Building resilience, empowering communities: 20th ILO Regional Seminar champions employment-intensive development

At a time when climate challenges, unemployment, and social inequality demand urgent, coordinated responses, the 20th ILO Regional Seminar for Labour-Based Practitioners convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 19 to 23 May 2025, offering a compelling vision for inclusive development. Held under the theme “Resilient Communities and Healthy Environments – The Employment-Intensive Investment Approach,” the seminar focused on strategies that place decent work, sustainability, and people at the centre of infrastructure investment. Co-hosted by the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure, and the Ethiopian Roads Administration in collaboration with the International Labour Organization, with the support of the African Union Commission and the World Bank, the event underscored a powerful regional commitment to development that delivers both economic opportunity and climate resilience.

The event was held in the iconic Nelson Mandela Hall of the African Union Headquarters, and brought together an unprecedented 2,079 participants from 53 countries, including 450 international delegates and 40 high-level dignitaries, of whom 25 were ministers. The sheer scale of participation reflected the growing recognition that employment-intensive investment approaches (EIIs) are not only effective in creating jobs, but essential in fostering climate resilience, equity, and social cohesion. Organizers raised 75 million birr in support of the event, backed by 61 sponsors and 20 exhibitors, underscoring the strong institutional and financial commitment to the initiative.

© Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure

© Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure

The seminar was designed as both a high-level policy forum and a grassroots knowledge-sharing platform. From 75 abstracts submitted, 35 were invited to prepare full papers and 25 were selected for presentation. The programme, rich and diverse, had to make space for high-level debates, technical discussions, and thematic field visits — all carefully woven together to showcase the impact of labour-based methods in real-world contexts. The involvement of academia, technical experts, the Committee of African Training Institutions, and several young volunteers who supported the event added a strong intergenerational and evidence-based dimension to the discussions.

Sessions throughout the week explored the role of employment-intensive strategies in building resilient infrastructure, greening urban development, and fostering inclusive economies. Participants exchanged experiences on balancing technology with decent job creation, maximizing the social returns of infrastructure investments, and formalizing informal employment through labour-based public works. Field visits around Addis Ababa brought these ideas to life, highlighting local innovations in green space development, urban infrastructure, skills training, and livelihood generation through employment-intensive investment projects. The seminar served as a timely reminder that infrastructure is not just about roads or buildings — it is about people, communities, and the future they aspire to shape.

© Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure

© Ministry of Urban and Infrastructure

The seminar was also a space for dialogue at the highest levels of government. A dedicated ministerial session held during the first two days revisited commitments from the previous seminar and adopted a new Ministerial Declaration emphasizing the need to scale up employment-intensive programmes, particularly through national public investment strategies. Ministers reaffirmed their support for integrating EIIP into core development policies, with special attention to youth employment, skills development, and climate resilience.

A Participants’ Declaration was issued to close the seminar, reaffirming the collective commitment to resilient communities and a healthy environment. Delegates pledged to advocate for policies that prioritize decent work, skills development, and inclusive growth — particularly for youth and women — and to continue strengthening regional and South-South cooperation. Importantly, they committed to integrating seminar recommendations into national programmes and monitoring progress in future forums.

The 20th ILO Regional Seminar in Addis Ababa was more than a technical meeting — it was a gathering of values, a reaffirmation of shared purpose, and a statement of intent to build a just and sustainable future. As delegates returned to their home countries, they carried with them new ideas, renewed partnerships, and a clear mandate: to ensure that infrastructure investments create not only physical assets, but also social impact, environmental resilience, and dignified employment. In that sense, the seminar did not end in Addis — it began a new chapter in the transformative journey toward inclusive development across Africa and beyond.