WRD: ITUC -Africa tasks world leaders on review of laws to grant refugees access to jobs

The African Regional Organisation of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has urged world leaders to review labour laws in target to grant refugees access to labour market in their host countries.

General Secretary of ITUC –Africa, Comrade Joel Akhator Odigie, in a message to mark World Refugee Day, asked international communities to improve humanitarian assistance as well as beef up financial and technical support to refugee camps

In the statement, titled, ‘Solidarity with Refugees,’ Comrade Odigie noted that ITUC- Africa stands with those who have been forced to flee their livelihoods, homes and communities due to discrimination, persecution, racism, extremism, persecution and violent conflicts.

The message read: “World Refugee Day is an occasion to remind all stakeholders about the significant issues of concern to refugees and to recognise their resilience in rebuilding their lives.

“This year’s theme, ‘Solidarity with Refugees,’ underscores our collective responsibility to stand with those who have been forced to flee their livelihoods, homes and communities due to discrimination, persecution, racism, extremism, persecution and violent conflicts.

“We are also seeing growing pressure of climate change effects leading to displacement and refugee crisis. There are over 60 million refugees and internally displaced people in the world, with a disproportionate percentage found in Africa. Most of those refugees have been driven from their homes by armed strife, notably wars, sectarian violence and extremist and insurgents’ criminal violent activities. Conflicts over natural resources (farmlands, water bodies, minerals, etc.) and border disputes have also led to displacement.

“According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), 89.3 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations.”

These displaced people are forced to search for haven and survival for themselves and their children. Sadly, most of them are forced to secure safety in settings that fail to meet standards for even basic human dignity.

“The protection of these people’s human rights is highly uncertain and unpredictable. The African continent has a long history of both hosting and producing refugees. Estimates suggest that Africa is home to 26 percent of the world’s estimated 18 million people. Unfortunately, the plight of African refugees has not received the same attention as that of others.

“As a mark of our resolute solidarity with refugees, we are calling on our African governments to recommit to the ratification and implementation of national, regional and international instruments related to refugees and other vulnerable groups.

“We also call on our governments to review and improve their labour laws to facilitate refugees’ access to the labour market and guarantee their right to freedom of association.

“Further, we call on the international community to improve humanitarian assistance to refugee camps and beef up financial, material and technical resources for African countries and communities hosting refugees.

“Similarly, we urge the international community not to be silent on countries instigating, fuelling and delighting in sectarian and civil conflicts in Africa. We are compelled to mention the disturbing roles of the United Arab Emirates in the conflict in Sudan. The UAE must be called to cease and desist from further arming of a faction to the conflict.

“Importantly, ITUC-Africa calls on the international community and all supranational institutions on the continent and global not to be tired of engineering and refining dialogue, diplomacy, cooperation and partnership towards securing ceasefires in the conflicts in Palestine, Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and anywhere violent conflicts are raging. We must silence the guns and mobilise for the reconstruction of destroyed lives and communities. Hope needs peace to fledge.

“ITUC-Africa reaffirms its commitment to advocating for the rights and wellbeing of refugees. We call on African governments, international organisations and civil society to intensify their efforts to provide comprehensive support to refugees. These support services should include access to essential healthcare, education and employment opportunities.

“We also urge our government to take further steps towards developing and deploying policies and programmes to address the challenges of poverty, insecurity, a participatory, responsive, and accountable democracy, human rights abuses, corruption and impunity, which are push factors responsible for displacement.”

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