The humanitarian development nexus in action: A review and mapping of market-led approaches in forced displacement contexts
English
ILO
The International Labour Organization is the tripartite U.N. agency that promotes Decent Work through employment, social security, labour standards and social dialogue. Its work on skills development is guided by the conceptual framework on Skills to improve productivity, employment growth, and development agreed in 2008 by representatives of Governments, Employers’ Associations and Workers’ Associations. Research, policy advice, and pilot projects and technical cooperation programmes to apply good practices in different circumstances across its 185 member States aims to boost the employability of workers, the productivity and competitiveness of enterprises, and the inclusiveness of economic growth. The ILO Secretariat in offices in 40 countries works with Ministries of Labour, employers’ organizations, and trade unions to integrate skills development into national and sector development strategies in order to better meet current labour market needs and to prepare for the jobs of the future; to expand access to employment-related training so that youth, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups are better able to acquire skills and secure productive and decent work; and to improve the ability of public employment services to provide career guidance, maintain labour exchange services, and deliver active labour market programmes.For more information regarding the ILO’s work on skills and employability go to: http://www.ilo.org/skills/lang--en/index.htm; for ILO/Cinterfor's Knowledge Management Plarform, see: http://www.oitcinterfor.org
International organizations
Information is gathered from other international organizations that promote skills development and the transition from education and training to work. The Interagency Group on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (IAG-TVET) was established in 2009 to share research findings, coordinate joint research endeavours, and improve collaboration among organizations working at the international and national levels.
Sectoral approaches
Matching skills to labour market demand requires reliable sectoral and occupational information and institutions that connect employers with training providers. Sector based strategies and institutions have proved effective in engaging all stakeholders in promoting both pre-employment training and life-long learning.
Skills policies and strategies
Skills and employment policies should be viewed together. The full value of one policy set is realized when it supports the objectives of the other. For investments in education and training to yield maximum benefit to workers, enterprises, and economies, countries’ capacities for coordination is critical in three areas: connecting basic education to technical training and then to market entry; ensuring continuous communication between employers and training providers so that training meets the needs and aspirations of workers and enterprises, and integrating skills development policies with industrial, investment, trade, technology, environmental, rural and local development policies.
Case studies and good practices
Case studies that document good practices and illustrate the benefits and lessons learnt of particular approaches or methods in real practice.
Analytical assessments of technical cooperation programmes and national skills and employment policies, identifying success factors of different interventions in response to particular challenges in different circumstances.
This report provides insights and lessons learned on the implementation of market-based approaches in displacement contexts.
Recognizing the importance of identifying a more durable solution to the displacement crisis, practitioners are increasingly using market-oriented approaches to support livelihoods and economic recovery. The ILO and UNHCR partnership through their jointly designed “Approach to Inclusive Market Systems for Refugees and Host Communities” (AIMS) and through the multi-agency PROSPECTS Partnership, implemented in countries in East and North Africa and in the Arab States, has been part of the emerging work on developing and testing market-based approaches in displacement contexts.
Through this research, the ILO and UNHCR teams set out to better understand the implications and impact at the intersection or nexus of humanitarian support and market-based interventions for development and livelihoods.
Based on the literature review and scoping, as well as in-depth research on eight selected case studies, the study presents an integrated framework to categorize and analyse market-based approaches in forced displacement settings. This included asking questions about what we could learn from implementation to advance the understanding on how the market based approaches can constitute valid and effective responses in forced displacement settings. It was done with a view to help practitioners, governments and donors plan and implement effective market-based refugee and host community livelihood strategies.
