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Self Report 2018

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

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  • 3A
    Reduce and address displacement

    Individual Commitments (8)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • ILO acknowledges the global public good provided by countries and communities which are hosting large numbers of refugees. It commits to providing communities with large numbers of displaced populations or receiving large of number of returnees with the necessary financial, political and policy support to address the humanitarian and socio-economic impact. To this end, it commit to strengthen multilateral financing instruments and to foster host communities' self-reliance and resilience.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • ILO commit to a new approach to addressing forced displacement that not only meets immediate humanitarian needs but reduces vulnerability and improves the resilience, self-reliance and protection of refugees and IDPs. It commits to implementing this new approach through coherent international, regional and national efforts that recognize both the humanitarian and development challenges of displacement. It commits to take the necessary political, policy, legal and financial steps required to address these challenges for the specific context.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • ILO commits to actively work to uphold the institution of asylum and the principle of non-refoulement. It commits to support further accession to and strengthened implementation of national, regional and international laws and policy frameworks that ensure and improve the protection of refugees and IDPs, such as the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol or the AU Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala convention) or the Guiding Principles on internal displacement.



      The ILO commits to review by 2017, its existing Recommendation on the Transition from War to Peace, (No. 71), 1944, to ensure a robust normative framework capable of responding to modern challenges. This is in-line with the growing global recognition that labour market interventions must be at the core of humanitarian responses. The updated ILO Recommendation will provide an important normative basis for the UN system to engage in helping to build jobs and livelihood support in humanitarian contexts and facilitate the development of stronger labour market institutions and governance to support host countries in managing the crisis in the longer term.

    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • ILO commits to collectively work towards a Global Compact on responsibility-sharing for refugees to safeguard the rights of refugees, while also effectively and predictably supporting States affected by such movements.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • ILO commits to promote and support safe, dignified and durable solutions for internally displaced persons and refugees. It commit to do so in a coherent and measurable manner through international, regional and national programmes and by taking the necessary policy, legal and financial steps required for the specific contexts and in order to work towards a target of 50 percent reduction in internal displacement by 2030.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • ILO will expand legal, social and economic opportunities for refugees by supporting labour markets solutions and social protection, without discrimination, and in a manner which also supports host communities. This will be supported in frontline states hosting Syrian refugees, in particular Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, to provide livelihood support, promote inclusive development, combining short-, medium- and long-term responses that take into consideration the mass influx in already fragmented labour markets and large informal economies. Thus, beneficiaries of the ILO work will include nationals and refugees. This will also provide important opportunities to advance the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 8 on economic growth and decent work while also supporting domestic and foreign investment in decent work strategies.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind
    • ILO will provide long-term, predictable technical and financial support to countries hosting large numbers of refugees and IDPs, in such ways that improve services and inclusive economic opportunities. Recognizing that decent work is one of the best sources of generating financial resources, labour market solutions will be expanded.
    • Financial
    • Leave No One Behind
    • The ILO commits to further strengthening its response to the decent work challenges created by forced displacement on affected countries and populations. ILO aims to ensure that early interventions are aligned with humanitarian and development frameworks and partnerships to ensure access to decent work and reinforce labour market governance. The aim is to mitigate the high degree of fiscal stress on public accounts of countries impacted by forced displacement; combine effectively short, medium and long-term job opportunities and employability adapted to the forced displacement context; stabilise economies impacted by forced displacement by supporting longer term development strategies; promote sustainable livelihoods that recognise and harness the productive capacities of the displaced and their hosts; and conduct comprehensive analysis and joint programming of interventions to inform policy and legislative frameworks.
    • Operational
    • Leave No One Behind

