PROSPECTS Africa Forum launches regional dialogue on decent work and forced displacement

NAIROBI (ILO News) - The International Labour Organization (ILO) has launched the PROSPECTS Africa Forum on Decent Work and Forced Displacement, bringing together tripartite delegations and regional institutions to strengthen policy action for employment creation in displacement-affected contexts.

Taking place from 21 to 23 July 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, the Forum convenes representatives of governments and employers' and workers' organizations from Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda. Representatives of regional institutions, including the East African Community (EAC), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), are also participating.

The Forum comes as the second phase of the PROSPECTS programme, covering 2024-2027, places greater emphasis on policy coherence, system-level change and the sustainability of results. Discussions will focus on strengthening labour market institutions, inclusive economic policies and social dialogue mechanisms that can support decent employment for refugees and members of host communities.

Opening a regional dialogue

Welcoming the dignitaries and participants, Caroline Mugalla, Director of the ILO Country Office for the United Republic of Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, emphasized the importance of bringing governments and social partners together to exchange experiences and identify practical policy priorities.

The opening plenary featured Douglas Opio, Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of Ugandan Employers; Dr Sherif Masry, President of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation; Lilian Obiye, Policy Officer for Displacement and Durable Solutions at the Embassy of the Netherlands to Kenya; Dr Coffi Agossou, ILO Deputy Regional Director for Africa; and a representative of Kenya's Ministry of Labour and Social Protection.

The dignitaries were joined during the high-level panel on decent work in displacement contexts by Abdullahi Miire, Founder of the Refugee Youth Education Hub in Dadaab, Kenya. Moderated by Mugalla, the panel examined the policy priorities, opportunities and constraints influencing access to decent work for refugees and host communities.

Our ambition should be clear: more productive and decent jobs, stronger and more inclusive labour market institutions, and policy solutions that endure.

We remain committed to promoting tripartite dialogue among governments, employers and workers' organizations. Such dialogue is critical in shaping inclusive labour market systems and employment creation strategies that are grounded in consensus and shared responsibility.

Moving from experience to policy action

Introducing the PROSPECTS Partnership and its priorities for the remainder of Phase II, Elizabeth Ann Frantz, Chief Technical Adviser for the ILO PROSPECTS Partnership, highlighted the programme's development-oriented approach to forced displacement.

PROSPECTS brings together humanitarian and development actors to promote inclusive access to education, decent work, social protection and essential services. Within the partnership, the ILO leads the employment-related work, including labour market governance, skills development, enterprise development and social dialogue.

The Forum provides an opportunity to take stock of policy-relevant lessons from the programme's implementation and consider how successful approaches can be adapted, replicated or expanded. It also seeks to reinforce national ownership by enabling government, employer and worker representatives to jointly identify institutional reforms and governance mechanisms that can produce sustainable employment outcomes.

Skills, technology, social dialogue and policy pathways

Across the three-day Forum, participants will examine how skills-development systems can better respond to labour market demand through recognition of prior learning, apprenticeships, work-based learning and employment services. Discussions will also address opportunities created by digital technologies and artificial intelligence, alongside the policy, regulatory and social protection measures needed to ensure inclusive and decent employment.

Social protection will be considered as an enabler of economic inclusion, helping refugees and host communities manage risks, reduce vulnerability and access livelihoods. A dedicated session on social dialogue will explore how governments and employers' and workers' organizations can build consensus and strengthen policy implementation.

Tripartite delegations will participate in a country policy laboratory to identify priority employment challenges and develop practical policy pathways. They will assess feasibility, define institutional roles and identify possible actions within 100 days. A peer policy clinic will allow delegations to exchange feedback and refine their proposals.

A marketplace and exhibition will showcase practical initiatives from displacement-affected communities. By the Forum's close, participants are expected to agree on policy priorities, strengthen regional networks and identify opportunities for cooperation on employment governance, skills recognition, labour mobility and social protection.