of BIZNESALBANIA, to the “clean industry center” of the Bulgarian Industrial Association – Union of Bulgarian Business (BIA-UBB).  Mr. Sala was accompanied by Mr. J.M. Standaert, special advisor of DECP. They were welcomed by Mrs. Iliana Pavlova, expert of …

Visit of CNPM Moldova to OSH center in Bulgaria

From 24 to 26 March 2010, DECP organised a visit of a delegation of CNPM (Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Moldova) to the external OSH service center set-up by the Industrial Association of Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. This center was set-up in 2002 in the framework of the cooperation …

President of DECP speaks at 60th anniversary of the Suriname employers' organisation VSB

In his speech Bernard Wientjes emphasized the importance of an employers' organisation in a globalising world. Wientjes told from his own experience (he is a former board member of a multinational company for ceramic products) how important it is for  companies to speak with one voice and to be a member of an organisation which lobbies the government for a good business climate in …

Visit to Nepal to train and speak with Nepalese and Pakistan Employers Federations

From 22 till 27 March 2010 Jan Karel Bout of DECP visited the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. This to train -in cooperation with ITC/ILO- the boards of the Nepalese and Pakistan Federations on Lobbying.The objective of the training was to contribute to capacity building of both federations in their core function …

Workshop on social security held at SEC, Workshop on social security held at SEC, Suriname

Via  its  Surinam  partner  VSB  (Vereniging  Surinaams  Bedrijfsleven)  DECP  was  asked  to conduct  a  workshop  on  national  social  security  for members  and  deputy  members  of  the Social Economic Council of Suriname, in which VSB is one of the major participants.  This workshop took place from March 29 – 31st, 2010. The  SEC  had  taken …

DECP financed strategic plan for Bolivian employers' organization

DECP financed the drafting of a strategic plan for the Federación de Entidades Empresariales Privadas de Cochabamba (FEPC), the umbrella employers’organisation for the department of Cochabamba in Bolivia.The plan was drafted by a Bolivian consultant and sets goals for the reinforcement of the structure of FEPC, the improvement of the …

Workshop on Communication and Lobby for Bolivian FEPC

DECP signed a Partnership Agreement with the Federación de Entidades Empresariales Privadas de Cochabamba (FEPC) on the 3rd of February 2010. DECP will provide FEPC with professional expertise and guidance concerning the advocacy of employers' interests, the provision of services to member-organisations and thestrengthening of FEPC’s organizational structures.DECP's and FEPC's …

Workshop training APINDO secretariat

Together with ITC-ILO and with the cooperation of ILO Jakarta, Jan Karel Bout from DECP trained the Central Staff of the Indonesian Employers organisation APINDO in Jakarta.  The training –held from 8 till 11 February 2010-  was meant to improve the skills of the APINDO secretariat in advocacy, communication with members, services to members …

dvisory mission to KPK Kosovo

From 16 to 19 February 2010, J.M. Standaert of DECP visited the Kosovo employers' organisation KPK in Prishtina. In the new premises of KPK, he had meetings with Mr. Ajri Begu, president of KPK, together with his main assistants. Some of the matters discussed included the making of a strategic plan for the …

Advisory missions to Tanzania, Ghana and Kenya

From January 31st until February 20, 2010 the DECP Country manager Andrew Moore travelled to several African countries to carry out advisory missions to: Association of Tanzania Employers in Dar es Salaam (31-1 til 7-2-2010) Main objective of his visit was to attend a two day workshop attended by all ATE senior staff during which they …

Meeting of East-African Employers' Organisations in Kampala

Ronald de Leij and Andrew Moore represented DECP on a visit to the FUE in Kampala for three major events. The first conference was a meeting of the Executive Directors and Presidents of the East African Employers Organisations. The main purpose was to reach agreement on how the EO’s would represent their interests towards the East …

Getting to know the Conseil National du Patronat Burkinabé

From 8 to 10 February a DECP delegation consisting of Jean-Marie Standaert and Bram Van Overbeeke carried out a fact-finding mission to Burkina Faso. The objective was to get to know the Conseil National du Patronat Burkinabe (CNPB) and identify possible areas of cooperation. The delegation found the CNPB to …

Advisory missions to Tanzania, Ghana and Kenya

From January 31st until February 20, 2010 the DECP Country manager Andrew Moore travelled to several African countries to carry out advisory missions to: Association of Tanzania Employers in Dar es Salaam (31-1 til 7-2-2010) Main objective of his visit was to attend a two day workshop attended by all ATE senior staff during which they …

