The forum was opened by the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili, who stressed the importance of productive employment which can lift people out of poverty and ensure that prosperity is shared by everyone.

Around the key challenges in jobs and employment, this conference consisted of plenary sessions and panel discussions on four main topics: growing more and better jobs in partnership with the private sector; the role of labour market institutions; employment and skills development; and towards better labor market monitoring system and integrated jobs and employment strategy.

“Many developing and transition countries are struggling with high unemployment. The root cause of it is that many people, especially young ones, are unable to find work that matches their skills. Switzerland has a long tradition of supporting such countries in creating more job opportunities and ensuring secure and dignified future for the people. Using the elements of its own vocational education and training system, Switzerland has taken on a leading role in developing vocation and training systems in different parts of the world to help address high rates of unemployment. Key efforts include upgrading vocational education and training, improving learning content and methods, training teachers and bridging the gap between theory and practice in the curriculum. Switzerland, acting through its development agency, joins these shared efforts to address unemployment in partner countries,” said Olivier Bürki, Regional Director of Cooperation, in his opening speech.

In their opening remarks UNDP’s Resident Representative, World Bank’s Practice Manager for Social Protection & Labor and ILO’s Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia stressed the importance of aligning employment strategies with national development agendas in each of the countries, and placed special emphasis on the improved environment for business as a key precondition for creating jobs.

During two days the participants discussed the employment challenges persisting in the six participant countries, as well as the ways to create more jobs, including through increasing involvement of the private sector in skills development.

Among the participants of the conference were the representatives of the governments, private sector and civil society from the six participating countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, as well as international employment experts.