[Federal Register: April 17, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 73)]
[Notices]               
[Page 17883]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17ap09-98]                         

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of the Secretary

 
Worker Rights Program

AGENCY: Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of 
Labor.

ACTION: Notice of intent to solicit cooperative agreement applications.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), Bureau of International 
Labor Affairs (ILAB) Office of Trade and Labor Affairs (OTLA), Division 
of Trade Agreement Administration and Technical Cooperation (TAATC), 
intends to obligate approximately USD 3 million to support cooperative 
agreement awards to organizations to address workers rights issues 
internationally. ILAB intends to award, through a competitive and 
merit-based process, cooperative agreements to organizations to develop 
and implement projects to promote core labor standards by working at 
tripartite levels (governments, employers and labor) to improve labor 
law compliance in Pakistan and Kenya.
    ILAB intends to fund projects that focus on strengthening 
compliance with international core labor standards, improving working 
conditions for workers, increasing knowledge among employers and 
workers of their rights and obligations, and to increase the capacity 
of ministries of labor to use the labor administration/inspection 
system more effectively. The projects should propose innovative and 
cost-effective interventions that will produce a demonstrable and 
sustainable impact to target beneficiaries at all levels within a 
tripartite system. ILAB intends to solicit cooperative agreement 
applications from qualified organizations (i.e., any commercial, 
international, educational, or non-profit organization, including any 
faith-based, community-based, or public international organizations(s), 
capable of successfully developing and implementing worker rights 
projects) to implement these projects. Please refer to http://
www.dol.gov/ilab/grants/main.htm for examples of previous notices of 
availability of funds and solicitations for cooperative agreement 
applications (SGAs).
    Key Dates: The forthcoming SGAs will be published on http://
www.grants.gov and USDOL/ILAB's Web site. A brief synopsis of the SGAs 
and Web site links to the full-text SGAs will be published in the 
Federal Register. The SGAs will remain open for at least 60 days from 
the date of publication. All cooperative agreement awards will be made 
on or before September 30, 2009.
    Submission Information: Applications in response to the forthcoming 
solicitation must be submitted electronically on http://www.grants.gov 
or submitted in hard copy to Lisa Harvey, Office of Procurement 
Services, Room S-4307, 200 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 
20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Lisa Harvey. E-mail address: 
harvey.lisa@dol.gov. All inquiries should make reference to the USDOL 
ILAB Workers Rights--SGAs. Information on the specific sectors, 
geographical regions, and funding levels for the potential projects in 
the countries listed above will be addressed in the SGAs to be 
published on http://www.grants.gov. Potential applicants should not 
submit inquiries to USDOL for further information on these award 
opportunities until after USDOL's publication of the solicitations.
    Background Information: TAATC works with other governments and 
international organizations to identify assistance that countries may 
require to improve the labor conditions of their citizens. Since 1995, 
TAATC has developed programs in more than seventy countries addressing 
a wide range of labor issues. In FY 2008, Congress provided $5 million 
to implement model programs to assure adherence to international core 
labor standards in countries with which the United States provides 
trade preferences (in 2008, projects were launched in Afghanistan, 
Colombia, Haiti and Tanzania). To date, the U.S. Congress has 
appropriated $11.5 million to USDOL to support these activities. For 
additional information on the program, see TAATC fact sheet at http://
www.dol.gov/ilab/media/factsheets/20080200TAATC.pdf.
    International projects funded by USDOL to promote worker rights 
seek to assure adherence to international core labor standards in 
countries with which the United States provides trade preference 
through the following activities:
    1. Provide training for labor inspectors;
    2. Provide knowledge, education, and awareness-raising for workers 
about their rights;
    3. Provide education and awareness-raising for employers about 
their responsibilities and worker rights;
    4. Enhance the capacity of Ministries of Labor to generate and 
maintain reliable labor market data;
    5. Strengthen the capacity of worker and employer organizations to 
engage in social dialogue.

    Signed at Washington, DC, this 13th day of April 2009.
Lisa Harvey,
Grant Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-8814 Filed 4-16-09; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-28-P