- Invited Paper Session (IPS) organised by GJASD International on 20 June, entitled Areas for Alignment of Labour Market Information to Meet the Planning Needs of Technical and Vocational Education and Training
- Meeting with the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Services (CCIG)
Within the framework of the Implementation Agreement (March 2021-March 2023) with the ILO to cooperate in implementing the Skills for Prosperity Project in the Philippines, experts of GJASD International largely contributed to the preparation and made comprehensive presentations at the National Knowledge-Sharing Pilot Completion Workshop.
Presentations by Ms. Kim Thi Thuy Ngoc,
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Vietnam
Ms. Clara van der Pol, Chief a.i, Statistics Department UNWTO,
Mr. Peter Laimer, Statistics Austria and Chair of the Expert Group on MST
On 12 October, Mr Yves Chamorel, President, and Mr Igor Cherynshev, Vice President of GJASD International met with Mr Vincent Subilia, Director General of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Services.
The CCIG was founded in 1865 as a private law association. The association is wholly independent of the State. Today, the Chamber has 2500 members from all sectors of enterprise, counting for over 133,000 jobs. In other words, it has become one of Canton's most essential business associations.
The CCIG focuses its activity on the four mainstays of Geneva's appeal to companies, the so-called framework conditions: town planning, energy, fiscal policy, and transportation.
During the meeting, the following issues were discussed:
- Brief presentation of GJASD International: mission, structure, areas of work, cooperation/partnership, activities.
- Possibility of participation of Geneva-based green energy companies in a project that GJASD International is currently developing for the Pacific Island countries.
- The CCIG membership.
- The 13th World Chambers Congress (Geneva, 21-23 June 2023).
The meeting was held in a businesslike and friendly atmosphere. In conclusion, it was decided that GJASD International would send an application for joining the CCIG.
GJASD International participated online in the 22nd World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit, which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 28 November to 1 December 2022.
WTTC's annual Global Summit is the most influential Travel & Tourism event on the calendar. This year, industry leaders gathered with key government representatives to continue aligning efforts to support the sector's recovery and move beyond to a safer, more resilient, more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable future.
On 25 March 2021, GJASD International and the ILO signed a two-year Implementation Agreement to cooperate in implementing the Skills for Prosperity Project in the Philippines (ILO SfP-PHI Project). The Project was funded by the UK Global Prosperity Fund and implemented by the ILO.
The ILO SfP Philippines aimed at enhancing national capacity to increase inclusive, mutually beneficial economic development resulting from greater, more equitable employability and productivity by enabling policies and practices that ensure cost-effectiveness, access, and sustained quality of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). The Project had four areas of achievement:
Enhanced equity
Improved quality of skills and TVET systems
Enhanced industry relevance of skills and TVET systems
Improved cost-effectiveness of skills development and TVET systems financing.
GJASD International was responsible for the implementation of Project Output 3.1 "Strengthened TVET and labour market information system, data collection and analysis".
GJASD International accomplished all tasks encompassed in its Agreement with the ILO which have been fully implemented to the satisfaction of the major Project Team. Here is an extract from the official letter received by GJASD International from Mr. Cezar Dragutan, Project Chief Technical Adviser:
"I would like to take the opportunity to convey our Project's deep appreciation of the excellent, high-quality technical advice provided by the GJASD International's experts during this very complex assignment".
The last output produced by the Team of experts of GJASD International was the production of the Manual on the Analysis of Demand for Labour and its Application to TVET Delivery Planning in the Philippines.
On 31 March 2023, the Agreement came to an end.
Mr Yves Chamorel, Mr Vincent Subilia and Mr Igor Chernyshev
Ms. Rabi’Atula’Adawiah Binti Sgabli, Department of Statistics,
ILMIA (Malaysia)
- The 13th World Chambers Congress
Mr. Gilles Rufenacht,
CCIG President
The Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (SF-MST) is an organising structure for integrating statistics on the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainable tourism. The complete SF-MST will be submitted to the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC) following an active process of research, discussion and consultation across multiple experts, sectors, and stakeholders. It can be used to derive specific indicators for this purpose at the global, national and sub-national levels. The SF-MST aims to become the third international standard on tourism after the International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics (IRTS 2008) and the Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework (TSA RMF).
- Online Regional Workshops on Completing the Pilot Projects on Developing Practical Capabilities for Analysis of Demand for Skilled Workforce and Informing TVET Delivery
Mr Yvan Bourgnon, Chairman and Founder of The SeaCleaners; and the Manta giant sailing boat
Launched on 14 July 2022 at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, which this year is held around the theme of ‘building back better’ from the pandemic, the UN reports draw on UNWTO’s statistical work to track tourism’s role in delivering meaningful progress for people and the planet. Specifically, the UN SG Progress report on SDGs with its statistical annex will serve as an input to the deliberations of the HLFP.
