ILO, UNHCR strengthen their collaboration to promote sustainable livelihoods for refugees and displaced persons

GENEVA (ILO News) – The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) issued today a joint statement aimed at implementing strategies to achieve sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction for refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons.

The statement, signed by Ruud Lubbers, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, and Juan Somavia, Director-General of the ILO, provides the development of joint programmes and projects linking relief to social and economic development.

"Accumulated experience has demonstrated the effectiveness of employment-oriented strategies for promoting sustainable livelihoods in bridging relief and development", Juan Somavia and Ruud Lubbers said in a joint statement that marks the beginning of a "strengthened partnership".

UNHCR and ILO have cooperated on various activities over the last forty years to develop sustainable solutions for refugees and returnees, effectively combining their respective expertise. Recognizing the fact that refugees and returnees can be agents of development where they live, either in their host country or in their countries of origin, the partnership also contributes to the UN Millennium Development Goals, in particular the reduction of poverty.

With financial support from Italy, a joint ILO-UNHCR global programme for the socio-economic integration of refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons was launched at the end of 2003. The programme focuses on strategies that bring together employment-intensive reconstruction, enterprise development, microfinance, skills development, women's economic empowerment, social protection, local economic development and capacity building.

Projects in Angola, Eritrea, Mozambique, Serbia and Montenegro, Somalia, Southern Sudan and Uganda are currently being executed as a result of this joint initiative. The two agencies also plan to deploy experts to Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Northern Caucasus in the near future.

For more information please contact:

InFocus Programme on Crisis Response and Reconstruction: ifpcrisis@ilo.org (ILO) and Reintegration and Local Settlement Section - Division of Operational Support: HQTS02@unhcr.ch (UNHCR).