EXECUTIVE SUMMARY _____________________________________________________________________ Unemployment and the right to employment, social responsibility and the sustainability of the environment 5.12 Burkinabe enterprises are suffering directly from the weaknesses in the country’s justice system. Indeed, the embryonic state of arbitration, the inefficiency of the modern justice system and the questioning of traditional arbitrations constitute obstacles to enterprise development. Together with inadequate resources to collect taxes, the difficulty of ensuring respect for their rights should be linked to the reluctance of Burkinabe enterprises to honour their tax obligations. 5.13 On another level, if underemployment seems to pose more problems than unemployment, and rural-urban drift is creating high tensions in the labour market, then respect for human rights in general, and those of workers in particular, is a problem in Burkina Faso. This situation is the result of the high rates of illiteracy among the people and the precarious economic situation in which the majority of enterprises operate. 5.14 The low social involvement of enterprises is attributable to the somewhat problematic relationships with politics. Finally, despite the efforts made by the government, there is little awareness of the environmental challenges that economic activity and the actions of enterprises present. The CRM analysed the performance of Burkina Faso to improve codes of ethics in businesses as they pursue their corporate objectives. 5.15 With regard to access to public markets, the CRM registered several complaints by economic operators, especially in the interior of the country, who affirm that access to public markets is influenced by the weight of politics and lack of transparency. The mission feels that these criticisms are founded. However, they also emphasise the weaknesses and lack of managerial skills in many enterprises, particularly those operating in the building, public works and civil engineering (BTP) sector. They have often shown serious weaknesses in the way they operate in public markets. The CRM noted the intention of the ADB to fund a training programme for BTP enterprises, and recommended that the government and its national and primary partners intensify the training of businesspeople operating outside Ouagadougou in order to improve their competitiveness. 5.16 Several traders and businesspeople also asserted that top government officials and members of their families have become business executives. They then take advantage of the markets, notably the public markets, and the facilities for obtaining administrative authorisations or training. 5.17 With regard to the fight against corruption and money laundering, the CRM noted the existence of the National Ethics Committee (CNE). This committee helped to draft the various codes of ethics for the different bodies in the administration. Similarly, the HACLC is striving to disseminate professional codes of conduct. Moreover, with regard to enterprises and public organisations, the IGE, placed under the prime minister, intervenes using a 20