Prepared in collaboration with the entire UN Statistical System, the reports and their latest available data show that action is needed to accelerate the delivery on the SDGs and to step up national measurement efforts, including for the tourism sector.
A United Nations global assessment of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) makes clear the important role that tourism must play in achieving the ambitious agenda for change.
As demonstrated in section on SDG8 (“Decent Work and Economic Growth”), tourism a major force of development was one of the most affected economic sectors by the COVID-19 Pandemic as global GDP from tourism nearly halved between 2019 and 2020, with wide-reaching consequences for jobs, local businesses, and conservation efforts.
On SDG12 (“Responsible Production and Consumption”), UNWTO’s statistics serve to highlight the importance of national efforts to implement standardized tools like Tourism Satellite Accounts (TSAs) and the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA). Both underpin the UNWTO-led Statistical Framework for Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (MST) that assesses the social, economic and environmental impacts and dependencies of tourism—at national and sub-national levels.
GJASD International has been participating in the meetings of the Working Group of Experts on Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (WGE-MST) and its Sub-Group on Tourism Employment since its creation in 2018.
The UN Statistical Commission held earlier in 2022, has taken four decisions on MST and more than 20 countries worldwide plus the African and CARICOM regions have expressed their support to MST.
Mr. Peter LAIMER (Chair of the WGE-MST, Co-chair of the UNWTO Committee on Statistics and Deputy Director, Directorate Spatial Statistics, Statistics Austria) plans to convene a meeting of the Working Group of Experts in October 2022 to discuss a new version of the Statistical Framework as well as MST piloting and SDG indicators. Mr. Igor Chernyshev, Vice-President of GJASD International, is planning to participate in that meeting.
The Workshop was held on 5 December 2022 in Manila (the Philippines) and attended by 161 participants. Mr. Danilo P. Cruz, Director-General of TESDA, made the opening statement. Mr. Khalid Hassan, Director of ILO Country Office Manila; Mr. Danilo P. Cruz, Director General, TESDA; and Mr. Lloyd Cameron, Economic and Climate Counsellor, British Embassy, warmly welcomed the participants (see it here).
Honorable Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Committee Chairperson for Basic Education, Arts and Culture, and Energy, delivered a keynote speech.
Partrticipanst from the Netherlands, Republic of Samoa, Switzerland, and Vietnam
Mr. Klaus Balslev Pedersen, STEP Programme Team Leader, presents a brief overview of the Programme achievements (third from the top).
Ms. Zoritsa Urosevic, Executive Director, UNWTO, Mr. Rafael Diez de Medina,
Chief Statistician and Director of the Statistics Department, ILO
Participants of STEP Final Event 30 June 2022. Mr. I. Chernyshev, Vice-President GJASD International,
is next to Ms. Avis Beneš, Head of Eurostat Unit B3 (top row)
Mr. Igor Chernyshev with Mr. John W.H. Denton AO,
Secretary General of the International
Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
In April 2022, GJASD International signed a new service contract further extending its collaboration with Expertise France for the provision of individual expertise as part of the international cooperation project “Statistics through Eastern Partnership” (STEP).
A series of on-line technical meetings were planned to be held with senior subject matter specialists of the National Bureau of Statistics of Moldova (NBS on the “Methodology of the Labour Force Survey (LFS)”.
The main objective of this assignment is to assist the NBS in the improvement of the LFS by incorporating the recommendations of the 19th ICLS covering the following forms of work:
Own-use production of goods
Volunteer work.
Ms. Lucine Kalantaryan, Head of the Labour Market Statistics Department at the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia
Mr. Igor Chernyshev, Vice-President
GJASD International
c/o l'Etude d'avocats
CPB PARTNERS
Chemin des Carrés 37
1284 Chancy
Switzerland
Tel: +41(0)78-615-86-87
Email: info@gjasd.org
With rising geopolitical tensions and protectionism threatening cooperation between countries and international organizations, the first day of the World Chambers Congress tackled the theme of multilateralism, and the role business can play to make it work for everyone, everywhere, every day. Thus, Ms. Tatiana Valovaya, Director General of the United Nations Office in Geneva, noted that there had never been a greater need for multilateralism than in the 21st century and stressed that this process needed to consider the voices of more member states and women’s groups to become more inclusive.
