OS7 - Promouvoir le travail décent à l'Amérique Centrale (Nicaragua, Salvador et Honduras) et aux Caraïbes (Cuba)

In El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Cuba, the strengthening of the capacities of partner organisations (trade unions, farmers' organisations and local NGOs) and their target groups, in terms of organisation, mutual cooperation, political advocacy and social dialogue, has mobilised the relevant authorities and actors in the region around the right to decent work, social protection and health, while respecting gender equality and the environment. The outcome is linked to pillar 2 (labour rights) and pillar 3 (social protection) of the decent work agenda according to the ILO definition. For pillar 2, the intervention strategy focuses on two focal themes: precarisation and casualization of labour and gender equality in the workplace. Both themes are treated from partner organizations’ viewpoint and their target groups in the textile, food and construction sectors. These sectors are linked to global production chains and to multinationals that bear an important responsibility for improving the situation of the target groups and labour rights for the region as a whole. The programme aims to strengthen the partner organizations and their target groups in their negotiating capacities towards employers. Partners increase their capacity to influence the labour policies of government authorities and expand their negotiation capacity towards relevant multinational companies and certification bodies in the production chain. The intervention for pillar 3 focuses on contributing to stronger health models and strengthening sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The partner organizations and their target groups identified the following problems: lack of primary care, quality in care (including patient care), citizen participation in health, preventive health approach and attention for social determinants of health (such as access to potable water) within health care policies. For SRHR: violence against women, total abortion ban, teenage pregnancy rates and the rise of HIV and other STD’s. The programme aims to strengthen the partner organizations and their target groups in their (sexual and reproductive) health promotion and in policy influencing towards the public health institutions, in alliance with other social actors, with attention for access to potable water as a health determinant. A vital strategy is social auditing of health care services and participation in health (advise) committees.