Advisory missions to Tanzania, Ghana and Kenya

From January 31st until February 20, 2010 the DECP Country manager Andrew Moore travelled to several African countries to carry out advisory missions to: Association of Tanzania Employers in Dar es Salaam (31-1 til 7-2-2010) Main objective of his visit was to attend a two day workshop attended by all ATE senior staff during which they …

Advisory mission to VSB Suriname

DECP special advisor Thieu Korten paid his regular visit to the VSB, the Suriname Trade and Industry Association to discuss the completion of the Twinning project, the organisation of VSB's bureau and the financial position of the association, the overall communication policy and possible projects for 2010.With the support of …

Combined advisory missions to Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya

From 14 -18 December 2009 DECP's country manager, Andrew Moore visited the DECP partner organisations in the 3 countries mentioned above.In Uganda he took the opportunity to attend part of the Negotiation training offered to the staff and members of the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE) by trainers of the …

Training-of-trainers in negotiation techniques

From 9 till 11 December 2009 trainers from Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda were trained in negotiation processes and techniques. The training took place in Kampala and was hosted by the Federation of Uganda Employers FUE. The trainers were Dirk Joosse and Marjolein Otter, experts from the Dutch employers organisation …

Advisory mission to Burundi

As the follow-up of the fact-finding visit of a DECP-delegation in July 2009 to the Association of Employers of Burundi (AEB) and to the Association of Business Women of Burundi (AFAB), J.M. Standaert, special advisor of DECP, travelled to Bujumbura from 13 to 17 December 2009.The purpose of his visit …

Training-of-trainers by the Vietnam Women Entrepreneur Council on 'Start your Business'.

In the last days of December 2009, the Vietnam Women Entrepreneurs Council (VWEC) of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce, hosted a training-of-trainers course on 'How to start your Business' (SYB).The objective of this activity was to increase the number of trainers on this subject as well as to create a …

Workshops on Communication in Nicaragua

DECP gave a workshop on Communication and image building for the umbrella employers’ organisation COSEP and its members in Managua, Nicaragua, on 16th and 17th of November.The workshop was split into two parts: one for board members and CEO’s which concentrated more on strategic issues and one for the communication …

Presence DECP at 2 activities of CERM in Macedonia

In the framework of the “Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009”, the Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Macedonia (CERM) organised a conference in Skopje on Tuesday 17 November during which Mr. J.M. Standaert, Special Advisor of DECP, was invited to hold a presentation on the Role of BRO (Business Representative …

Workshop in-depth Lobby for employers' organizations in West Africa

From October 12 to 16  2009,  Bram Van Overbeeke attended a seminar organised by DECP and ITC/ILO on Lobbying in depth. Employers' organisations from Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Guinee Conakry, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Tchad and Togo took part in what was a lively and useful seminar. Frequent …

Employer of the Year Award organised by the Zambia Federation of Employers

On October 23rd, the Zambia Federation of Employers successfully held the Employer Award of the Year. DECP supported ZFE in this promotional event.In total 9 awards were given to Employers in the categories of fighting HIV/AIDS in the workplace, Occupational Health and Safety and Environment and in the category of …

Advisory mission to Association of Tanzania Employers

The DECP Country Manager for Tanzania, Andrew Moore, made one of his regular visits the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) in Dar es Salaam from 21 -26 October 2009.One of the major objectives for his visit was to work with staff on preparing a membership survey which will act as …

Partnership Agreement with the VCCI and workshop on Lobbying and Communication

DECP signed a Partnership Agreement with the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) in Hanoi on the 23rd of October, 2009. The PA was signed by the first executive vice-president of the VCCI, Mr. Hoang Van Dung on behalf of the VCCI and Mr. Ronald de Leij, director of …

Advisory mission to the FUE in Uganda

A regular mission to the FUE was undertaken by Andrew Moore, the DECP country manager, from 26 – 30 October 2009.The main objective of his mission was to work with FUE senior staff in trying to put in place a financial strategy which will enable FUE to meet all its …

Advisory mission to FKE in Kenya

The Country Manager for Kenya, Andrew Moore, made one of his regular missions to the FKE (Federation of Kenya Employers) in Nairobi from 14 -18 September 2009.During the course of his visit Andrew had the opportunity of meeting -on an individual basis- with all the senior staff in order to …

Advisory mission to Ghana Employers Association

Andrew Moore, the DECP Country Manager for Ghana, made one of his regular visits to the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) from 21-25 September 2009.He had meetings with the President of the GEA Charles Cofie, during which he discussed a number of issues on how the GEA can enhance its profile …

Advisory mission to Moldova

In the framework of the Partnership Agreement signed with CNPM in June 2008, Jean-Marie Standaert, special advisor of DECP, visited the 2 employers' organisations CNPM and FNPAIA end of September 2009 in Chisinau.  Both organisations expect now important changes from the new government as the main proposals formulated by the employers’ …