    Core Commitments (5)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new approach to addressing forced displacement that not only meets immediate humanitarian needs but reduces vulnerability and improves the resilience, self-reliance and protection of refugees and IDPs. Commit to implementing this new approach through coherent international, regional and national efforts that recognize both the humanitarian and development challenges of displacement. Commit to take the necessary political, policy, legal and financial steps required to address these challenges for the specific context.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Commit to promote and support safe, dignified and durable solutions for internally displaced persons and refugees. Commit to do so in a coherent and measurable manner through international, regional and national programs and by taking the necessary policy, legal and financial steps required for the specific contexts and in order to work towards a target of 50 percent reduction in internal displacement by 2030.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Acknowledge the global public good provided by countries and communities which are hosting large numbers of refugees. Commit to providing communities with large numbers of displaced population or receiving large numbers of returnees with the necessary political, policy and financial, support to address the humanitarian and socio-economic impact. To this end, commit to strengthen multilateral financing instruments. Commit to foster host communities' self-reliance and resilience, as part of the comprehensive and integrated approach outlined in core commitment 1.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Commit to collectively work towards a Global Compact on responsibility-sharing for refugees to safeguard the rights of refugees, while also effectively and predictably supporting States affected by such movements.
    • Leave No One Behind
    • Commit to actively work to uphold the institution of asylum and the principle of non-refoulement. Commit to support further accession to and strengthened implementation of national, regional and international laws and policy frameworks that ensure and improve the protection of refugees and IDPs, such as the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol or the AU Convention for the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala convention) or the Guiding Principles on internal displacement.
    • Leave No One Behind
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Refugees

    The International Labour Organization (ILO) has strengthened its Decent Work response to displacement, including through adoption of its Guiding Principles on access of forcibly displaced populations to labour markets and Recommendation No. 205 on Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience (2017).

    Combined, these instruments provide a coherent ILO employment-rich framework to forced displacement, seeking to assist affected populations and host communities, as well as address drivers of movements, and contribute to ongoing collaboration, such as with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

    Practical programmes supporting access of refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs) and host communities to decent work are well established, particularly in countries impacted by the Syrian crisis, including through labour intensive programmes; support for public employment services, training and apprenticeship opportunities; skills and job matching; institutional capacity development; and enhanced coherence between humanitarian and development actors.

    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    Progress across these activities is assessed through regular monitoring and evaluation and impact assessment mechanisms that focus on sustainable indicators/outcomes of socio-economic integration programmes for displaced and host populations, as well as technical support for Member States, world of work actors and other key partners, such as in the area of policy development and coherence.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Human resources/capacity
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    • Strengthening national/local systems
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    Access to labour market, Decent Work and training opportunities for displaced populations remains a highly sensitive and challenging issue for many Member States and societies.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    The ILO developed an operational joint plan of action with UNHCR in 2017 to inform labour market-related interventions in selected national pilots of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework, including Ethiopia in 2018. It will continue to reinforce Decent Work programmes for refugees and host communities in countries impacted by large refugee movements, particularly teh Horn of Africa, as well as assessments in Bangladesh (Rohingya).

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    Access to decent work and social justice are central pillars to addressing causes and consequences of forced displacement at all stages of the displacement cycle, and is vital to supporting social stability and sustainable socio-economic integration for all in countries of origin, destination, transit, asylum and resettlement.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    In today's global context of large movements of migration and forced displacement, the ILO seeks to further strengthen its support to members and partners in the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly 8 and 10, addressing the drivers and consequences of these global movements.  

    Keywords

    Displacement, Humanitarian-development nexus

  • 4A
    Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems

    Individual Commitments (9)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • As part of its Flagship Programme on Building Social Protection Floors for All, the ILO will by 2020 finance the start-up cost for the implementation of at least two social protection schemes that mitigate risks and provide a basic income security to populations affected by crises, including displaced persons.
    • Financial
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • By 2020, in two countries the ILO will contribute to collective recovery efforts drawing upon its core competencies in supporting the creation of necessary social protection institutions embedded in national law. It will also contribute to collective preparedness efforts by developing national capacities to design, implement and operate nationally-owned and sustainable social protection systems in line with international labour and social security standards, designed to build longer-term resilience to future crises.

    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • By 2020, in two countries the ILO will promote the channelling of international humanitarian aid through existing social protection systems to reinforce rather than replace national relief capacities, capitalizing on the existing delivery structures to reduce the cost of distributing aid, and allowing for more rapid deployment of urgent, lifesaving assistance to those in need.

