ACBAR

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a UN specialized agency dealing with work and workplace issues, and related rights and standards. Its overarching goal is to achieve decent work for all so that everyone benefits from working conditions that offer freedom, equity, security and human dignity. More information about ILO can be found at www.ilo.org

An ILO Office was formally established in Kabul in 2003. Since then, the ILO worked with its government, employer and worker constituents as well as other partners in many areas, bringing tangible and lasting benefits to a wide range of beneficiaries. Information about ILO in Afghanistan can be found at https://www.ilo.org/asia/countries/afghanistan/lang--en/index.htm 

Important Note:
This is not a job vacancy. The announcement is for a Training of Trainers (ToT) under the Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) & Elimination of Child Labour programme. Selected participants will receive specialized training to become certified trainers, enabling them to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in their communities. Participation in this ToT does not imply employment with ILO or any other organization.

Background

Sustainable Reintegration and Livelihood Support for Returnees and IDPs (SRLS) is a project funded by the STFA and implemented by 6 UN Agencies from the ER-Durable Solutions Working Group and other 3 UN-Agencies providing complementary actions in the project implementation. The project was developed in response to the influx of Afghan returnees from Pakistan and other protracted IDPs from other regions to the Eastern Region of Afghanistan.

The forced repatriation of Afghans from Pakistan has caused significant socio-economic implication for the returnees and host communities including resource and services strain and infrastructural pressures that bears a potential risk of conflict arising between the returnees, IDPs and members of the host communities. Access to basic needs and services, sustainable livelihoods and decent employment opportunities for both returnees and host community members is paramount to ensure a seamless reintegration of returnees to their host communities. Some returnees bring with them skills and expertise from abroad that can contribute positively to enhance economic activities in the reintegration areas. However, they face difficulties in securing employment opportunities in the already strained economy. The situation is complicated by the local economy’s limited capacity to create or absorb the new labour force, thus exacerbating unemployment situation.

The ILO through the Durable Solutions Working Group project designed interventions that address the limited decent employment opportunities for the returnees, IDPs and vulnerable host community members through enterprise development initiatives mainly targeting women-owned enterprises. Working with Women MSEs in priority sectors, the project supports interventions that create and sustain more decent employment opportunities and enhance the participation of returnees and vulnerable members of host communities in the labour market.

The project will focus mainly on enterprise development facilitating entrepreneurship and business management trainings using the ILO standardized modules of SIYB, GET Ahead , Occupational Safety & Health (OSH), Elimination of Child Labour, Financial Education at both ToT and ToE  (Training of Entrepreneurs) levels. The project will also provide post-training support to trainees who successfully participated which will include improving access to finance and financial products for MSEs, access to markets and market information for locally produced products, access to mentoring and coaching services for MSEs and promoting the fundamental principles and rights at work.

As part of a broader objective, the ILO seeks to build the capacity of local trainers to deliver the OSH ToT & Elimination of Child Labour ToT programmes effectively, ensuring long-term access to high-quality entrepreneurship and business management trainings

Target

The project targets mainly men and women from the targeted areas (Surkhroad district of Nangarhar province and Mahtarlam City of Laghman city) with a special focus on men, women -owned/led enterprises. 25 male & female participants will be drawn from both target area.

Occupational Safety & Health (OSH):

Occupational accidents and diseases lead to devastating impacts on workers, enterprises and entire communities and economies. Despite many improvements, the prevention of accidents and work-related diseases continues to have a considerable importance on a global scale. Renewed collective commitment and action towards the protection of workers against sickness, disease and injury arising out of employment is needed. The global affirmation of the importance of safety and health at work was expressed in June 2022, when the International Labour Conference (ILC) decided to include a safe and healthy working environment in the ILO’s framework of fundamental principles and rights at work (FPRW), designating the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155) and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187) as fundamental Conventions.

The ILO Constitution sets forth the principle that workers must be protected from sickness, disease and injury arising from their employment. Yet for millions of workers the reality is very different. According to the most recent ILO global estimates, 2.78 million work-related deaths are recorded every year, of which 2.4 million are related to occupational dis- eases. In addition to the immense suffering caused for workers and their families, the associated economic costs are colossal for enterprises, countries and the world. The losses in terms of compensation, lost workdays, interrupted production, training and reconversion, as well as health-care expenditure, represent around 3.94 per cent of the world’s annual GDP. Employers face costly early retirements, loss of skilled staff, absenteeism and high insurance premiums. Yet, many of these tragedies are preventable through the implementation of sound prevention practices.

