Official launch of the Social Protection and Decent Work Program in the DRC (PS-TD) – September 14, 2023.
On Thursday, September 14, 2023, the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Claudine Ndusi M’Kembe, and the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium in the DRC, Madame Roxane de Bilderling, jointly launched the Program Social Protection and Decent Work (PS-TD). This program, implemented by the Belgian Development Agency-Enabel, aims to improve the working and living conditions of women and young people in the DRC.
The PS-TD will be deployed in three cities in the country, namely Kinshasa, Lubumbashi and Kolwezi. The main categories benefiting from this program are women traders (bread and fish sellers), market gardeners, processors in the agricultural value chain, motorcycle taxi drivers, domestic workers, artisanal diggers in the mining sector. and job seekers.
With funding of 16.2 million euros, the PS-TD will extend over a period of five years, from 2022 to 2027. Its overall objective is to enable young people and women of working age to access decent work, benefit from social protection, have their labor rights recognized and participate in inclusive social dialogue.
The Congolese Minister of Employment, Labor and Social Welfare, Claudine Ndusi, underlined the importance of this program in the socio-economic context of the country. With more than 80 million inhabitants, the DRC has only 4.9 million employed people and more than six million unemployed. The PS-TD therefore aims to contribute to the reduction of poverty and the creation of decent jobs, while guaranteeing respect for labor rights and social protection.
For her part, the Belgian Ambassador to the DRC, Madame Roxane de Bilderling, underlined the importance of social protection as the foundation of a society based on justice and equity. The PS-TD will focus on the sustainable improvement of the living conditions of the different targeted categories, with particular emphasis on the informal sector and precarious jobs.
The program provides for several objectives, in particular the creation of 12,000 decent jobs, the support of 5,000 people towards the services of the National Employment Office, the acceleration of 400 social economy companies, the awareness of more of a million people in labor rights, the training of 5,000 people on labor standards and rights, and the carrying out of 1,300 labor inspections. In terms of social protection, the program aims in particular to inform more than a million people about social protection systems, to offer better social protection to 50,000 individuals and to financially support 2,400 pregnant women..
By working in partnership with government actors and national and international organizations, the PS-TD is part of a dynamic of collaboration for the socio-economic development of the DRC.
This program constitutes a major initiative to improve the working and living conditions of women and young people in the DRC. It demonstrates Belgium’s commitment to promoting decent work and the fight against social inequalities, while strengthening cooperation ties between the two countries.
Links to articles already published on the blog:
– Article on the courageous fight of women against sexual assault in the displaced persons camps in Goma: [Article link](https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/09/16/survivre-dans-lenfer-des-camps -to-move-to-goma-the-courageous-struggle-of-women-against-sexual-assault/)
– Article on the devastating floods in Derna in Libya and the urgent appeal from the UN to help the victims: [Article link](https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/09/16/les-ondes-devastatrice -a-derna-in-libya-the-urgent-call-from-lonu-to-come-to-help-the-disasters/)
– Article on the great literary return to Kinshasa 2023: the unmissable event of the Congolese literary scene: [Article link](https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/09/16/la-grande-rentree-litteraire -of-kinshasa-2023-the-unmissable-meeting-of-the-Congolese-literary-scene/)
– Article on worker supercolonies in fire ants: a fascinating and controversial phenomenon in the world of entomology: [Article link](https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/09/16/les- supercolonies-of-workers-among-fire-ants-a-fascinating-phenomenon-and-controversy-in-the-world-of-lentomology/)
– Article on the historic strike in the American automobile industry: a major turning point for workers and manufacturers: [Article link](https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/09/16/la-greve-histoire- in-american-auto-industry-a-major-turning-point-for-workers-and-builders/)
– Article offering 7 tips for writing captivating, high-quality news blog articles: [Article link](https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/09/16/7-conseils-pour-rediger-des -captivating-and-top-quality-news-blog-posts/)
– Article on the controversial directive in France suspending artistic collaborations with Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso: [Article link](https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/09/16/directive-controversee-en- france-suspension-of-artistic-collaborations-with-niger-mali-and-burkina-faso/)
– Article on the criticisms of Moïse Katumbi concerning the delay in the construction of the hydroelectric dam in Kikwit and the demand for better road infrastructure: [Article link](https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/09/16/moise-katumbi-denounces-the-delay-in-the-construction-of-the-hydroelectric-dam-in-kikwit-and-reclaims-quality-road-infrastructures /)
– Article on international artistic cooperation and the challenge of balancing freedom and security: [Article link](https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/09/16/cooperation-artistique-internationale-entre-liberte- and-security-what-balance-to-find/)
– Article on the war in Ukraine and the recapture of Andriivka by Ukrainian troops, as well as the looming meeting between Biden and Zelensky: [Article link](https://fatshimetrie.org/blog/2023/09/16 /the-war-in-ukraine-ukrainian-troops-retake-andriivka-and-a-crucial-meeting-between-biden-and-zelensky-looms/)