Advisory mission to the FUE in Uganda

From August 3 till 7, Andrew Moore undertook an advisory mission to the FUE in Kampala to discuss a number of important issues with the Executive Director, Ms Rosemary Ssenabulya, as well as with her staff.Among the several issues discussed was how to make the regional offices (3 in total …

Advisory mission to the ATE in Tanzania

DECP Country manager Andrew Moore visited the Association of Tanzania Employers ATE from August 10 -14, 2009 as part of his regular advisory missions to ATE.As part of the 5-year plan of DANIDA/COWI to support the ATE in strengthening their Association, it had already been agreed upon during Andrew's visit …

ITC-DECP workshop in Malaysia on services by employers organisations

Employer's organisation often hold in depth knowledge of great interest to their members. Or have easy access to such knowledge via outside experts or experts from member-companies. Sharing such knowledge with their members can be done in many ways. Organising training is not just one of such ways, it is …

Training-of-trainers in negotiation skills Rwanda

From July 6-10, two trainers from the general employers association AWVN in The Netherlands, Marjolein Otter and Dirk Joosse, travelled to Kigali to teach future trainers on how to give a training in negotiation techniques. They were accompanied and assisted by DECP's special advisor Jan Karel Bout.  The objective of this …

Joint ILO-ITC and DECP training on 'Resource mobilisation and project design' Turin

From June 1 till 5 2009 a seminar on "Resource mobilisation and project design for employers’ organisations in the Balkan countries and CIS” was organised by ITC-ILO in Turin. The event was co-funded by DECP and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The trainers were Mrs. Tita Francese and Mr. …

New food and drink association in Albania

After several months of preparatory work, the foundation of the new association of food and drink industries of Albania took place on Tuesday 9 June in Hotel Tirana International.The assembly was chaired by Mr. Luan Bregasi, a former chairman of the Chamber of Commerce of Tirana and well-known businessman in …

CERM Macedonia: start of a pilot project for servicing SME's

Based on a similar pilot-project of the ILO on the collection of social contributions in Bulgaria in 2005, the Confederation of Employers’ of the Republic of Macedonia (CERM), with the support of DECP, has started on 1 June a pilot project in 3 towns (Skopje, Prilep and Kavadarci) for servicing …

Round Table discussion on Labour Law by MONEF Mongolia

In view of drafting a position paper on the review of the Labour Law, the Mongolian Employers Federation MONEF organised a Round Table Discussion for their members on June 15th, 2009. Present were approx. 25 companies, mainly the larger ones, and some representatives of sector associations.Thieu Korten was present on …

Basic regional workshops in Gobi Sumber and Arkhangai, Mongolia

On June 17th and 18th  2009 following workshops were held in the province of Gobi Sumber (in the South of Mongolia):- Role and Function of an EO;- Lobbying;- Governance;- Attracting membersRegional organisations of the Mongolian Employers Federation MONEF were invited. In total 6 provinces participated in this workshop (30 participants). …

Workshop on revenue building for UPCG Montenegro

On 6 and 7 May, UPCG, the Montenegrin Employers’ Federation, organized a workshop for its staff- and board-members about revenue building by an employers’ organization. The workshop was opened by a presentation by the secretary general, Mr. Vladimir Curovic, about the situation of the revenues of UPCG during the past …

Workshop on 'Project design'

The Private Sector Federation (PSF) is the employers' organisation of Rwanda, dedicated to promoting and representing the interests of the Rwandan business community. As part of its dedication to promoting the private sector, the PSF developed a capacity building project with the goal to empower the Rwandan private sector and …

ILO-ITC and DECP workshop on 'The effective employers' organization' held in Ethiopia

From 6-9 May, the basic training on 'The effective employers' organization' was given to Board, staff and members of the Ethiopian Employers Federation (EEF).  Tutors for this workshop were Arnout de Koster of ITC/ILO, Francis Sanzouango of  ILO Geneva and Jan Karel Bout of DECP who gave presentations and lead …

Advisory mission to PSF Rwanda

From May 11-14 DECP's special advisor Andrew Moore undertook one of his regular visits to the Private Sector Federation PSF in Kigali. The main objective of his visit was to work with the staff on the development of a strategic plan for the delivery of services. As for every employers' …

Advisory mission to FKE Kenya

DECP, represented by Country Manager Andrew Moore, was present during the 50th Anniversary of the Federation of Kenya Employers. On May 18 & 19, they had organised a two-day Conference on “The financial crises, economic recovery and employment”. Andrew was asked to speak about some of the problems being faced …

