CLADHO RECEIVES $252,719 GRANT FUNDING FROM TRADEMARK EAST AFRICA (TMA) TO SUPPORT LABOUR MOBILITY IN THE EAC

Posted on: July 16, 2014

Kigali, February 8, 2012
Today CLADHO, (Collectif des Ligues et Association de Défense des droits de l’Homme au Rwanda) an umbrella association of Human Rights Organisations in Rwanda, represented by the Executive Secretary, Mr. Emmanuel Safari signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mark Priestley, the Country Director of TradeMark Africa ( TMA ), a multi donor funded agency supporting regional integration of the EAC.
This MoU involves TradeMark Africa (TMA) providing a grant of $ 252,719 to support CLADHO in its advocacy efforts specifically around eliminating labour mobility obstacles in the EAC. Although the Common Market Protocol was signed and ratified in July, 2010 there are still challenges for Rwandan workers to freely move to the other Member States of the EAC, including the lack of harmonised labour legislation and social security systems across the region.
“We believe that this grant will go a long way in helping us tackle issues like dual taxation imposed by the country of origin and the host country on migrant’s labour which is hampering the free movement of our workers in the EAC. By providing us with this grant TradeMark Africa ( TMA ) has shown its commitment in dealing with obstacles that will hamper the free movement of labour within the East African community,” said Mr. Safari.
The key components of this project are to:

Collect, analyze and advocate for proper harmonization of social security and labour legislations in EAC member states.
Identify report and advocate for areas of abuse in the field of common market protocol with emphasis on social security and labour legislations in EAC member states.
Raise awareness of Rwandan Citizens of the bordering districts about the common market protocol with emphasis on social security and labour legislations in EAC member states.

“A key principle of the EAC Treaty is to ensure that regional integration is people cantered and private sector driven. Part of TradeMark Africa (TMA)’s work is to therefore to support Civil Society Organisations like Cladho in supporting their research and advocacy efforts and to give them a voice in the regional integration process. We really liked this project since it drives to one of the central challenges of regional integration which is to screate a single economic space in which people and labour can freely move across borders,” said Mr. Priestley.

Find out more about Trademark East Africa.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

To arrange for interviews please contact :

Mark Priestley
Country Director, Rwanda
Tel: +250 (0) 78 246 0084
Email: mark.priestley@trademarkea.com

Source: TradeMark Africa(TMA)

TradeMark Africa (TMA) is an aid-for-trade organisation that was established with the aim of growing prosperity in East Africa through increased trade. TradeMark Africa (TMA) operates on a not-for-profit basis and is funded by the development agencies of the following countries: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, UK, and USA. TradeMark Africa (TMA) works closely with East African Community (EAC) institutions, national governments, the private sector and civil society organisations.