Message posted on 19/04/2021

Digital refugee livelihoods and decent work - ILO report launch 29 April

Dear colleagues,

I hope this launch of the folowing ILO report will be of interest to some o= f you: Digital refugee livelihoods and decent work: towards inclusion in a = fairer digital economy.

Here a link to the event page and registration:https://www.ilo.org/global/p= rogrammes-and-projects/prospects/events/WCMS_779522/lang--en/index.htm

Launch of the ILO Report "Digital Refugee Livelihoods and Decent Work - Tow= ards inclusion in a fairer digital economy"

The digitization of the world of work is fundamentally transforming how ref= ugees can make a livelihood and obtain employment. A rapidly expanding glob= al digital economy harbours countless new opportunities but it also poses a= range of challenges and risks. A new report by the International Labour Or= ganization (ILO) now explores the growing role of digital economies for ref= ugees, including case studies from Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europ= e.

Background Digitalisation is rapidly changing the character of work around the world. = Technological advances will create new jobs and opportunities while making = others obsolete. New skills are required as old ones expire. As digital ine= qualities are becoming more ingrained and insidious, they leave those witho= ut resources ever further behind. Digital work can contribute to strong dis= parities related to geographic location, whereby workers in emerging nation= s are most affected by uneven Internet connectivity, time zones, language, = security, and pay mechanisms. To harness the positive potential of this dig= ital transformation for the future of work and reduce its harmful impact, g= lobal action and planning must give more attention to populations that are = economically and politically marginalized, such as refugees. The current di= gital transformation has far-reaching implications for forcibly displaced p= ersons and many other migrants who are in search of employment and come und= er pressure to secure a livelihood for themselves and their families. Witho= ut coordinated action, a digitized and increasingly cashless future of work= poses existential threats to the displaced and uprooted, whose livelihood = often depends on informal jobs, who are frequently excluded from access to = bank accounts or electronic payment mechanisms, and who must often accept e= xploitative working conditions in exchange for any kind ofincome.

About the report

This report offers the first comparative global assessment of the emerging = field of digital livelihoods and digital work among refugees. In this repor= t, a diverse collective of authors offers insights from pioneering research= on the possibilities and the limitations of digital work and digitally med= iated livelihoods. In doing so, we build on the ILO=92s centenary initiativ= e on the Future of Work and its research on decent work in the digital econ= omy. The report focuses on digital skills and digital labour among refugees= living in a variety of host countries around the world, where they are oft= en one of the most vulnerable groups in the labour market. At the same time= , some of the research includes a diversity of forcibly displaced persons, = including IDPs, as well as other migrants and host community members, who c= ome to see the digital economy as a promising alternative to often exploita= tive and restrictive local labour markets.

Part 1focuses on the role of digital skills training as a pathway to decent= work for refugees and migrants in Lebanon and Germany. Part 2discusses digital livelihoods and connectivity in refugee settlements= and camp settings. Part 3puts the spotlight on the experience of refugees working on digital l= abour platforms and in the gig economy.

Read the executive summary

The sessions The event will be jointly organized by the ILO=92s Labour Migration Branch = (MIGRANT), the Programme Improving Prospects for Host Communities and Forci= bly Displaced Persons (PROSPECTS) and the Employment, Labour Markets and Yo= uth Branch (EMPLAB). The new ILO report =93Digital refugee livelihoods and = decent work: Towards inclusion in a fairer digital economy=94 will be prese= nted virtually from ILO headquarter in Geneva on 29 April 2021 at 13:00 CET= . Speakers Moderation: Iva Gumnishka, Founder of Humans in the Loop.

  • Welcoming remarks: Christiane Kuptsch, Senior Specialist in Migration= Policy, ILO MIGRANT.
  • Introduction and summary of findings: Andreas Hackl, Lecturer in Anth= ropology of Development at the School of Social and Political Science, Univ= ersity of Edinburgh.
  • Digital skills training: a pathway to decent work for refugees? Rabih Shibli, Director of the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Ser= vice (CCECS) at the American University of Beirut (AUB); and Sarah Kouzi, Programs Manager at the Center for Civic Engagement and Co= mmunity Service (CCECS) at the AUB.
  • Digital connectivity and entrepreneurship in refugee camps and settle= ments: Faheem Hussain, Clinical Assistant Professor at the School for the Future o= f Innovation in Society, College of Global Futures, Arizona State Universit= y; and Jared Owuor, Regional Operations Officer at Samuel Hall.
  • Refugee work in the digital economy: Emma Samman, Research Associate = with the Overseas Development Institute and an independent consultant.
  • Inside perspective: Ousama Suleiman, Syrian refugee, former freelance= r and current facilitator of refugee online work.
  • Outlook: PROSPECTS partnership: future outlook and new research into = digital economies among refugees: Drew Gardiner, Technical Specialist, ILO = EMPLAB.

Register https://ilo-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvf-quqz8rH9WpsIw0bOKYKEjgLsR-a= 9BK


Dr Andreas Hackl Lecturer, Social Anthropology School of Social and Political Science University of Edinburgh, UK

The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, w= ith registration number SC005336. Is e buidheann carthannais a th=92 ann an= Oilthigh Dh=F9n =C8ideann, cl=E0raichte an Alba, =E0ireamh cl=E0raidh SC00= 5336.

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