Governance Services and Attracting Members

From May 26 until 30, 2009 DECP's special advisors Jean-Marie Standaert and Thieu Korten visited the umbrella organisation FEPC (Federación de Entidades Empresariales Privadas de Cochabamba) to discuss current matters with them and to give 3 workshops.The FEPC was founded in 1969 and has 15 members, the Chambers (in Latin …

CERM Macedonia: set-up of a pilot project for assisting members in calculation of social contributions

From 1 to 3 April, Jean-Marie Standaert attended several meetings organised by the Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Macedonia (CERM) with the aim to setup a new service for its members by assisting them in calculating the social contributions. Since 1 January 2009, strange enough, the government of …

Training for the eastern provinces and districts of APINDO Indonesia

From March 30th til April 3rd , 2009 the training 'Effective Employers Organization'  took place on the island of Bali. In total 43 participants from 15 APINDO branches from the eastern regions of Indonesia were trained. The training was the fourth training organized by ITC/ILO, ILO Jakarta and DECP since …

Visit to FUE's regional branch in Uganda

From March 30 til April 3rd, DECP country manager Andrew Moore visited the FUE in Uganda. Main purpose of his visit was to familiarise himself with the work of the FUE in their 3 regional branches.  Together with FUE's Executive Director Ms. Rosemary Ssenabulya and Chairman Mr. Aloysius Ssemanda, one of …

Advisory mission to ATE Tanzania

On April 14th,DECP's special advisor Andrew Moore undertook a four day visit to the Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE) in Dar es Salaam.  Most of the visit was concentrated on the issue of membership and how the ATE can drive this forward. The key to ATE success or failure will be …

Advisory mission to Ghana Employers Association

From April 20-24 Andrew Moore, DECP's Country Manager for Ghana, paid a visit to GEA in Accra to discuss current affairs. He was received by Alex Frimpong, who has been acting Executive Director for the last six months since the former Executive Director accepted a position with the International Labour …

Advisory mission to RUEA Armenia

On 28 and 29 April, Mr. J.M. Standaert, special advisor DECP, paid a visit to the Republican Union of Employers of Armenia (RUEA) as a follow-up of the seminar on OSH (Occupational Health & Safety) in November 2007.On Monday 27 April RUEA had signed an important Agreement on Social Partnership …

Workshop on communication for the Surinam Trade and Industry Association

In cooperation with the Suriname Trade and Industry Association (VSB) DECP organised a workshop on communication in the capital Paramaribo. Not only the staff of the VSB participated in the workshop, but also communication managers of the larger companies in Suriname and representatives of 2 ministries and the Central Bank …

Investment Seminar Suriname organised by VSB and the Dutch Embassy

During his trip to Suriname, Thieu Korten also attended –on April 24th- a conference on the investment climate in Suriname, subsidised by the Dutch Embassy and DECP. Some 60 participants from business, government and other institutions were present, as well as Mr. Peter-Derrek Hof, Head of Economic Affairs of the …

Joint training ITC-ILO and DECP for staff and members at ATE Tanzania

From March 2 til 4, 2009 , the DECP -together with the ILO Training Centre Turin- conducted a three day “Effective Employers Organisation” training programme for ATE staff and members in Bagamoyo, north of Dar es Salaam.  The training was undertaken by Ronald de Leij and Andrew Moore from DECP and …

Workshops on communication, attracting members & Lobbying in Vietnam

On March 10 and 11, 2009 DECP gave a number of workshops on Communication, Attracting members and Lobbying for the staff of Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and their regional branches in Hanoi.   The workshops were opened by Secretary General of the Bureau for Employers’ Activities and vice-president …

Advisory mission to CNPM Moldova

As follow-up of the Partnership Agreement signed in June 2008 between CNPM and DECP, J.M. Standaert visited the Confederation of Employers of Moldova in Chisinau and its main members, FNPAIA (agriculture and food processing), ConDruMat (construction and building materials) and UTD (road transport). This visit took place from 11 to …

KPK conferences with sector organisations in Kosovo

In months of February and March 2009, the Konfederation of Employers of Kosovo (KPK), with the support of DECP, has organised workshops with representatives of different sector organizations like the association of auto-dealers, association of manufacturers, health association, association of trade, association of producers of nonalcoholic drinks, agriculture association, construction …

Advisory mission to Nicaragua and signing of Partnership agreement

DECP signed a Partnership Agreement with the CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE LA EMPRESA PRIVADA (COSEP), the umbrella employers' organisation in Nicaragua and the CAMARA DE INDUSTRIAS DE NICARAGUA (CADIN) on the Annual Meeting of CADIN on the 12th of February 2009.The Dutch Ambassador Lambert Grijns was present at the signing ceremony. …