On the second day, under the theme of Innovation by all and for all, Mr. Matthew Swift, co-founder and CEO of Concordia, picked up right where the discussions had left off on the inaugural day centred on multilateralism and said: “If we want innovation to really be ‘for all’, everyone must be playing by the same rules”.
On the third day, the WCC presentation and discussion were around another global theme “Making the supply chain more responsible not only protects against risks but also represents a huge opportunity to drive prosperity for more people on the planet”. To echo the maxim of the day, Mr. Gilbert Houngbo, Director General of the International Labor Organization (ILO), said “If you want sustainable peace, you have to cultivate social justice, the supply chain is there to increase growth and help get people out of poverty”.
Mr. Chamorel and Mr. Cheryshev had interesting discussions with representatives of the London Chamber of Commerce, the President, and Founder of the Group Engram, which is a strategic consulting firm whose core purpose is to accelerate the growth of small and medium-size enterprises, the President of the Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC), the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, the Enterprise Europe Network, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, and other congress participants. In total, they had meetings with representatives of 45 companies, firms, and national chambers of commerce. Separate meetings were held with members of the CCIG and its Director General, Mr. Vincent Subilia.
Following the official opening session, Ms. Charlyn B. Justimbaste, OIC-Executive Director, Planning Office, TESDA made an overarching presentation, "Highlights of the Regional Pilot Completion Workshops and the Challenges of the Implementation of Area-based LMI Analysis and TVET Delivery in Regions".
Ms. Charlyn Justimbaste, OIC Director, made a comprehensive presentation highlighting the salient features of the three Regional Pilot Completion Workshops held before the Regional Workshop. Dorothea Boy-Navarro, Director of the Development Academy of the Philippines, spoke about the proposals for improving the quality of LMI on the supply of skilled labour from TESDA, CHED, and PESOs.
- Activities carried out since 2022
Mr. Chernyshevwith the Winner of the World Chambers Competition Award 2023 Mr. Michael Barnett, Chief Executive of the Auckland Business Chamber of Commerce (New Zealand)
Ms. Laurence de la Serna,
CCIG Vice-President
Mr. Hugo Oberson, Team Leader for Central Asia and the Caucasus, tells that meeting that on 14 September 2022, he and Mr. Chernyshev participated in the conference organised by the Mikro Kapital Fund (Luxembourg) to promote investments from the Swiss financial and business community for development in Tajikistan. MIKRO FUND was created to support micro and small entrepreneurs' lending, financial and operational leasing, and other micro-financing activities worldwide.
The conference, held at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues (Geneva), was opened by H. E. Mr. Jamshed Khamidov, Ambassador of Tajikistan in Swiss Confederation, with an opening speech “Let me introduce you to my country, Tajikistan”.
Some hundred participants attended the meeting physically and remotely (online). Mr. Igor Chernyshev, Vice-President, represented GJASD International as a permanent Expert Group member.
Mr. Khalid Hassan, Director
of ILO Country Office Manila
Mr. Andriy Palka, Chair of Management Board, Imon International (first left)
Participants of the 3rd Meeting of the Expert Group
- Statistics Through Eastern Partnership – STEP: Final Event
- National Knowledge-Sharing Pilot Completion Workshop on Analysing Skilled Workforce Demand and Enhancing TVET Delivery (Visayas Regions VI, VII and VIII)
- Symposium on Country Experiences in Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism
Ms. Rosanna A. Urdaneta, Deputy Director General, Policies and Planning, TESDA
Some 450 people participated in the 158th General Assembly of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Services of Geneva (CCIG), which was held on 4 April 2023 at the Palexpo Convention Center. Members elected Mr. Gilles Rufenacht as President of the association. Ms. Laurence de la Serna resumes the post of Vice-President.
At the end of her mandate as the association's president, Ms. Laurence de la Serna recalled that, despite geopolitical turbulence, the Geneva economy experienced a sustained recovery last year similar to that of 2021. "In adversity, we measure the tenacity and the actions taken. Proof of this is the encouraging development in the volume of business, with an increase announced by more than half of the entrepreneurs surveyed, according to the 23rd CCIG Economic Survey."
For his part, Mr. Gilles Rufenacht underlined "the importance of the Chamber's Economic Council as a think tank and source of proposals for the future of the Geneva economy, respectively of Switzerland, and for developing the economic vision and issues that the Chamber wishes to defend."
Mr. Igor Chernyshev, Vice-Presidnet, and Mr. Igor Vokatch, General Secretary, participated and voted at the General Assembly on behalf of GJASD International.
They had a brief discussion with Mr. Vincent Subila, CCIG Director-General, and members of the Organising Committee of the 13th World Chambers Congress to be held in Geneva from 21-23 June 2023.