    • Advocacy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • By 2020, in two countries the ILO will promote the establishment of flexible and scalable national social protection systems that take into account the diverse nature and likelihood of risks faced by crisis-vulnerable communities, including displaced persons, and deploy appropriate services and transfers following such events. This may include emergency protocols for relaxed eligibility criteria in the lead-up to or wake of a crisis, weather-indexed or otherwise automated top-up payments, and other design features that introduce anticipatory protection functions to social protection systems.

    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • By 2020, the ILO commits to strengthening national and local capacities on social protection and climate change, and social protection for displaced persons, refugees and host communities, through the development of courses, good practices guides, and South-South learning.

    • Capacity
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • By 2020, the ILO commits to support one country in the design and implementation of nationally-owned and domestically-resourced social protection schemes that can also be supported, when necessary, through additional financing windows, including international humanitarian aid.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • By 2020, the ILO commits to support three countries in the design and implementation of social protection schemes inclusive of displaced persons and refugees using innovative and coordinated delivery mechanisms embedded in national administration and a management information system to collect and analyse data on the extension of social protection coverage.

    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • By 2020, the ILO will also in at least three countries initiate and take a leading role in the establishment of United Nations Social Protection Task forces that will provide a joint UN response to governments seeking advice and technical support in the development of social protection schemes that respond to the specific needs of displaced persons, refugees and host communities.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • ILO commits to support and invest in national and local leadership and response systems wherever possible, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Core Commitments (6)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to reinforce national and local leadership and capacities in managing disaster and climate-related risks through strengthened preparedness and predictable response and recovery arrangements.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to increase investment in building community resilience as a critical first line of response, with the full and effective participation of women.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to ensure regional and global humanitarian assistance for natural disasters complements national and local efforts.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Commit to increase substantially and diversify global support and share of resources for humanitarian assistance aimed to address the differentiated needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises in fragile situations and complex emergencies, including increasing cash-based programming in situations where relevant.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    • Commit to empower national and local humanitarian action by increasing the share of financing accessible to local and national humanitarian actors and supporting the enhancement of their national delivery systems, capacities and preparedness planning.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Building community resilience

    During 2017, the International Labour Organization (ILO) with UNHCR  implemented a project examining public options for refugees' health protection, and carried out assessments in four (4) countries: Guinea-Conakry, DR Congo, Cameroon and Sudan. The reports provided recommendations for improving operations and, where appropriate, inclusion of refugees in national health protection programmes, including insurance. 

    On resource mobilization, together with UNICEF, UNDP and UNHCR, the ILO submitted terms of reference for a social protection floors financing window (UN-JFWSPF) under the UN's Joint Fund for the 2030 Agenda, which was inaugurated by the Joint Fund Board in October 2017.  The window incentivizes UN Country Teams to develop social protection programming that spans the humanitarian-development divide based upon a series of principles, including that of leveraging existing social protection systems to provide humanitarian relief (For more information see: https://www.social-protection.org/gimi/gess/RessourcePDF.action?id=55065)

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Buy-in
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    In 2018, the ILO, with support from UNHCR, will carry a second series of social protection systems assessments and their suitability for persons of concern to UNHCR to include at least six target countries, including one country in which state-run programmes beyond just health will also be considered.  Together with other founding UN agency members of the UN-JFWSPF, joint resource mobilization efforts will be led to secure initial contributions to the window and launch a first call for proposals.

    Keywords

    Community resilience, Displacement, Humanitarian-development nexus, Local action

  • 4C
    Deliver collective outcomes: transcend humanitarian-development divides

    Individual Commitments (3)

    • Commitment
    • Commitment Type
    • Core Responsibility
    • ILO commits to review by 2017, its existing recommendation on the Transition from War to Peace, (No. 71), 1944, to ensure a robust normative framework capable of responding to modern challenges. This is in-line with the growing global recognition that labour market interventions must be at the core of humanitarian responses. The updated ILO recommendation will provide an important normative basis for the UN system to engage in helping to build jobs and livelihood support in humanitarian contexts and facilitate the development of stronger labour market institutions and governance to support host countries in managing the crisis in the longer term.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • ILO will scale-up interventions to enhance labour market capacity absorption in the private sector, in particular through encouraging sustainable and inclusive economic growth and investment. ILO will leverage, adapt or develop models of intervention or develop new ones as relevant, and ensure meaningful engagement with national, regional and international partners to enhance coherence, integration and impact. Enhanced regulatory frameworks and a rights-based approach (incl. the fundamental principles of rights, wages, occupational safety and health, etc.) will also be elaborated in operational manuals and training courses provided for various implementing partners.
    • Operational
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    • Through the UNDG Arab States Thematic Working Group on Social Protection and other global and regional coordination bodies such as the SPIAC-B, the ILO commits to building consensus among humanitarian and development actors on principles for social protection provision, including graduation from humanitarian aid to participation in sustainable social protection systems.
    • Advocacy
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

    Core Commitments (1)

    • Commitment
    • Core Responsibility
    • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
    • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
    1. Highlight the concrete actions taken between 1 January – 31 December 2017 to implement the commitments which contribute to achieving this transformation. Be as specific as possible and include any relevant data/figures.

    Joined-up humanitarian-development analysis and planning towards collective outcomes

    In June 2017 the International Labour Conference (ILC) adopted Recommendation No. 205 on Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience following a two-year process of standard setting and tripartite consultations.

    The new Recommendation is a timely, highly relevant and up-to-date instrument to guide International Labour Organization (ILO) constituents in addressing world of work issues in crisis situations arising from conflict or disaster.

    Based on the premise that jobs and social justice play a fundamental role in promoting lasting peace and in stabilizing societies torn by conflict, Recommendation No. 205 stands out as the only international normative framework focusing on the employment and decent work dimensions of crisis response. In November 2017 the ILO Governing Body adopted a strategy to implement the Recommendation over the next 3 biennia.

    2. A. How are you measuring progress toward achieving your commitments? Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Through existing, internal systems or frameworks for monitoring, reporting and/or evaluation.
    • By reporting to, or using reports prepared for, UN principal organs, UN governing boards, or other international bodies
    • Through multi-stakeholder processes or initiatives (e.g. IASC, Grand Bargain, Charter for Change, etc).
    B. How are you assessing whether progress on commitments is leading toward change in the direction of the transformation?

    The implementation strategy of Recommendation No. 205 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; and (4) international cooperation and partnerships.

    3. A. Please select no more than 3 key challenges faced in implementing the commitments related to this transformation. Only the categories selected by the organisation will be seen below.
    • Gender and/or vulnerable group inclusion
    • Human resources/capacity
    • Multi-stakeholder coordination
    B. How are these challenges impacting achievement of this transformation?

    At the moment, effective implementation relies on the establishment of an ad-hoc mechanism yet to be put in place to facilitate internal coordination, cooperation, smoother processes and knowledge management.

    4. Highlight actions planned for 2018 to advance implementation of your commitments in order to achieve this transformation.

    Advancing implementation in 2018 will require high internal and external coherence and coordination. The ILO will ensure a consistent interdisciplinary and intra-office approach, including through joint programming with its regional and country offices and with its International Training Centre.

    5. What steps or actions are needed to make collective progress to achieve this transformation?

    The new ILO Recommendation and its updated guidance on the central role of employment and decent work in responding to contemporary crisis situations will be disseminated and promoted in complementarity with mandates of and in close cooperation with other specialized United Nations (UN) agencies and international organizations.

    6. List any good practice or examples of innovation undertaken individually or in cooperation with others to advance this transformation.

    Based on the premise that jobs and social justice play a fundamental role in promoting lasting peace and in stabilizing societies torn by conflict, Recommendation No. 205 stands out as the only international normative framework focusing on the employment and decent work dimensions of crisis response.

    Keywords

    Humanitarian-development nexus