Tunisia - IOM Deputy Director General, Laura Thompson, CEO of ”La Caixa” Banking Foundation, Jaume Giró and the CEO of the Tunisian banking organization Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, Dr. Boutheina Ben Yaghlane Ben Slimane, signed an agreement today (24/03) to launch “La Caixa” Foundation’s Incorpora programme in Tunis. This employment integration programme aims to find jobs for members of groups with particular difficulties integrating into employment.

This agreement will enable the implementation of the Incorpora programme in the Tunisian capital and its metropolitan area, which has a total population of over two million people and high unemployment rates. The programme is focused on people in vulnerable situations, mainly women and young people at risk of exclusion. IOM will be the project coordinating partner on the ground, working with local organizations in pursuit of the programme’s goals.

The project is launched under the guidance of MED Confederation, an association which promotes social and economic cooperation among Mediterranean countries. “La Caixa” Foundation, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations of Tunisia, the World Savings Bank Institute, Caisse de Dépôts et Gestion of Morocco, IEMed, IPEMED and the Al Barid Bank of Morocco are all founding members of the confederation.

The Incorpora model has been trialled in Morocco, Hungary and Poland. In 2016, the programme, launched in Spain ten years ago, helped 28,000 people find jobs locally. Cooperation between the social and business sectors is enabled by 382 organizations that run the programme in all the Spanish provinces, thanks to the efforts of 756 workers devoted to integration and employment. Last year alone, 9,000 companies engaged with this programme.

Further information, please contact Lorena Lando at IOM Tunisia, Tel: +216 28 54 29 54, Email:  llando@iom.int  

Or Irene Benedicto at ”La Caixa” Foundation, Tel: +34 629 54 78 50, Email: ibenedicto@fundaciolacaixa.org