Advisory mission to Federation of Uganda Employers

On February 26th 2009, Country manager Andrew Moore was invited by the FUE to attend the FUE Annual Employer of the Year Award as a guest. This is a major event in the FUE calendar and an excellent opportunity for members to meet and network.The event was attended by some …

Advisory mission to Macedonia and Partnership Agreement with CERM

Conclusions/Follow-up Action/Recommendation : During a Board meeting on February 24, CERM (Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Macedonia) and DECP signed a Partnership AgreementAs introduction to the signature, DECP's Director, Mr. de Leij, expressed his happiness to be in Macedonia and to sign a partnership agreement with an independent employers’ …

exchange of experiences in collective bargaining

The new partner of DECP, the Serbian Association of Employers, has recently agreed with the Trade Unions and the Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Serbia, to start negotiations for concluding collective agreements at the level of 6 important sectors.In view of the start of those negotiations, the SAE …

BIZNESALBANIA: new Confederation of Employers of Albania

On 8 January 2009 the founding assembly of BIZNESALBANIA took place in Hotel Tirana International. 28 sector and regional employers’ organizations decided to set-up a new Confederation of Employers of Albania.The main sectors represented were the construction sector, several branches of food an drinks, bank and insurance, distribution, textile and …

Advice to MONEF Mongolia Employers Federation

During a one week visit to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, DECP agreed on an activity programme with the Mongolian Employers Federation (MONEF) for 2009. Parts of this activity programme are amongst others a joint training programme of DECP and MONEF for the regional branches in the rural areas and a legal advice …

Training 'Effective employers' organisation' for Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries

This training was organised bij ILO/ ITC and DECP on behalf of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries in Turin, from 10 – 13 November 2008.The new Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI)  is the result of a recent merger between the old ACCI and the Afghanistan International …

support in setting up new employers' confederations

From 19 to 21 November 2008, J.M. Standaert, special advisor of DECP for the Balkan- and Caucasus countries, visited Tirana with the aim to meet and exchange views with representatives of several employers’ organizations about the setting-up of new employers’ confederations.He met the president and vice-president of the important Albanian …

Promotional Conferences of KPK in Kosovo

From 9 to 12 December 2008, DECP supported the organisation of 3 new promotional conferences of the KPK, the Confederation of Employers of Kosovo.These conferences were organized in Peja, Mitrovica and in the capital of Prishtina. The last conference was held for the Women’s Business Association.The conferences were opened by …

Workshop

From October 6-9, 2008 a training course on 'In-depth Services for members' was held in Dakar, Senegal for representatives of French speaking African countries. A total of 25 participants were present from employers' organizations of: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinée Conakry, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo.The event was …

Mission and workshops in Zambian Federation of Employers

A DECP-delegation, consisting of director Jan Karel Bout, deptuty director Thieu Korten, and communication Expert Jannes van der Velde, visited Zambia from 7th to 11th of October. Workshops were given to staff and board members of the Zambian Federation of Employers (ZFE), the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Chamber …

Workshop on Occupational Safety and Health in Surinam

DECP advised VSB on several issues during a mission from 26th to 30th of May.An appointment was made about setting up an OSH-workshop in October/November.The new Magazine "de Werkgever", which will be issued shortly, and other publications were discussed.The newly developed PME-model for Suriname, meant to monitor and evaluate the …

Promotional Conferences of KPK in Kosovo

A new Employers’ Confederation was founded on 9 June 2008 in Kosovo. It is called KPK, Kosovo Employers’ Confederation. Chairman is Prof. Ajri Begu, former chairman of the Governing Board of the BPK, the Banking and Payment Authority of Kosovo.With the aim of attracting new members, KPK and DECP organized …

Conference on Food Safety in Skopje (Macedonia)

On 27 October, the Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Macedonia organized an important Conference on Food Safety in cooperation with the Confederation of the food and drink industries of the EU (CIAA), in the framework of the Business Support Programme funded by Europeaid.The conference took place in the …

Fact-finding mission and workshops in Nicaragua

A DECP delegation which consisted of deputy director Thieu Korten, office manager Christine Rehbock and VNO-NCW senior advisor Sip Nieuwsma visited Nicaragua from 8th to 12th of September to set up a cooperation programme with the Cámara de Industrias de Nicaragua (CADIN) and the umbrella organisation COSEP.Thru meetings with the …

Workshop

From September 8-12 a training course on in-depth Lobby was held at the ILO / ITC training centre in Turin for several English speaking African countries. A total of 22 participants were present from employers' organizations of: Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.The event was a follow-up …

Advice to VSB Surinam on their communication policy

From August 16 – 21, 2008 VSB received the visit of Roel Smit, Chief editor of FORUM, the weekly magazine of  the largest Dutch Confederation VNO-NCW. Roel Smit travelled to Paramaribo as a DECP expert in order to advise the Surinam Employers' Organisation VSB on how to improve  their various …

