The ILO's World Employment Programme, launched officially in 1969, constitutes the major contribution of the International Labour Organisation to the Second Development Decade in the area of employment objectives and policies. The general aim of the World Employment Programme (WEP) is to provide concrete and specific guidelines to policy-makers and planners on policies and measures which enable them to choose those development strategies which have a greater weight attached to productive employment creation, and to assist in their implementation.
The following activities have recently been undertaken to give practical effect to the World Employment Programme. First, so-called comprehensive employment strategy missions have been sent to Colombia, Ceylon, Iran and Kenya (ILO, 1970(ILO, , 1971(ILO, , 1972a(ILO, , 1972b)). In the light of a definition and diagnosis of the employment problem in these countries, these missions have proposed a long-term strategy based on fundamental changes in key areas of development policy, including education and training. They have also drawn up an immediate programme of action to face the most urgent problems. Second, regional teams have been established in Latin America and Asia, and several subregional teams are in the process of being constituted in Africa. Set up with a view to making a comprehensive investigation of employment problems in the countries of the region and assisting them in formulating employment policies and programmes, they are keeping under review the progress and obstacles encountered and identifying needs for further direct assistance.
Third, a major research programme has been launched. The principal elements of the WEP's research programme are the following major projects which are currently being carried out or are about to start: