ILO-UNDRR High-level Thematic Event at TICAD9: Event Report

The Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9) took place in Yokohama, Japan, from 20 to 22 August 2025.

The International Labour Organization (ILO), together with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, organized a high-level thematic event entitled “Jobs and livelihoods, enhancing resilience: A means to address root causes of protracted crises” on 21 August 2025, from 15:20 to 16:50. The session brought together 80 on-site participants and more than 350 participants via global livestream.

About the event

This high-level thematic event was designed as an interactive dialogue to explore how mainstreaming decent work into disaster countermeasures can build more resilient communities and enable sustainable and inclusive growth across Africa.

The event was particularly timely given Africa is facing a multitude of interconnected crises, including political insecurity, climate change, and increasingly frequent and intense natural hazards, which strain resources, fuel conflicts, and deepen vulnerability, threatening jobs and livelihoods. If unaddressed, they can lead to forced displacement, disproportionately affecting marginalized groups and destabilizing peace and security.

The event emphasized that tackling the root causes of fragility and structural vulnerabilities by providing equal employment opportunities alongside enhancing disaster management systems is critical for the socioeconomic development of the continent.

The event's format combined opening remarks, a panel discussion, and reflections from social partners with an engaging audience discussion. It brought together a diverse group of stakeholders—including representatives from governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector—to share practical experiences from the field, particularly through their interactions with communities and workers.

The discussions highlighted how employment-intensive investment approaches, anchored in a rights-based and long-term strategy, can be integrated into policies and practices to enhance disaster prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery, while also creating quality jobs and rebuilding trust in crisis-affected areas.

The event provided a platform for discussions that can be translated into tangible actions toward a more resilient and equitable future for African countries. This document provides a summary of the messages and discussions from each session.