Humanitarian, Development and Peace actors join hands to boost decent work amidst crisis and fragility in the Arab region

Stakeholders including from ministries of labour, trade unions, the private sector, UN agencies and humanitarian and development organizations gathered at the workshop, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

The event focused on addressing the needs of vulnerable populations, including women, refugees, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) within the “humanitarian-development-peace nexus” (HDP Nexus). 

The HDP Nexus refers to humanitarian, development and peace actors working together coherently to meet people’s needs, address the root causes of crises, promote sustainable development, build resilience in fragile and conflict-affected areas, and move toward sustainable peace.

“As we confront the crises currently affecting your region, the need for increased coordination and collaboration among humanitarian support, development cooperation and peacebuilding has never been more urgent,” said ILO Deputy Director General Celeste Drake at the event’s opening session. “The ILO’s Decent Work Agenda is an essential element of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus where employment, social dialogue, social protection and rights at work can contribute to peace by addressing the underlying factors of fragility that made countries particularly vulnerable to external shocks in the first place,” Drake said.

The ILO guides these efforts largely through ILO Recommendation No. 205 on Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience (2017).

ILO Regional Director for Arab States Ruba Jaradat explained in her opening address that, in the Arab region, as is the case across much of the world, recurrent and growing crises from armed conflicts, natural disasters and pandemics have had devastating socio-economic impacts.

Between 2019 and 2023, unemployment in the Arab States increased by 14.8 per cent; the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training increased by 9.8 per cent; while the number of people living in extreme poverty increased by 36.5 per cent, Jaradat noted.

“Taking a closer look, we find that unemployment, decent work deficits, and a breakdown in the social contract lie at the root of fragility,” Jaradat said. “We firmly believe that promoting decent work by creating pathways from short-term livelihoods to long-term, sustainable and inclusive employment is key to mitigating these challenges and supporting societies in recovering and preventing future crises,” she added. 

Jaradat further noted that, over the past decade, the ILO has mobilized US$ 59.8 million in interventions in Arab States countries facing armed conflict and US$ 307.3 million in countries facing population displacement. In the past two years alone for example, the ILO has created 82,157 workdays in Iraq, one million workdays in Jordan, and 4,000 job opportunities in Lebanon, among other such interventions in the region. 

“The nexus revolves around ensuring that every action we take contributes to saving lives and providing opportunities for people to fulfill their dreams,” said Barbara Manzi, United Nations Development Cooperation Office Regional Director for Arab States a.i. “Even when engaging in humanitarian action, we need to provide people in affected populations with opportunities to re-adjust, to have aspirations, and to realize them,” Manzi added.

“Awareness and building capacity around the HDP nexus, and bringing actors together to understand their roles, mandates, and strengths is crucial to tackle the challenges and enable affected populations to move away from vulnerability, and this workshop marks the beginning of efforts in this direction,” said Christina Sandberg, Deputy Head of Regional Development Cooperation, Embassy of Sweden in Amman.

The workshop provided practical insights into implementing the HDP Nexus in the Arab region amid ongoing instability. Participants discussed potential shared decent work principles for employment and social protection programming within the HDP Nexus under various UN strategic frameworks.

“The role of governments in the humanitarian-development-peace nexus is pivotal. They are responsible for the sustainability of this interconnected response by incorporating measures implemented during crisis periods into government programmes,” said Deputy Director General of the Department of Labor and Vocational Training at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs in Iraq Ahmed Abdul Hassan. “For example, the government is currently discussing the design and implementation of a public works program based on the experiences of various cash-for-work and labour-intensive investment programs that have been implemented in Iraq over the past years by various international agencies ILO.”

“Supporting decent work also means supporting the productivity and profitability of businesses,” said Osama Rayyan, head of the Labour Market Unit at the Jordan Chamber of Industry. “The better the working conditions are for the people, the more productive businesses are. Employers should focus on a number of aspects to ensure decent work, including ensuring occupational safety and that workers are covered by social security schemes, as social protection is a fundamental right of workers.” 

“Trade unions believe that achieving development and peace goes hand in hand with the work of international organizations, the United Nations and CSOs,” said Adnan Al-Saffar of the General Federation of Iraqi Trade Unions. “We are ready to link humanitarian and development work and act with a unified spirit to achieve shared goals of security, peace, and a better future for workers,” he said. 

Participants shared their experiences and lessons learned, including on integrating humanitarian cash programming with the building of social protection systems, and transitioning short-term livelihood support programs into initiatives that promote long-term peace-responsive employment. They also exchanged experiences on adjusting the role of employment and social protection within the HDP Nexus framework in the region.

During the discussions, participants referenced key regional examples where HDP Nexus principles are already being implemented successfully:

In the OPT, coordination among humanitarian and development actors has been pivotal in maintaining progress, even in times of crisis. The Social Protection and Cash and Voucher Assistance Thematic Working Group, co-led by the Ministry of Social Development and OCHA, has enhanced communication and trust, aligning efforts across humanitarian and development agendas. Despite the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023, this group has ensured effective emergency responses while reinforcing the state’s role in social assistance. The alignment of cash transfer programmes has been a critical tool for supporting vulnerable populations during this crisis.

Another strong example is the ILO’s PROSPECTS Programme, which advances decent work across multiple countries, including Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, and Sudan, with funding from the Government of the Netherlands. In partnership with the World Bank, UNICEF, UNHCR, and IFC, the program focuses on improving access to employment, education, and social protection for refugees, host communities, and displaced populations. PROSPECTS demonstrates how humanitarian and development efforts can be aligned to create sustainable opportunities for vulnerable groups, illustrating the core principles of the HDPN in action.

The workshop also discussed the need for a comprehensive framework for reconstruction in crisis-affected regions, particularly focusing on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. By integrating decent work principles into reconstruction efforts, the region can ensure that recovery is not just about rebuilding infrastructure but also about fostering economic resilience and social stability.

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