United for dignity and decent work: The ILO stands in solidarity with refugee workers

Geneva, (ILO News) On World Refugee Day, the International Labour Organization (ILO) reaffirms its commitment to advancing decent work for all, including refugees and forcibly displaced persons. This year’s theme, “Solidarity”, underscores the fundamental need for inclusive labour markets that uphold the rights, dignity, and potential of every worker— without discrimination.  

Access to Decent Work: A Cornerstone of Inclusion 

Decent work is more than just employment—it is a pathway to dignity, protection, and empowerment. For refugees, access to decent work is a critical step toward rebuilding their lives and contributing meaningfully to their host communities, promoting economic resilience and social cohesion.  Decent work also contributes significantly towards self-reliance, which is essential for long-term integration and achieving durable solutions. 

Yet, despite their skills and aspirations, many refugees face significant legal and practical barriers to entering the labour market. These include restrictive policies, lack of recognition of qualifications, limited access to social protection, and discrimination. As a result, refugee workers are often concentrated in low-skilled, informal, or under-regulated sectors where they are vulnerable to exploitation and poor working conditions. 

The ILO’s Role: Promoting Rights, Inclusion, and Opportunity 

The ILO supports its constituents – governments, employers’ and workers’ organizations – to be proactively involved in addressing challenges in forced displacement settings and promoting inclusive labour markets leading to durable solutions for both forcibly displaced population and their hosting communities. Through its global and national initiatives, the ILO supports: 

• Strengthening governance of labour market access and decent work by enhancing policy and regulatory frameworks, building institutional capacities, and supporting transitions to the formal economy 
• Ensuring respect for fundamental principles and rights at work and access to social protection, through enhancing awareness and improving enforcement capacities, including for workers in the informal sector  
• Expanding employment opportunities through skills development, vocational training, and sustainable income-generating activities that benefit both refugees and host communities. 
• Fostering social dialogue as a key mechanism for inclusive decision-making. By engaging governments, employers, and workers’ organizations in dialogue, the ILO promotes consensus-building and joint solutions that reflect the needs and rights of refugees and host communities alike. 

The ILO also works in close partnership with the UNHCR, building on the two organization’s complementary mandates of decent work, social justice, and international protection for refugees.  

From Local Impact to Global Policy  

The ILO’s efforts span both global policy arenas and local realities. In addition to direct technical assistance on the ground, the ILO engages in global policy advocacy on decent work for refugees. As part of the ILO’s commitments made at the Global Refugee Forum, the ILO co-convenes the Multi-Stakeholder Pledge on Economic Inclusion and Social Protection, mobilizing international commitments to support refugee livelihoods and decent work. This dual approach ensures that global commitments translate into meaningful, tangible outcomes for people’s lives. 

A Call to Action 

“Solidarity means more than compassion—it means action. We must work together to remove the barriers that prevent refugees from accessing decent work and ensure that no one is left behind,” says Gladys Cisneros, Chief of the Labour Migration Branch. “When refugees are given the opportunity to work in dignity, entire communities thrive.” 

On this World Refugee Day, the ILO calls on all stakeholders—governments, employers, workers, and civil society—to stand in solidarity with refugees. Solidarity is both a principle and a strategy for achieving social justice – let us build inclusive labour markets that recognize the potential of every individual and uphold the fundamental right to decent work for all.