Decent Work and Resilience at Core of Africa’s Crisis Response, Say ILO and UNDRR

Opening the discussion, André Bogui, ILO Assistant Director-General, stressed the importance of placing decent work at the center of resilience strategies.

At the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama, Japan, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) emphasized that decent jobs, skills development, and local capacity building are essential to tackling the root causes of protracted crises in Africa.

The high-level side event, titled “Jobs and livelihoods, enhancing resilience: A means to address root causes of protracted crises”, brought together a wide spectrum of actors, including governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations, UN agencies, civil society, and academia. The dialogue highlighted innovative practices aligned with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, showcasing how work-based solutions can prevent crises, reduce vulnerabilities, and accelerate recovery.

Decent Work as a Foundation for Resilience

Opening the discussion, André Bogui, ILO Assistant Director-General, stressed the importance of placing decent work at the center of resilience strategies. He noted that while humanitarian relief and infrastructure recovery are crucial, they cannot ensure lasting solutions unless they are tied to employment creation and skills development.

“Lasting resilience requires going further,” he said. “It means building inclusive labour markets through employment-intensive approaches, investing in local capacity, and ensuring long-term development outcomes.”

Bogui underscored that integrating employment into recovery strategies not only strengthens resilience but also addresses the underlying drivers of instability, such as poverty, inequality, and lack of opportunity.

Disaster Recovery as an Opportunity for Transformation

Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction and Head of UNDRR, placed the discussion within the context of the Sendai Framework, adopted in 2015. This framework calls for a shift from reactive responses to proactive prevention of disasters.

Kishore emphasized that disaster recovery should not simply focus on rebuilding physical assets or restoring pre-existing jobs. Instead, it can serve as a catalyst for diversification and innovation, enabling affected populations to pursue more sustainable and resilient livelihoods.

“Rather than focus only on physical assets and the restoration of old jobs, disaster recovery can be an opportunity to diversify livelihood options and to explore new, more viable and resilient sources of income,” he said.

Japan’s Experience as a Model

Ambassador Nobuharu Imanishi, representing Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, shared insights from Japan’s long experience in disaster preparedness and recovery, particularly in relation to earthquakes, tsunamis, and extreme weather events.

“Infrastructure investment necessitates subsequent and constant maintenance works. This, in turn, fosters the accumulation of knowledge and expertise, which is also applicable to potential disaster recovery and reconstruction,” he explained.

Imanishi’s remarks highlighted how countries like Japan have turned disaster risks into opportunities for strengthening institutional capacity, infrastructure resilience, and workforce development.

The Role of Employers and Workers

The event also heard perspectives from the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) and the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (RENGO). Both organizations stressed the importance of social dialogue and cooperation between governments, employers, and workers in protecting lives and livelihoods during crises.

Keidanren highlighted the value of business continuity planning and innovation in minimizing disruptions, safeguarding employees, and enabling swift recovery. RENGO emphasized unions’ role in mobilizing volunteers, organizing fundraising activities, and ensuring the protection of vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, during emergencies.

Their interventions illustrated how employers and workers’ organizations can play a proactive role in resilience-building, not only in Japan but also as a model for African nations facing climate-related shocks and conflicts.

Employment-Intensive Approaches: A Pathway Forward

In closing remarks, Fanfan Rwanyindo, ILO Regional Director for Africa, emphasized the transformative potential of employment-intensive recovery projects.

“Many such projects also equip people with new skills, enabling them to find future employment or start their own businesses; key to creating sustainable exit pathways from public employment programmes,” she said.

Examples from Africa already demonstrate how this approach works in practice—ranging from community-based road construction projects to climate-resilient agriculture, green jobs, and skills training for marginalized groups. These initiatives create livelihoods while simultaneously strengthening communities’ ability to withstand shocks.

Scaling Up for Africa’s Development

Participants agreed that scaling up such innovative, work-centered solutions will be essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while also advancing the commitments made under the Sendai Framework. By prioritizing decent work, social justice, and resilience, African nations can reduce vulnerability to crises and ensure that development gains are sustainable.

The session underscored the importance of international cooperation, with Japan’s leadership through TICAD serving as a global platform for advancing African development. Since its inception in 1993, TICAD has promoted African ownership and international partnerships, and TICAD9 further reinforced the central role of resilient jobs and livelihoods in shaping the continent’s future.