ILO to support post-Ebola recovery effort in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone

The International Labour Organization will take part to the Ebola Recovery Conference in New York on 10 July to galvanize support and ensure a healthier and safer future of the world of work in the three hard-hit West-African countries.

Note aux journalistes | 6 juillet 2015
ADDIS ABABA (ILO News) –  A high-level delegation of the International Labour Organization (ILO), led by Aeneas Chapinga Chuma, Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Africa, will attend the International Ebola Conference on 10 July in New York to contribute to the recovery priorities of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The Conference – organized in partnership with the African Union, the European Union, the African development Bank and the World Bank – is designed to mobilize additional resources to support the transition from emergency to recovery and the implementation of national and regional strategies.

The Meeting will also examine the potential long-term impact of the Ebola crisis on economic growth, education, employment, social services.
The ILO’s contribution is dedicated to strengthening institutions and provides technical support in priority areas defined by the three countries in their respective national recovery plans.

On 8 July, the ILO is organizing a side event under the theme: “Ebola recovery: Strengthening resilience through social protection”.

The policy recommendations to be adopted in New York are to be considered at the African Union’s conference on Ebola on 20 July in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

The ILO was part of the ERA “Ebola Recovery Assessment” (ERA), carried out by the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the United Nations system. It was organized around four thematic working groups: health and water and sanitation (WASH) led by WHO and the World Bank; Infrastructure and Basic Services (IBS) led by UNICEF and ILO; Socio-economic revitalization (SER) led by the World Bank with AfDB, UNDP, ECA as co-leads; and Peace building and Core Government functions co-led by UNDP and the EU.

The ILO has also been an essential constituent of the fight against Ebola from the onset, working with local and international partners, including WHO, to support health care workers and providing key life-saving information to minimise health risks for workers. It also supported the draft national recovery plans for Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.