The 64th World Statistics Congress of the International Statistical Institute (ISI) was held in Ottawa (Canada) from 16 to 20 July. The ISI is a professional association of statisticians founded in 1885. It leads, supports, and promotes the development and good practice of statistics worldwide under the theme: Statistical Science for a Better World.
The ISI has consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations since 1949. It provides a welcoming environment for advancing statistical knowledge and learning best practices, for sharing state-of-the-art developments, and for creating opportunities to network.
The ISI international flagship event is the biennial ISI World Statistics Congress, where several thousand participants from around the globe meet to exchange and explore new ideas and to network. Different countries host the World Statistics Congresses (WSC). GJASD International participated in the 62nd WSC held in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) in 2019.
Like in the case of the 62nd WSC, on 20 June, GJASD International organised an Invited Paper Session (IPS) entitled Areas for Alignment of Labour Market Information to Meet the Planning Needs of Technical and Vocational Education and Training
(see at: www.isi2023.org).
The session had three speakers and Mr. Chernyshev acted as the IPS organiser, Chair, and Discussant. The three IPS speakers were Prof. Teimuraz Beridze (professor at the Business and Economics Faculty of the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgia), Dr. Margarita Rohr (Associate Professor at the University of Valencia, Spain), and Ms. Lucine Kalantaryan (Head of the Labour Market Statistics Department at the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia).
All three presentations were very well received. Notably, as the UNDP in Armenia could not cover Ms. Kalantaryan’s travel expenses and her participation fees had already been paid by GJASD International, she could participate in the IPS only online. Her presentation was especially interesting for the IPS participants, as she presented the Armenian experience in applying the methodology developed by the GJASD International’s experts during their work in Armenia.
More specifically, Ms. Kalantaryan talked about the processes and results of the pilot analysis of demand for the skilled labour force and “replacement demand” to advise on TVET enrolment and planning. The analysis was carried out within the framework of the UNDP project with particular emphasis on the methodology for collecting missing data required for estimating replacement demand in Armenia from the LFS 2023. In particular, she presented the first results of the above-mentioned methodology piloted by the Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia at the national level using a modified Labour Force Survey questionnaire.
During the Congress, Mr. Chernyshev met with colleagues from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Saudia Arabia, Uganda, USA, ESCWA, Eurostat, ILO, World Bank, and some other countries and international organizations.
Ms. Avis Beneš, Head of Eurostat Unit B3, (first top left) opens STEP Programme Final Even to celebrate the Programme’s achievements
Examples of activities
Ms. Clara van der Pol, Chief a.i, Statistics Department UNWTO, Mr. Peter Laimer, Statistics Austria and Chair of the Expert Group on MST,
Ms. Zoritsa Urosevic, Executive Director, UNWTO, Mr. Rafael Diez de Medina, Chief Statistician and Director of the Statistics Department, ILO
In February 2022, GJASD International signed the sixth service contract extending its collaboration with Expertise France for the provision of individual expertise as part of the international cooperation project “Statistics through Eastern Partnership” (STEP).
A series of on-line technical meetings were held with senior subject matter specialists of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine (SSS) on the “Methodology of the Labour Force Survey (LFS)”.
The ultimate objective of the individual expertise was to assist the SSS in the improvement of the LFS by incorporating the relevant recommendations of the 19th ICLS as well as the EU Regulation № 2019/1700 of the European Parliament and of the Council(eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN).
The contract was successfully implemented despite the extremely difficult and unsafe working conditions caused by the war in Ukraine.
Green Jobs and Sustainable Development International Centre advisory service
Mr. Vincent Subilia, Director General of the CCIG
and Mr. Yves Chamorel, President, GJASD International
Members of the Invited Ppare Session:
Mr. Igor Chernyshev, Dr. Margarita Rohr, Ms. Lucine Kalantaryan, and Prof. Teimuraz Beridze
- 3rd Meeting of the Expert Group on Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism (Madrid, 14-16 December 2022)
Dr. Margarita Rohr (Associate Professor at the University of Valencia (Spain)
Monday - Friday: 10 am till 5:30 pm
On 15 September 2022, Mr. Igor Chernyshev, Vice-President of GJASD International, took part in a Webinar “Ukrainian Business in Time of War – Day 204” held by the Ukraine Chapter of the Joint Chamber of Commerce of Switzerland to better understand economic conditions and reconstruction plans.
