Promote Tripartite Social Dialogue for the Consolidation of Social Cohesion in the Ecowas Region

1 April 2010
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Economic Community of West African States (Abuja)
press release

Abuja - Nigeria — « Social dialogue encompasses a lot of properties and plays an important role in the pursuit of social relations in a peaceful environment ». This declaration was made this morning in Dakar by the Senegalese Minister of State of the Civil Service, Labour, Employment and Professional Organisations at the opening ceremony of the ECOWAS Social Dialogue Forum.

According to the Minister, Mr Diakaria Diaw, this three-day meeting is a welcome development given that it will enable the ECOWAS Commission to establish a Social Dialogue Forum accompanied with a Plan of Action. According to him, this initiative is aimed at promoting social dialogue, tripartism and representation. Buttressing the opinion of Mr Diaw, the Director of the International Labour Organisation Sub-regional Bureau in West Africa, MR François Murangira, pointed out that social dialogue is a mechanism which can serve as a forum where governments, employers and workers can discuss economic and social issues of common interests.

To this end, it is a medium of cohesion where common divergent interests are resolved and its role as the instrument of social unity and political stability is unanimously recognised in the ECOWAS region. The Commissioner for Human Development and Gender of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Adrienne Diop welcomed to the meeting, the major actors in social dialogue, which include senior officers in administration of labour, representatives of labour and employers organisations.

She stressed that this was an indication of their commitment to contribute to the introduction of a more appeased, united and productive labour force and favourable for the economic development of the ECOWAS region. She reassured the participants of the determination of the ECOWAS Commission to cooperate with all stakeholders for the consolidation of peace and social cohesion, without which the socio-economic development objectives of the ECOWAS region would be but a mirage. This meeting on «Social Dialogue and Tripartism in the ECOWAS region is aimed at, in particular, creating a framework dialogue leading to the identification and formulation of a plan of action on labour issues in the regional integration process of our Community. It also envisages strengthening partnership among social actors through the promotion of social dialogue and the adoption of appropriate programmes and mechanisms.

Read the original article on Ecowas.

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