ILO in the Arab States
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Young people address challenges and explore opportunities of transition from learning to employment in the Middle East and North Africa/Arab States region
Home to the highest rates of unemployed youth in the world, the region needs to create more than 33.3 million new jobs by 2030
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UN Secretary-General visits ILO employment creation project in northern Lebanon
As part of a four-day official visit to Lebanon, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited a joint ILO-UNDP project that is creating jobs and rehabilitating the Tripoli waterfront.
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World Social Protection Report 2020–22: Regional companion report for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region
This regional companion report for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is intended to complement the ILO’s World Social Protection Report 2021–22. Social Protection at the Crossroads – in Pursuit of a Better Future. The regional companion report first gives a global perspective that is taken from the main report and outlines recent developments in social protection systems worldwide. It then highlights key developments, challenges and priorities for social protection in the MENA region.
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How domestic workers got organized in Kuwait
Ann Abunda arrived in Kuwait 18 years ago to work as a domestic worker. Having lived through some challenging experiences, she helped found a thriving organization that advocates for the rights of domestic workers in the country.
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ILO promotes entrepreneurship among Lebanese nationals and Syrian refugees in Lebanon
The ILO has trained over 650 women and men on its My First Business entrepreneurship training programme, aimed at promoting livelihoods and decent job creation in the agriculture and agro-food sectors.
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Preserve Iraq’s cultural heritage, create decent work
In the first video story of our ILO in Action series, Chief Technical Adviser, Bashar Elsamarneh, explains how a joint ILO/EU/UNESCO project in Iraq’s historic Erbil City is preserving its cultural heritage, while teaching skills and promoting decent work for local people and Syrian refugees.
What's new
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Rural economy
Launch of the report "Decent work deficits among rural workers"
This webinar is bringing together senior trade union leaders, workers and allies, ILO leadership, researchers, and academicians to discuss about challenges, opportunities and strategies to address the decent work deficits in the rural economy.
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Press release
Jordan and ILO sign agreement to support the extension of social security coverage and promote formalization
24 May 2022
The project will help extend social protection to Jordanian and non-Jordanian workers, including refugees, by subsidizing contributions and providing income support to promote their participation in the national social security system.
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A Glimmer of Hope amidst the Pain
Older people in Lebanon face desperate circumstances due to lack of basic social protection guarantees
24 May 2022
A new report by HelpAge International and the ILO draws on the testimonials of older people who convey the severe hardships they face because of the lack of an adequate social protection system in Lebanon.
Publications
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Towards a Productive and Inclusive Path: Job Creation in the Arab Region
This report by ESCWA and the ILO Regional Office for Arab States examines why Arab economies fail to create sufficient decent jobs. It provides guidance to policymakers, help reduce labour market deficits, especially in the formal private sector, and unlock the potential of the private sector to become a major driver for economic growth and the creation of decent employment across the region.
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Report - “Assessing Informality and Vulnerability among Disadvantaged Groups in Lebanon: A Survey of Lebanese, and Syrian and Palestinian Refugees”
This study assesses the extent of informal employment and vulnerability among the most deprived Lebanese citizens, and the Syrian and Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon, through the analysis of representative survey data on employment and labour market conditions of these three population sub-groups.
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Impact of COVID-19 on Migrants and Refugees in the Arab Region
This technical paper examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrants and refugees. It focuses on several relevant areas including health, income security, the economy and education.