Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience

Resource page on Recommendation no. 205

Recommendation No. 205 on Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience was adopted by the International Labour Conference in June 2017 following a two-year process of standard setting and tripartite consultations to revise and replace Recommendation No. 71 on Employment (Transition from War to Peace) of 1944. The new standard provides a unique normative framework focusing on world of work related measures to prevent and respond to the devastating effects of crises on economies and societies.

Compared to the previous instrument, Recommendation No. 205:
  • features an expanded scope including internal conflicts and disasters;
  • broadens and updates the guidance on employment and several other elements of the Decent Work Agenda, taking into account the current global context and the complex and evolving nature of contemporary crises as well as the experience gained by the ILO and the international community in crisis response over the last decades;
  • focuses on recovery and reconstruction in post-conflict and disaster situations, but also on addressing root causes of fragility and taking preventive measures for building resilience.
The Recommendation is accompanied by a Resolution inviting governments, employers and workers to give full effect to the new standard, and complemented by a strategy for action by the Office for the period 2018–23.

The strategy, guided by the content of the Recommendation and the priority areas of demand of ILO constituents, was adopted by the Governing Body in October 2017. It consists of four complementary and mutually reinforcing components:
  1. awareness raising and advocacy
  2. policy advice, development cooperation and capacity development
  3. knowledge development and dissemination
  4. international cooperation and partnerships
The strategy for Office follow-up on Recommendation No. 205 aims primarily to support constituents in the development and implementation of local, national and regional strategies and measures that will give practical effect to the guidance. It also aims to use this unique normative platform to advocate for the ILO’s core mandate and values, and for it to play a leading role in employment and decent work initiatives in contexts of crisis prevention and response through invigorated cooperation and joint initiatives among international and regional organizations.