The event was opened by Ms. Dorit Probst-Sallis, Managing Director of the Joint Chamber of Commerce Switzerland-Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Caucasus, who welcomed the participants and introduced two key speakers Mr. Hlib Vyshlinksy, Executive Director, Centre of Economic Strategy (Ukraine), and Dr. Andrii Dligach, CEO Adventure Group (Ukraine). Mr. Sven Henniger, Head, Ukraine Chapter, Webinar Moderator.
The MST programme goes beyond the development of the SF-MST. A Working Group of experts representing 24 countries from all global regions and from more than ten organizations representing the international statistical and tourism communities and academia, has been tasked with not only developing the framework but also advancing its implementation. This Working Group reports to the UNWTO Committee on Statistics. GJASD International is a member of the Working Group.
The 3rd Meeting of the Expert Group was held at the headquarters of UNWTO in Madrid on 15-16 December, back to back with the Symposium on country experiences (see the Programme here).
Green Jobs and Sustainable Development International Centre
Mr. Sven Henniger, Head, Ukraine Chapter of JCC (top row first left), and Mr. Hlib Vyshlinksy, Executive Director,
Centre of Economic Strategy (top row second right) Dr. Andrii Dligach, CEO Advanter Group (top row first right)
Messrs I. Chernyshev and I. Vokatch, GJASD International
Experts of GJASD International made four comprehensive presentations, totalling about 4 hours:
Methods and results of analysis of regional demand for a skilled workforce.
Methods and results of analysis of the supply of skilled labour from the LFS unemployed.
Supply-to-demand ratios as a basis for making TVET delivery recommendations.
Directions for enhancement of LFS occupational analysis in the Philippines for supporting the demand-driven TVET.
Ms. Rosanna A. Urdaneta, Deputy Director General, Policies and Planning, TESDA, concluded the Workshop discussions by sharing her vision on ways forward for TESDA.
Relaxing time at a coffee break
Finally, Mr. Andriy Palka, Chair of Management Board, Imon International (Tajikistan), made the online presentation “SMEs and female entrepreneurship is the backbone of Tajikistan’s success”, where he briefly described how his company was helping female entrepreneurs to establish and develop their business through 103 banking service centres in more than 40 cities and districts of the Republic.
Mr. Raul Figueroa, National Statistical
and Geographical Institute (INEGI), Mexico
Prof. Teimuraz Beridze, Business and Economics Faculty at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (Georgia)
Honorable Senator Sherwin Gatchalian
The Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) supports both the improvement of existing tourism products and the development of new businesses and infrastructure.
It does this through joint promotion, education, and training for all industry members, supporting Samoa's industry and community needs.
This includes offering targeted advertising and other promotional activities to all samoa.travel business subscribers, presenting professional opportunities and helpful tips, and relevant industry news.
The STA aims to assist businesses in identifying the best way to target visitor markets by gaining a greater understanding of those markets and how to appeal to potential tourists.
At the end of March, the STA organised a Zoom Meeting with GJASD International. The Samoa Tourism Authority was represented by Ms. Pativaine Retita Petaia-Tevita, Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Lene Iosia 3rd, Principal Information Technology Officer. GJASD International was represented by Mr. Yves Chamorel, President, Mr. Igor Chernyshev, Vice-President, and Corresponding Member of the Ukrainian National Academy of Science Dr. Volodymyr Sidenko, Senior International Expert.
The meeting discussed the possibility of cooperation in the area of safeguarding local communities' livelihood security through sustainable tourism and green jobs. It has been agreed that the two organisations will continue their dialogue.
Mr. Vincenzo Trani, President of Mikro Kapital
Ms. Erah Mhay Quinones, Assistant Statistician,
Philippines Statistical Authority, RSSO VII
Mr. Chernyshev with the Winner of the Best Chamber Model Innovation Ms. Shenghan Sun, Director of the FTA Promotion Division CCPIT (China) and Mr. Jack Yao, Chair of the International Organization for Standardization
- The International Climate Show 2022
Central hall and the exhibition stands
Mr. Vincent Subila,
CCIG Director-General
In line with the Work Plan of the Implementation Agreement (March 2021-March 2023) with the ILO to cooperate in implementing the Skills for Prosperity Project in the Philippines, the experts GJASD International largely contributed to the preparation and made comprehensive presentations at three online Regional Workshops on Completing the Pilot Projects.
The Regional Workshops were conducted on 11 November (Region VI, attended by 71 participants.), 17 November (Region VII, attended by 153 participants), and 21 November (Region VIII, attended by 119 participants).
The pilot completion workshops aimed to:
- Share the update on the methodology of the labour market demand and supply analysis which has incorporated the LMI available in the Philippines using the methodology.
