Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung@ 40 in Ghana socio-economic policies and international trade issues and support for advocacy work. The TUC is increasingly developing its strength to effectively engage government and industry in the policy-making process. Apart from the representation of its traditional members, the TUC is also very active in organising the informal economy which employs the vast majority of Ghanaians. Recent cooperation between both organisations has resulted in the formation of a network of young unionists that can go a long way to address some of the organisational challenges the TUC is facing. An evaluation of the labour conditions in the National Youth Employment Programme has been highly appreciated by government and the work in the area of youth employment continues. On the regional and national level FES successfully supported the TUC to do research and advocacy work to carefully evaluate trade negotiations and to influence the Ghanaian government to carefully scrutinise any agreements to avoid signing any sub-optimal deals. Strengthening Parliament A well functioning parliament that is able to check the executive is indispensable to a vibrant democracy. Therefore, FES, as the first international organisation, started to work with parliament from its inception in 1993. Our cooperation has continued to evolve over the years. The joint programme today includes a particularly close cooperation with the Select Committees on Foreign Affairs and on Trade, Industry and Tourism, more recently the Committee on Defence and Interior is included in our programmes. Our joint programmes have prioritised building deliberative and oversight capacities of Parliamentary Committees and opening parliamentary debates to qualified inputs from relevant interest groups. Furthermore, our programmes aim at enhancing Parliament's dialogue with civil society and the public appreciation of Parliament's role within the framework of the Constitution of 7