Syria: Donors must help host countries meet refugee crisis
Jobs and employment are key in the global response to the Syria refugee crisis. Ahead of a donor Conference on supporting Syria in London, ILO chief Guy Ryder visited Jordan to examine first-hand the effects of the massive refugee influx on the labour market, and to discuss employment options for refugees and the communities that host them.
AMMAN, Jordan (ILO News) – "It is primarily the responsibility of the international community to help refugee-receiving countries neighbouring Syria meet the economic and social challenges posed by the refugee crisis", said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder ahead of the Syria Donor Conference in London.
Speaking at a press conference in the Jordanian capital Amman with Jordan’s Minister of Labour Nidal Katamine, Ryder said jobs for refugees and strained host communities has emerged as a central issue in international Syria aid efforts, which have shifted from mostly humanitarian operations to include a strong development-based approach.
“The challenge is primarily on the international community to provide the assistance, the support, the resources, and to advise on the policies as well, that would better enable the government of Jordan and of other countries to meet the challenges of the refugee response, and which would offer at the same time possibilities for Syrian refugees to find a way of making a living,” Ryder said at the 28 January press conference.
"It is necessary to reconcile the obligation of providing aid, jobs and development support to the refugees with the necessity of effectively managing the labour market of receiving countries", the Director-General said.
"The sentiment of Syrian refugees is that their lives are on hold. Somehow their lives are frozen in the circumstances in which they find themselves, and there is an interest – and I think it’s human, I think it’s understandable – for them to find a place in labour markets,” Ryder told journalists at the conference, which followed his visit to the Zaatari Syrian refugee camp in northern Jordan.
“But they know, I know, and I’m sure you know, that cannot be a situation that displaces or compromises the labour market prospects of Jordanian workers.”
Ryder was on his first official visit to Jordan, to examine first-hand the effects of the Syria refugee crisis on the labour market, and to hold discussions with senior government officials and worker and employer representatives on employment options for both refugees and the local communities that host them.
During the one-day visit, Ryder met with King Abdullah of Jordan, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, parliamentarians and worker and employer representatives, as well as various UN agencies helping Jordan deal with the crisis. He also visited and met with refugee families in the Zaatari camp and members of local Jordanian communities in Mafraq, one of the northern Jordanian districts most heavily affected by the influx of Syrian refugees.
Minister Nidal Katamine said these discussions were vital for his country ahead of the 4 February London pledging conference, which seeks funding not only for humanitarian efforts inside Syria, but also for providing increased support to Syria's neighbouring countries in the shape of investments leading to better job opportunities for both refugees and the local hosting populations.
“Mr. Ryder’s visit is extremely important given the severe stress the influx of refugees has exerted on the infrastructure in all areas, and given the need to send a message to the (London) conference on offering support to the Jordanian economy, and finding real investments on the ground for Jordan, in order to generate job opportunities for Jordanians first, and to also address issues related to Syrian refugees,” Katamine said.
The number of registered Syrian refugees in Jordan now exceeds 633,000, most of whom live outside refugee camps. If unregistered refugees are included, the total number of Syrians in Jordan is estimated at over 1 million. Their presence in host communities has increased the informal economy, decreased wages, impeded access to public services, and increased child labour.
In Jordan, the ILO is looking to key economic sectors to find practical means for integrating Syria refugees in the labour market, in such a way that would fill labour shortfalls, benefit the local communities hosting the refugees and contribute to Jordan’s overall economy.
The ILO is proposing joint business ventures between refugees and host communities that will allow for Jordanian business owners to expand their outreach within refugee camps, and for the refugees to find markets outside the camps.
It is also proposing the expansion of labour-intensive programmes to create more immediate jobs for refugees and Jordanians. The aim would be to improve rural infrastructure such as roads and water sheds.
Such activities would provide Jordanian employers with the skills they need at competitive prices, lessen job competition and tensions between refugees and the host population thus fostering social stability, and offer refugees viable livelihood solutions.
These proposals would complement the ILO response to the Syria refugee crisis, already under implementation in Jordan, which advocates for the right to work for Syria refugees, and works on building the resilience of host communities in order to facilitate access to employment and livelihood opportunities; strengthening institutional capacity and coordination mechanisms at local, regional and national levels to combat unacceptable forms of work with a focus on child labour; and supporting policy development to ensure an employment-rich national response, embedded in the principles of decent work.
