ILAB Technical Cooperation Project Summary

Project Title	Workforce and Local Economic Development
ILAB Program	Expanding Economic Opportunities and Income Security
Region/Country	Pakistan – North West Frontier and Punjab Philippines - Mindanao
Project Duration	October 2002 – September 2007
Funding Level	$3,096,858
Problem to be Addressed	In Pakistan and the Philippines, there is a desperate need to create employment opportunities and enhance the capacity of the most disadvantaged groups to generate income. The alarming increase in poverty in Pakistan, with the greatest increases in rural areas, is a major problem that this project will address. In the southern provinces of the Philippines, young Muslims and those in the rural areas are the most adversely affected by poverty.
Targets	North West Frontier and Punjab Provinces, Pakistan – Poor rural women, disenfranchised young people, and people with disabilities Mindanao, Philippines – Poor women affected by military conflict, young adults from Central Mindanao, ethnic groups including highlanders and lumads living in rural villages affected by the war, and people with disabilities
Project objectives	To build on and enhance the capacity for developing skills and creating employment opportunities for the most socially and economically disadvantaged groups in Pakistan and the Philippines, including rural women, disenfranchised young adults, and people with disabilities.
Summary of Activities	Implementation of the International Labor Organization’s community-based training model, including: Developing community structures for microfinance support programs, management systems of community enterprises, and capital support for community corporations/cooperatives Providing skills training opportunities through needs-based vocational training and enterprise literacy and entrepreneurial programs Developing partnership agreements with government and non-government organizations and corporate linkages between the communities and the formal sector, especially with business corporations Implementing rural economic and income-generating policies and strategies at the grassroots level Creating public awareness of programs and strategies
Partner Organizations CONTACT INFORMATION	Executing Agency International Labor Organization (ILO) Implementing and Collaborating Agencies Government agencies, employer organizations, worker organizations, local NGOs Office of Trade and Labor Affairs Division of Trade Agreement Administration and Technical cooperation (202) 693-4900
Last Updated	August 2007