As part of a broader objective, the project has planned to organize a 3-day ToT workshop for its constituents and MSMEs on OSH to enhance their capacity on related standards and measures to establish such practices and provide for maximum safety at work. The workshop would improve the knowledge and skills of participants for identifying safety, health, and environmental hazards, determining appropriate control measures, and developing and implementing OSH policies and programmes

Elimination of Child Labour (ECL):

Child labour remains a persistent problem in the world today, which is a violation of fundamental human rights and has been shown to hinder children’s development, potentially leading to lifelong physical or psychological damage. Evidence points to a strong link between household poverty and child labour, and child labour perpetuates poverty across generations by keeping the children of the poor out of school and limiting their prospects for upward social mobility. This lowering of human capital has been linked to slow economic growth and social development. Recent ILO studies have shown that the elimination of child labour in transition and developing economies could generate economic benefits much greater than the costs, which are mostly associated with investment in better schooling and social services.  The latest global estimates indicate that 160 million children – 63 million girls and 97 million boys – were in child labour globally at the beginning of 2020, accounting for almost 1 in 10 of all children worldwide. Seventy-nine million children – nearly half of all those in child labour – were in hazardous work that directly endangers their health. The international community has recognized the importance of ending child labour as part of achieving SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth. Under this goal, target 8.7 is to end child labour in all its forms by 2025. Ending child labour will also contribute to progress on many other SDGs, especially on education and health.

Afghanistan is one of the countries with a high number of child labour; where many of the children are employed in jobs that can result in illness, injury or even death due to hazardous working conditions and poor enforcement of safety and health standards. Child labour is on ongoing challenge in the country and is likely to increase significantly due to the ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis, where more children drop out of school and families slide deeper into poverty. This translates into more child labour risks in production settings.

Qualifying candidates will be selected to join 3 days in-person training course on OSH Training of Trainers (ToT) & 3 days in-person training course on Elimination of Child Labour and expected to conduct training of entrepreneurs as part of the accreditation and certification process.

This ToT course is the first step in obtaining the certification as OSH & ECL trainers. It will be facilitated by the certified master trainer of the ILO.

The objective of this workshop is to enable OSH & ECL training providers to develop long-term business models that will allow them to function independently financially while still maintaining service quality standards that facilitate entrepreneurial development. The course will enable the participants to:

• Gain a Comprehensive Understanding of Implementation Processes:
• Acquire detailed knowledge of the steps required to introduce an OSH management system and to design and implement effective strategies for the elimination of child labour in workplaces and communities.
• Assess and Address Targeted Needs Across Diverse Groups:
• Understand the varying OSH training requirements and the differing risks and intervention needs related to child labour across various target groups, workplace settings, sectors, and local contexts.
• Develop Effective Promotion and Awareness Strategies:
• Identify and apply tailored strategies for promoting OSH services and raising awareness and advocacy on child labour issues among employers, workers, and key community stakeholders.
• Apply Best Practices in Programme Management and Compliance:
• Be aware of recognized best practices for managing OSH and child labour elimination programmes, utilizing available tools for monitoring, evaluation, and reporting to ensure compliance, accountability, continuous improvement, and sustainable impact.

Qualification and Work Experience:

• • • A bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in business administration, economics, management, entrepreneurship, or a related field.
    • A diploma/certification in training, adult education, or business advisory services will be a distinct advantage.
• Experience in Teaching, Training & Coaching:
  • • Minimum of two years of experience in teaching, training, coaching, mentoring, or any other related field with a strong preference for experience working with entrepreneurs, SMEs, or startups.
    • A proven track record of delivering training is preferred.
    • Fluency in English and local language, Pashto or Dari.
    • Strong communication and public speaking skills
    • Commitment to ethical training practices (e.g., avoiding conflicts of interest, safeguarding participant data).
    • Ability to design and deliver engaging, interactive, and knowledge-driven training sessions.
    • Experience in developing structured training materials, including manuals, presentations, and e-learning content.
    • Capacity to provide constructive feedback and motivation to participants
    • Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) and digital collaboration tools
    • Ability to break down complex concepts into simple, practical lessons
    • Capacity to provide constructive feedback and motivation to participants
    • Ability to adapt training methods for diverse audiences, including low-literacy learners.
• Commitment & Availability
• Willingness to Train Entrepreneurs:
  • • Demonstrated motivation and commitment to train and mentor entrepreneurs after completing the ToT.
    • Availability to conduct a minimum number of training sessions for entrepreneurs after completing the ToT.
    • Openness to continuous learning and capacity building in business training methodologies.
• Availability for Full ToT Programme:
  • • Ability to commit to attending the entire training schedule (number of days as defined by the ILO).
    • Ability to travel to training locations if required.
• Impact Reporting:
  • • Commitment to submit quarterly reports on training outcomes (e.g., number of entrepreneurs trained, success stories).
• Inclusivity Consideration
• Strong encouragement for applications from:

Persons from marginalized groups, persons with disabilities, university dropouts or returnees’ communities are strongly encouraged to apply

Submission Guideline:

You are invited to submit your CV/Resume to tenders.af@ilo.org  with email subject line (OSH & ECL ToT Workshop 003/NGR) in the subject of your email before 06/June/2025. Only CV sent via the provided email address will be considered.

• A selection committee chaired by the Master Trainer and the project staff of ILO will select 25 male and female participants. The decision of the committee will be final and only selected candidates will be contacted.
• Note: The training will be held in Kabul province.

tenders.af@ilo.org