- Present the analysis findings of anticipated demand for skilled occupations with the largest employment in each Pilot Region.
- Present the concept and findings of analysis of the suply of skilled occupations involving TVET and tertiary graduates and the unemployed in each Pilot Region.
- Present the concept of producing the supply-to-demand ratios by individual occupations and their role as a basis for making the training delivery recommendations.
- Identify the role of regional TVET systems in making TVET delivery decisions based on the LMI results.
- Share the conclusions and recommendations for further improvement of the quality of labour market information in the Philippines.
Top managers and senior officials from the following institutions and organisations participated in the Workshops:
- Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
- International Labor Organization (ILO)
- Green Jobs and Sustainable Development International Centre Consultants (GJASD International)
- Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
- Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)
- National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
- Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)
- Development Academy of the Philippines(DAP)
- Other regional stakeholders.
Mr. Danilo P. Cruz, Director-General of TESDA, made the opening statement at each Regional Workshop on Completing the Pilot Projects. Concordantly, Mr. Khalid Hassan, Director of ILO Country Office Manila, Mr. Khalid Hassan, Director of ILO Country Office Manila; Mr. Lloyd Cameron, Economic and Climate Counselor, British Embassy, welcomed the Workshop participants.
For each Regional Workshop, experts of GJASD International wrote a comprehensive report entitled Analysis of Demand for Skilled Labour in Western Visayas Region of the Philippines: Regions VI, VII, and VIII, respectively. The reports were used as background preparatory materials by the participants.
Senior Officials from the participating agencies representing their Regions made presentations on their activities and commented on the recommendations in the Pilot Project Report Analysis of Demand for Skilled Labour in Western Visayas Region of the Philippines.
Embassy of the Republic of Tajikistan in Swiss Confederation
- Zoom Meeting with Samoa Tourism Authority
STEP is the first EU-funded large regional programme for statistical cooperation in the Eastern Partnership with a budget of 4.7 million euros, managed by Eurostat and implemented by a consortium led by Expertise France. STEP aimed to produce reliable and comparable statistics in the Eastern Partnership region and countries, for evidence-based decision-making.
Given that GJASD International signed seven service contracts with Expertise France and worked on their implementation during May 2020 - June 2022, the association was invited to the Final Event organised by STEP on 30 June 2022 to celebrate the Programme’s achievements with partner countries.
The event was attended by 90 participants from national statistical institutions of five Eastern Partnership Countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine), Eurostat, as well as members of the Consortium (Expertise France, INSEE, ISTAT, Central Statistical Office of Hungary, Statistics Lithuania and Statistics Denmark). Short-Term Experts (STEs) who were involved in providing of expertise during the course of the Programme also participated.
Mr. Igor Chernyshev, Vice-President of GJASD International, attended the event, which was opened by Ms. Avis Beneš, Head of Eurostat Unit B3, who warmly welcomed the Final Event participants. Thereafter, the floor was given to Mr. Klaus Balslev Pedersen, STEP Programme Team Leader, followed by Mr. Stepan Mnatsakanyan, President of ARMSTAT; Mr Nemat Khuduzade, Director of Department of Labour Statistics (AzSTAT); Mr. Gogita Torgadze, Executive Director of Geostat; Mr. Oleg Cara, Chair of the NBS of the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Ihor Verner, Chair, State Statistics Service of Ukraine.
The above high-level representatives from the five partner countries presented the achievement and benefits of STEP and emphasised the ways that STET had contributed to their statistics as well as cross-cutting issues.
Mr. Igor Chernyshev, Vice-President of GJASD International, participated in the Symposium on country experiences held at the headquarters of UNWTO in Madrid on 14 December 2022.
UNWTO, in collaboration with the UN Statistics Division, is propelling the development of the MST (Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism) programme to provide all countries in the world with a common framework to measure the impacts and contributions of tourism on the economy, society, and the environment.
The Statistical Framework for MST (SF-MST) is a valuable guiding tool for countries to produce credible, comparable, and integrated data to guide decisions and policy concerning sustainable tourism better.
- World Travel & Tourism Council’s Global Summit
Mr. Igor Chernyshev, Vice-President of GJASD International, participated in the Show and discussed with Dr Nadia Plata a possibility of launching a project in the Pacific island countries with the objective to create green jobs for the indigenous peoples. GJASD International has participate in all Climate Shows organised since 2018 and friendly relations have been established with Dr. Plata and her Team.
