Netherlands supports Jobs and Education for refugees and host communities

GENEVA (ILO News) - The Netherlands and the ILO entered into a strategic and transformative partnership to create livelihood opportunities for refugees and host communities in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East, as part of a broad coalition.

Moussa Oumarou, ILO Deputy Director General  for Field Operations and Partnerships, applauded the visionary leadership of the Netherlands in facilitating a multi-stakeholder partnership involving ILO, UNICEF, UNHCR, IFC and the Worldbank. Assisting the most vulnerable populations around the world, those forcibly displaced from their homes and countries and those communities which, in spite of their own challenges, continue to host those in more desperate circumstances. Access to jobs and livelihoods lie at the core of a more sustainable and dignified response to these situations and to helping people to recover and contribute to their new communities and prepare for an eventual return to their countries of origin once that becomes possible. Decent work also helps strengthen the resilience of those countries and communities that continue to generously offer refuge to those in need.

The Program will help scale-up and transform the response to large-scale displacement, linking humanitarian work and development. The ILO will contribute its expertise on access to jobs and livelihoods for refugees that has been showcased for example in Jordan and Lebanon. Programmes will also operate in Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya as well as further countries in the Middle East and Africa. Issues of skills development, prevention of child labour, strengthening public employment services and social protection, as well linking up to the private sector, will also figure prominently.