Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Burkina Faso

Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951 (No. 100) (Ratification: 1969)
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No. 111) (Ratification: 1962)

In order to provide a comprehensive view of the issues relating to the application of ratified Conventions on equality, the Committee considers it appropriate to examine Conventions Nos 100 (equal remuneration) and 111 (discrimination in employment and occupation) together.

Convention No. 111 – National policy to promote equality of opportunity and treatment in respect of employment and occupation

Articles 1 to 3. National policy to promote equality of opportunity and treatment. Sex. Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes the information provided by the Government, in its report, on measures taken to combat gender stereotypes, occupational segregation and violence against women. The Committee notes however that major inequalities persist in practice. The 2023 Gender Index (Livret Genre 2023) published in October 2024 by the National Institute for Statistics and Demographics (INSD) indicates for example that: (1) the transition rate from secondary to higher education is 84.2 per cent for boys compared to 68.7 per cent for girls; (2) the employment rate is 54.2 per cent for men, compared with 40.7 per cent for women; and (3) the wage gap between men and women is at 37.3 per cent. In its report on the national-level review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 1995 (Beijing+30 national report), the Government also referred to numerous challenges, including: (1) the negative impact of the security crisis; (2) the worsening of gender-based violence in this context; (3) the persistence of socio-cultural norms that are detrimental to the rights of women and girls; and (4) the general lack of resources. In this context, the Committee requests the Government to strengthen its action to promote equality of opportunity and treatment between men and women in employment and occupation (access to diversified training, combating gender stereotypes and gender-based violence, etc.). It requests the Government to provide information on measures taken in this regard.

Convention No. 100 – Principle of equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value

Articles 1 to 3. Application of the principle of equal remuneration. Further to its previous comments, the Committee notes that the Government refers to the adoption of the National Employment Strategy of Burkina Faso (SNE-BF 2025-2029), which includes the elaboration of an Operational Directory of Jobs and Employment (Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME)) and that the Government requests ILO technical assistance in evaluating jobs and in producing the ROME. The Committee hopes that it will be possible to provide the technical assistance, leading to the adoption of an objective method of appraisal of jobs to be used in the fixing of wages and contributing to the application of the principle of equal remuneration for work of equal value in practice. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on any progress made in this regard.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.