Workers' Activities

Participants

In 2000, 433 people participated in the courses conducted by the Workers’ Programme, almost all of whom were trade union officials. The largest proportion of participants came from Africa (35%) followed by Latin America (25%). About 22 per cent came from the Asia Pacific area, four per cent from Europe and three per cent from the Arab states. The Programme’s inter-regional courses (which bring together people from many different regions) made up a further 10 per cent of the participants. Thirty-seven per cent of the participants were women, up from 20 per cent in the early 1990s.

The Workers’ Group of the ILO’s Governing Body plays a central role in choosing the organisations eligible to send participants to the Programme’s activities. Eligible organisations are asked to nominate three candidates for Programme courses, one of whom must be a women. The participants are then chosen by the Programme.

The Programme also operates a database connected to the Centre’s network which includes information concerning participants. This ensures quick and easy access to participant’s data, which is especially important for follow-up activities. The database has been used to provide ACTRAV and national/international labour organisations with information about the Programme’s participants.