Workshop on Risk Assessment in Macedonia

From August 25-28 a workshop on Risk Assessment was organized by the new local secretariat of the Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Macedonia (CERM) in Prilep. The workshop was its first activity and thus a good opportunity to gain visibility by the local industry.About 20 safety experts of …

Workshop on negotiation techniques, held in Kenya and Uganda

Three-day workshops on negotiation techniques were held in Kenya (20 - 22 August) and in Uganda (26 - 28 August). The local organisation of the workshops was carried out respectively by the Federation of Kenya Employers and the Federation of Uganda Employers.In both countries staff members of the employers' federation …

IT equipment for Ghana Employers Association (GEA)

End of July, Bernard Wientjes as Chairman of the DECP Board, formally handed over IT equipment to the President and Executive Director of GEA. This basic IT equipment was provided for and installed through the intermediary of Unilever Ghana, after which DECP reimbursed Unilever for the cost. The equipment will …

Workshop on Occupational Safety & Health (OSH), held in Moldova

One of the points mentioned in the recently signed Partnership Agreement between CNPM and DECP was that DECP would assist in the implementation of the new Moldovan regulation on OSH.In her search for experts to provide trainings on this subject, DECP contacted Bob Koning, Senior Advisor on Safety and Health …

Workshop

A joint training session between the DECP and ITC-ILO Training Centre in Turin was held in Kampala from May 13-15, 2008.The training was attended by some 40 delegates from the head office the regional offices as well as from sectoral associations of the Federation of Uganda Employers (FUE). Also some …

Day of the Communication for Eastern-Europe, held in The Hague

DECP organised a 2 day workshop on communication for employers' organisations in The Hague on 22 and 23 May. Staff members responsible for communication and PR of the Employers' Organisations (EO) of Bosnia-Hercegovina, Macedonia, Albania, Moldova, Armenia and Georgia participated in the workshop.Special advisor Jean-Marie Standaert explained why communication with …

Cooperation with the Surinam employers' organisation VSB

DECP advised VSB on several issues during a mission from 26th to 30th of May.An appointment was made about setting up an OSH-workshop in October/November.The new Magazine "de Werkgever", which will be issued shortly, and other publications were discussed.The newly developed PME-model for Suriname, meant to monitor and evaluate the …

Workshop on Communication, Bamako (Mali)

The workshop on communication was held at the request of the Conseil National du Patronat du Mali (CNPM) in order to allow its leadership to draft a communication plan for the years to come. In an impressive outlay the Belgian trainers/facilitators Messrs. Erik Van Vooren en Ronald Driessen gave a …

Advisory mission to Federation of Kenya Employers (FKE)

The purpose of this visit was to continue to work on a number of issues raised in Andrew Moore's previous visits in 2007 and to explore new ways in which the DECP can help in the developments in the FKE. The last visit took place in November and since then …

Workshop on effective employers' organisations held in Mongolia

From April 21-23, the basic training for employers' organisations was held in Mongolia for board and staff of the Mongolian Employers Federation MONEF. As usual, this workshop was given by the International Training Centre of the ILO and IOE and by DECP. Subjects like lobbying, advocacy and social dialogue were …

Advisory mission to Association of Tanzania Employers (ATE)

From April 14-18 Andrew Moore (DECP Country Manager for Tanzania) visited the ATE. It was his first visit after the fact-finding mission that took place in November last year.A number of general issues were discussed and, where necessary, Andrew Moore provided the ATE with advice, based on his vast experience …

Train-the-trainers workshop in Georgia on Occupational Safety & Health (OSH)

With the aim of assisting the Georgian Employers’ Association GEA in setting-up a new service on OSH for its members, a Train-the-trainers’ seminar as well as a workshop on how to set-up an external OSH service and how to carry out a risk assessment was organised by GEA, with the …

Workshop for Young Entrepreneurs of Indonesia (HIPMI) March 2008 Joint ILO-DECP training for APINDO chapters in Indoneisa

Together with the International Training Centre (ITC) of ILO, DECP held a one day (on March 18, 2008) training programme for HIPMI, the Association of Young Entrepreneurs in Indonesia. The main focus of the training was lobby and advocacy as instruments for improvement of the business environment.The objectives of the workshop …

Workshop for Young Entrepreneurs of Indonesia (HIPMI)

Together with the International Training Centre (ITC) of ILO, DECP held a one day (on March 18, 2008) training programme for HIPMI, the Association of Young Entrepreneurs in Indonesia.The main focus of the training was lobby and advocacy as instruments for improvement of the business environment.The objectives of the workshop …

Advice to Cofesa Confederation of Employers of South Africa

From March 13-18, 2008 Thieu Korten of DECP visited South Africa at the request of Cofesa to advise them on several subjects concerning the strategy of their organisation.Cofesa was established some 18 years ago by Hein van der Walt. It has some 6000 members with 200.000 employees. Cofesa has 30 …

Advisory mission to Federation of Uganda Employers FUE in Uganda

Following an introductory visit in August 2007, Andrew Moore -Country Manager of DECP for Uganda- paid a second visit to the FUE to follow-up on a number of issues.During his week at the FUE, some of the following topics were discussed : * The weekly newsletterThis newsletter is being sent by …

Advisory mission to Ghana Employers Association GEA in Accra

From 11-15 February, DECP's account manager for Ghana, Andrew Moore, visited the GEA in Ghana. The main purpose of his visit was to work closely with GEA's Executive Director in the preparation of the GEA Strategic Plan for 2008 – 2010. In this Plan, clear targets for the coming years …

Advisory mission to CNPM in Moldova

From February 11-13, Jean-Marie Standaert visited the National Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Moldova (CNPM), where he met with following sector organisations: UTD, Union of Transport and Road Builders; the National Employers’ Federation of Constructors, Road-Builders and Producers of Building Materials, a new Confederation of the Construction Sector; FNPAIA, Employers of …

Round Table for setting-up a new Federation for temporary work agencies in Macedonia

From February 27–29, 2008 Jean-Marie Standaert chaired a Round Table held for temporary work agencies in Macedonia. The aim of this meeting –organized by the CERM Confedera-tion of Employers of the Republic of Macedonia- was to introduce the importance of OSH regulations in the field of temporary work and to …

Audit and advice to the Cámera de Industria in Cochabamba, Bolivia

DECP was asked to audit the Cámera de Industria in Cochabamba and to advise the Cámera about the further development of a new branch office in the province of The Camera was audited by a series of in depth interviews of the Cámara board and staff. As a consequence, a clear …

Advisory mission to PSF in Rwanda

From January 20 till February 1st, DECP Country Manager Andrew Moore visited the Rwandan employers' organisation PSF in Kigali to develop –together with them- a strategy for the services they are planning to launch during 2008.Fruitful discussions were held with the Directors of the nine different Chambers within the PSF. …

Management training to empower and develop women entrepreneurship and SME's, Indonesia

 Most of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME's) in Indonesia are owned by women and 30% of them are run by women. Many women entrepreneurs face obstacles in improving their business, a.o. due to gender, culture, lack of knowledge on regulations, lack of skill, networks and credit access.APINDO, the Employers' …

Georgian Employers' Association: standards for milk processing

One of the many projects GEA is carrying out refers to the educational improvement of  professionals in Georgia. Specifically, information on the professional education of 'cheesemakers' and 'milk processors' was required.For this purpose, DECP supplied GEA with the qualifications for milk processing and cheesemaking as they are foreseen by the …

Seminars on OSH services, held at UMB(E)A, Armenia

From 5-10 November, following two seminars were held at the premises of the Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen (Employers) of Armenia: a Train-the-Trainers Seminar on basic OSH-requirements for workers;a seminar on “How to set-up an OSH external service by an employers’ organisation” for board and staff-members of UMBA.Both seminars were conducted …

Train-the-Trainer Workshop for Bosnian Employers' Association

From November 21-23, the Croatian Employers' Organisation, PUMA, gave a three day training to a group of 10 consultants/trainers who were selected by the Bosnian Employers' Association APBiH. The purpose of the training was to strengthen the future trainers in skills such as: professional presentation, didactic, nonverbal and verbal communication, …

Promotional Conferences and Publication of Business Survey of CERM, Macedonia

From November 25-30, CERM (Confederation of Employers of Republic of Macedonia) held 5 promotional conferences, in 5 different Macedonian cities, with the aim to promote CERM and to attract new members. Mr. Mile Boškov, President of CERM, had requested Jean-Marie Standaert of DECP to participate as resource person in these …

Training the Rwanda Private Sector Federation

From October 22 till 26 DECP and the ILO/ITC organised 2 training sessions for the Rwanda Private Sector Federation (PSF). First, there was a 2 day training in Kigali for PSF staff members with some 30 participants, mainly on membership issues, communication and lobbying. Through their keen interest participants clearly …

Training programme for West African Employers' Organisations

On behalf of DECP Bram Van Overbeeke attended the ILO/ITC and DECP  workshop on Effective Employers’ Organisations, held in Dakar, Senegal (from September 24-27), for a number of French-speaking countries in West-Africa.The workshop was opened by the Netherlands’ Ambassador to Senegal, Mr. Hans Jansing, who underlined the importance of effective …

