Social Protection

Expanding Employment Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
The Project will develop new community-based approaches to expand employment opportunities for disabled members of the labor force (DMLFs). It aims to upgrade DMLFs' employment skills, to support business development by DMLFs, and to integrate DMLFs into the mainstream workforce in addition to selected sheltered employment.

Restructuring of Technical Education and Vocational Training System Project
The Project seeks to improve the quality and relevance of skills training programs to build a high quality workforce. It also aims to address the issues of skills mismatch and unemployment among rural and urban youth by monitoring labor market demands and providing job-placement services.

Preventing Poverty and Empowering Female Garment
Workers Affected by the International Trade EnvironmentThe Project aims to address in a timely manner the potential downside risks caused by the phasing out of the quota restrictions on textiles and garment at the end of 2004. One of the five components will help the garment workers cope with the changing job requirements. Another component will develop protection measures for those retrenched.

Employment Skills Training
The Project seeks to increase the labor force participation and employment rates of the Maldivian youth by increasing access to employment-oriented skills training, and by improving career guidance and awareness of employment opportunity.

Skills Development Reform
The Project will conduct a skill needs assessment and evaluate the skills development system. Based on the findings, it will develop an action plan to improve the quality of the skill development programs with costs.

Human Resource Investment Project
The Project will support the Government in solving the youth unemployment problem by assisting in setting up the Human Resources Investment Fund, and by developing plans to rehabilitate training facilities and to establish a skills competition system.

Improving the Role of Labor Standards in Selected Developing Member Countries
The Project seeks to strengthen the role of labor standards in sustainable economic and social development in developing member countries (DMCs) as well as within the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Private Sector Development Program
The Project will assist the Government in setting up a safety net for displaced workers and to provide capacity building for dispute resolution.

Institutional Development of the Department of Employment and Labor
The Project will assist the Department of Employment and Labor in developing its labor administration policy, and in the development of its staff. It will also assist in (i) developing the Labor Act; (ii) establishing the rights and obligations of workers and employers, and the powers of the labor administration; (iii) regulating occupational safety and health; and (iv) labor inspection.

Combating Trafficking of Women and Children in South Asia
The Project aims to (i) enhance the understanding of ADB and its DMCs of the nature and causes of trafficking of women and children; (ii) assist DMCs in formulating and implementing the country and subregional activities to prevent and reduce in-country and subregional trafficking; and (iii) identify and develop future interventions.

Skills for Employment Project
The Project will conduct an analysis of the vocational and technical education subsector, and formulate recommendations for policy revisions. If necessary, cost-effective strategies and an implementation framework with costs will be formulated.

Supporting Infrastructure Maintenance to Reduce Rural Poverty
The Project will pilot innovative management arrangements for maintenance of rural infrastructure that are supervised and monitored by users, including the poor. It aims for job creation and better maintenance of rural infrastructure. The caretakers will be selected from amongst Samurdhi welfare recipients.

Policy Framework and Capacity Building for Technical Vocational Education and Training
The Project will assist the Government in establishing and implementing a national and provincial Technical and Vocational Education and Training framework. A pilot scheme will deliver non-formal, income-oriented skills training.

Small and Medium Enterprise Sector Development (Program Loan)
To improve the contribution of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to the economy, this Project aims to enhance SMEs’ competitiveness and access to support institutions through a mix of policy reforms, institutional development measures, and knowledge services.

Privatization and Restructuring of State-Owned Enterprises
The Project will facilitate corporate restructuring and privatization of state-owned enterprises. In addition to planning the restructuring, the Project will assist the Government in ensuring fair treatment of redundant employees by using best practices and by complying with the existing legislation.

Supporting Government Disengagement from Public Enterprises
The Project will assist the Government in developing and implementing an effective privatizations process. Labor issues will be addressed by developing a policy on retrenchment that will address mitigation measures (monetary and non-monetary) and social dialogue.

Sindh Rural Development Project
Two of five components of the loan focus on governance and legal support (e.g. the Sindh Tenancy Act, 1950, and the Bonded Labour System [Abolition] Act, 1992), as well as on providing haris, marginal farmers, and agricultural laborers access to credit through community-based organizations to avoid bondage with their landlords. The loan signing on 3 March 2003 closed the first circle of the long preparation (since 1998) for this landmark project to end bonded labor and to improve the life of agricultural workers in Sindh, Pakistan.

Social Protection of Poor Female Workers in the Garment Sector
The Project will assist the Government in designing and pilot testing interventions that (i) contribute to preventing retrenchment, (ii) provide social protection to female garment workers, and (iii) facilitate reemployment of those retrenched.

Human Resource Investment Project
The Project will support the Government in solving the youth unemployment problem by assisting in setting up the Human Resources Investment Fund, and by developing plans to rehabilitate training facilities and to establish a skills competition system.

Promoting Safe Migration for Women and Prevention of Trafficking of Girls and Women in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS)
The Project aims to raise awareness and subregional cooperation, and develop the capacity of DMCs to combat trafficking and promote safe migration in the GMS. By raising awareness among within ADB, the Project also seeks to promote mainstreaming of the issue into ADB operations.

Prevention of Trafficking and Protection of Female Migrant Workers
TBD.

Skills for Employment Project
The Project will conduct an analysis of the vocational and technical education subsector, and formulate recommendations for policy revisions, if necessary, cost effective strategies, and an implementation framework with costs.

Impact of Closure of Coal Mines in Poverty Areas and Options for Job Creation
TBD.