This time, Dr. Plata introduced Mr. Chernyshev to Mr. Jeremy Sadler, INTRON Executive (Australia), who came all the way to Geneva to visit the Show with a great idea of organising one of its future meetings in Australia. Mr. Chernyshev used the opportunity and discussed with Mr. Sadler the initiative of GJASD International of launching a project on green jobs creation for the indigenous peoples of Australia and the Pacific Island countries through their involvement in green tourism. Mr. Sadler welcomed the initiative and offered his assistance in promoting such a project in Australia.
Mr. Chernyshev attended several conferences, of which one was of particular interest as it was directly linked with the potential of creating green jobs through collecting floating plastic waste in high concentration areas before it sinks or breaks down into microplastic. Such jobs can be created thanks to the Manta, a giant sailing boat, taking on oceanic plastic pollution. That concentrated ecology and technology floating factory ship is the first of its kind capable of collecting, processing, and recovering large quantities of marine plastic waste (explore the Manta in videos at: www.theseacleaners.org.
The Conference was organised and delivered by Mr. Yvan Bourgnon, Chairman and Founder of The SeaCleaners - the Swiss NGO that provides solutions on land and at sea to fight against plastic pollution.
- Investing in Central Asia, a journey to Tajikistan: a lunch-presentation
At the Shaw Centre in Ottawa
Ms. Dorit Probst-Sallis, Managing Director Managing Director, JCC (top row first left)
Dr. Dligach presented the priorities and structure of the programme for the country’s renewal. One of his key messages is that the economic shock of the war in Ukraine is having differing negative effects on various sectors of the economy. At the same time the country continues to operate, the government provides its citizens’ essential services and the financial system has demonstrated resilience. The most revealing figures are presented in slides reproduced below.
Opening ceremony: Mr. Arnold Donald, Chair, WTTC & Vice Chair of the Board, Carnival Corporation; H.E. Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ms. Julia Simpson, President & Chief Executive Officer of the World Travel & Tourism Council, delivered the opening speech.
That was a high-profile event with the participation of former Heads of State from all over the five continents and the CEO of the leading world corporations engaged in the travel and tourism business (see the Programme here).
Mr. Vyshlinksy, presented current macroeconomic challenges and implications for business. Economic planning for the country’s renewal is underway by the Ukrainian Government and local business community in coordination with European and international partners.
Mr. Chernyshev with delegates and colleagues from Malaysia, ILO, Brazil, ESCWA, and Nepal
- 64th ISI World Statistics Congress, July 2023
Mr. Danilo P. Cruz, Director-General of TESDA
Mr. Lloyd Cameron, Economic and
Climate Counsellor, British Embassy
After the official part, Mr. Chernyshev met H. E. Mr. Jamshed Khamidov, Ambassador of Tajikistan, whom he briefly informed about the objectives and areas of work of GJASD International. The ambassador invited Mr. Chernyshev to continue their discussion at the embassy to identify possible areas for the association’s activities in Tajikistan.
Later, Mr. Chernyshev met Mr. Vincenzo Trani, President of Mikro Kapital, who introduced him to Ms. Alina Zaharia form the “Generation” private company representing Mikro Kapital in Switzerland. It was agreed that GJASD International would organise a meeting with the “Generation” to discuss a fundraising procedure to finance certain association’s upcoming projects.
Thereafter, in his presentation “What brought us in Tajikistan”, Mr. Vincenzo Trani, President of Mikro Kapital, informed participants about the challenges encountered and results achieved by the fund despite the COVID 2019 pandemic lockdowns and economic depression.
Activities in which GJASD International was involved include:
The International Climate Show: Solutions and Innovations was held at Palexpo Geneva (Switzerland) on 20 and 21 April 2022 was dedicated to Eco-innovations for climate and environmental protection (ClimateShow-2022).
Inauguration of the Climate Show 2022 was held on 20 April followed by the Press Conference with the Climate Show organizers led by Dr Nadia Plata (founder of the Climate Show), Mr. Fernand Cuche (General Secretary of the Union of Swiss Producers), PANGAEA X with Mr. Mike Horn (South African-born Swiss, professional explorer and adventurer) and Ms. Jessica Horn (a women’s rights/gender equality expert), Mr. Yvan Bourgnon adventurer, a competitor and a seasoned skipper committed to the ecology, "Gladiator of the seas”), the Catwalkers and the media.
During two days, visitors had the opportunity to participate in several workshops and conferences. They could discover the Pangaea X project led by Mike Horn, conferences of visionary personalities such as Mr. Yvan Bourgnon who shared the latest news about his project on a giant oceanic plastic pollution Manta boat designed to remove pollution from the oceans. A numerous workshops were organised for young people in the field of ecological science.
In addition, 13 innovative companies and start-ups demonstrated a large number of sustainable innovations.