Workshop on Making and Keeping Members, held in Kutaisi, Georgia

On August 13 and 14 a workshop on Making and Keeping Members was held for the Employers’ Association of the Imireti Region in Kutaisi. This city is the second largest Georgian city and has about 180.000 inhabitants. As the former capital of Georgia, it is today considered the capital of …

Advice to Surinam employer organisation VSB

DECP advised the Suriname Employers' Organisation VSB (Suriname Trade and Industry Association) on several subjects from 21th until 24th of August. DECP analyzed the structure of the VSB, its revenues and representativeness.Suggestions were made  to increase the representativeness and to combat the phenomenon of members who don't pay the membership …

Advice to APBiH in Bosnia Hercegovina

From July 24-26, Jean-Marie Standaert (Special Advisor of DECP) visited Sarajevo at the request of APBiH (Association of Employers of Bosnia and Hercegovina).  APBiH is a state-level EO, founded in 2004 by 3 entity organizations: the UPFBiH (Employers Association operating at the level of the Federation of Bosnia Hercegovina);The ECRS from …

Developing ICT infrastructure at VSB Surinam

One of VSB's (Surinam Trade & Industry Association) missions is to take care of the interests of her members and to promote the economic and social climate of the community. In much of her activities digital information technology plays a primary role (e.g. exchange of information between VSB, her partners …

Study mission of FUE Uganda to The Netherlands

Rosemary Ssenabulya, CEO of the Federation of Uganda Employers, visited the Netherlands on a study mission on invitation by DECP on the 18th and 19th of JuneRosemary started her study mission at the DECP office were Thieu Korten explained the structure of the Dutch employers' organisation VNO-NCW (number of members, …

Training programme for Indonesian regional EO's

From June 25 till 28 DECP organised, together with the ILO training centre from Turin, a  four day training for the Employers Association of Indonesia APINDO in Jakarta. The training session was opened with speeches from the Dutch ambassador, Mr Nikolaos van Dam, IOE Deputy secretary general Brent Wilton, ILO …

Workshop on definitition of a new strategy for KOPSH - Albania

Special Advisor Jean-Marie Standaert participated in a workshop-brainstorming with the board-members of the Albanian EO KOPSH for the definition of a new strategy for KOPSH for the coming 5 years. Jean-Marie Standaert also gave a presentation about “Challenges for KOPSH for the years 2007 – 2012”, with special attention for …

Training programme for East African Employers' Organisations

The ILO Training Centre organised, in cooperation with DECP, the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and the Federation of Kenyan Employers, a training program for East African EO's in Nairobi from 14 – 17 May. Subjects of the  training programme were: governance of a EO, revenue building, lobby and advocacy, …

Employer of the Year Award 2006 of the Federation of Uganda Employers

This project was the follow-up of a project in 2006 in which DECP expert Ed van Doorn advised FUE about the organisation of the selection of the Employer of the Year Award (EYA.).The report, published in April 2007, contains the analysis and the results which were conducted between the 8th …

Promotional Conference by the Confederation of Employers of the Republic of Macedonia CERM

From November 25-30, CERM (Confederation of Employers of Republic of Macedonia) held 5 promotional conferences, in 5 different Macedonian cities, with the aim to promote CERM and to attract new members. Mr. Mile Boškov, President of CERM, had requested Jean-Marie Standaert of DECP to participate as resource person in these …

Newsbulletin of APBiH in Bosnia Herzegovina

During the visit of Jean-Marie Standaert (Special Advisor DECP) to Sarajevo in April, it was agreed upon that DECP will finance, on a temporary basis, the issuing of a bi-monthly Newsbulletin for the members of the EO APBiH. The Newsletter APBiH will contain, amongst other things, publications on both new …

Workshop on making and keeping members

On August 13 and 14 a workshop on Making and Keeping Members was held for the Employers’ Association of the Imireti Region in Kutaisi. This city is the second largest Georgian city and has about 180.000 inhabitants. As the former capital of Georgia, it is today considered the capital of …

Promotion of Social Dialogue and Collective Bargaining among the local sections of FNPAIA in Moldova

DECP special advisor Jean-Marie Standaert gave a series of presentations to the local sections of the FNPAIA, the Employers’ Organisation of the Agriculture and Food Producing Industry of the Republic of Moldova, about the importance of Social Dialogue and how Collective Bargaining should be conducted. Eight workshops were organised by …

Promotional Conference in Skopje, organised by CERM, Republic of Macedonia

Assessment of Social Dialogue in agri-business sector at regional and local level in Moldova

Advice to the South African employers' organisation BUSA about their subscription system and related subjects