The 4th and last Meeting of the Expert Group on Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism is scheduled to take place in May 2023. The UNWTO Report on SF-MST will be presented to the UN Statistical Commission in February-March 2024.
- ILO "Skills for Prosperity – Philippines (SfP-PHI) Project": Output 3 "Strengthening TVET and Labour Market Information System, Data Collection and Analysis"
Participants of the 3rd Meeting of the Expert Group
Ms. Leandry Moreno, Specialist, UNWTO, Mr. Carl Obst, UNWTO Expert
H. E. Mr. Jamshed Khamidov, Ambassador of Tajikistan in Swiss Confederation
- Tourism statistics inform UN on sustainable development
Mr. Cezar Dragutan, CTA Skills for
Prosperity Project in the Philippines
Mr. Igor Chernyshev, Vice-President,
Mr. Navarra S.L., Head, INSTITUTO MOVATUR (Spain)
- Webinar “Ukrainian Business in Time of War – Day 204”
Experts of GJASD International made four comprehensive presentations, totalling about 4 hours:
- Methods and results of analysis of regional demand for a skilled workforce.
- Methods and results of analysis of the supply of skilled labour from the LFS unemployed.
- Supply-to-demand ratios as a basis for making TVET delivery recommendations.
- Directions for enhancement of LFS occupational analysis in the Philippines for supporting the demand-driven TVET.
- Expertise France
Ms. Pativaine Reita Petaia-Tevita, Chief Executive Officer, Samoa Tourism Agency Mr. Kitiona Pogi, Manager of Research and Statistics, Samoa Tourism Agency
- The 158th General Assembly of the CCIG
Organised by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and its World Chambers Federation, the World Chambers Congress is the largest and the only international forum that enables chamber leaders and professionals to share best practices, exchange insights, develop networks, address the latest business issues affecting their communities and learn about new areas of innovation from chambers around the world.
Held every two years in a different region of the world, the Congress provides unparalleled opportunities to connect and strengthen relations with a diverse and international group of individuals representing more than 100 countries. It is a valuable and dynamic forum facilitating the exchange of real-world ideas and best practices on both chamber and business activities, and it has been growing ever since its launch in 1999.
Co-organised by the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Services (CCIG), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Chambers Federation (WCF), the 13th World Chambers Congress held in Geneva from 21 to 23 June was a forum uniting the global network of chambers and their respective business communities under the central theme of: “Achieving peace and prosperity through multilateralism”. It was attended by 1,400 participants from 117 countries with 160 speakers in 50 sessions.
The Congress programme tackled this theme through 3 main topics spread over the three days: multilateralism, innovation, and sustainability.
Mr. Yves Chamorel, President, and Mr. Igor Chernyshev, Vice-President, represented GJASD International at the Congress.
- Expertise France
The 3rd Expert Group Meeting discussed the second draft SF-MST Report prepared by the Editorial Board chaired by Mr. Peter Laimer. The report consists of the following five chapters:
Chapter 1. Introducing MST, its aim and scope
Chapter 2. Economic sustainability
Chapter 3. Environmental Sustainability
Chapter 4. Social Sustainability
Chapter 5. The spatial perspective
Each chapter had its group discussion moderated by reèresentatives of the Meeting Secretariat (for more detailed information, see the Expert Group Meeting Programme).
Mr. Chernyshev, being an expert in measuring employment in the tourism industries and a co-author of the Sub-section on MST Employment included in the first version of the SF-MST Report, made comprehensive comments on Chapters 1-4, and at the last Group discussion where the following issues were raised: “Does the group agree with the process? Are there any important stakeholder groups to bring on board? Are there any important issues that should be included in SF-MST, or left for the future research Agenda? Do you have an interest in supporting work on specific topics?”
One of the primary means of advancing the implementation of the framework is through pilot projects in countries or destinations. These are key to testing the framework for MST on the ground.
As of August 2020, a total of 11 MST pilot studies have been conducted in the following countries: Austria, Canada, Fiji, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and Thailand. In addition, Samoa and Vietnam have undertaken projects aimed at measuring the sustainability of tourism using tools that are in line with the SF-MST.
The role of the MST Pilots was to:
- Test the framework for policy relevance and feasibility.
- Feed the framework under development with lessons “from the ground”
- Fine-tune the technical developments.
- Resolve key measurement issues.
- Contribute to stakeholder engagement and consensus building.
The pilot results were published in the “Experiences from pilot studies in measuring the sustainability of tourism: A synopsis for policymakers” (see it here)
Participants from ten countries presented the results of their pilot studies (see the Programme here)