Geneva Peace Week 2018

Panel discussion on Jobs for Peace and Resilience

The event “Jobs for Peace and Resilience” is organized in the context of the Geneva Peace Week 2018, which will take place from 5 to 9 November, in collaboration wth the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Centre on Conflict, Development & Peacebuilding (CCDP) and the Permanent Mission of Switzerland.

Fragility, unemployment and decent work deficits are often the triggers of violent conflicts, especially in overly populated urban contexts and chronically impoverished areas of the world. Over many years, protracted conflicts halt and reverse economic growth and erode development gains. As a result, poverty is increasingly concentrated in fragile settings.

The ILO, after the adoption in 2017 of the landmark Recommendation on Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience (N. 205), launched the Jobs for Peace and Resilience (JPR) global flagship programme to contribute to more peaceful and resilient societies through employment generation and social dialogue. In addition, ILO and the UN Peace Building Support Office (PBSO), jointly with the WB and UNDP developed an analytical framework and principles for action to strengthen the peacebuilding impact of employment interventions. This cooperation also resulted in an ILO and PBSO programme to sustain peace and foster development through employment creation in conflict-affected situations.

In the context of the Geneva Peace Week 2018, which will take place from 5 to 9 November, the ILO will co-organize a side event on “Jobs for Peace and Resilience” in collaboration wth the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Centre on Conflict, Development & Peacebuilding (CCDP) and the Permanent Mission of Switzerland. The event will be held on Friday, 9 November from 9:00 to 10:15, and will take the form of a panel discussion.

Among other experiences and perspectives, the debate will examine preliminary results from the implementation of JPR in selected countries and analyse prospects for tangible benefits among societies. The role of social partners (workers’ and employers’ organizations) in contributing to more peaceful and resilient societies will be analysed.

The following considerations / questions will be debated by panelists:

1. Jobs and income are a basic concern for millions of people affected for decades by protracted conflict. Cumulative unemployment, underemployment and impoverishment are a major cause of suffering in today's wars. Which kind of jobs can make the difference?

2. The growing urbanization of societies means that most conflict and violence are urban today. What kind of coping mechanisms should be put in place for both urban and rural employment?

3. Sustaining a decent quality of education during protracted conflict and urban violence is essential if a generation affected by conflict stands any chance of joining a recovering economy and finding decent work. How to promote quality education and peaceful coexistence?

4. New jobs arise in conflict but often create imbalances. These can help people survive but also create parallel economies - an aid economy that is booming with high paid jobs and a local economy and public sector that is struggling with brain drain, relatively poor wages and a lack of investment. How to escape this vicious cycle and promote economic sustainability and social justice?

Panellists:

Ms. Charlotte Bennborn, Head of Economic Security, ICRC
Charlotte Bennborn, a Swedish national, joined the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 2008 as an Economic Security Delegate in Darfur. Missions followed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya and Iraq. Since 2013, she has worked as Coordinator in charge of ICRC’s Economic Security programmes in the Central African Republic and most recently in Yemen. In May 2016, Charlotte Bennborn was appointed as head of the ICRC’s Economic Security Unit. In this role, her responsibility is to direct and develop the Economic Security strategy of the ICRC, overseeing the global budget and ensuring that Economic Security activities are aligned to ICRC objectives and responding to needs of affected populations. The Unit hosts specialisations such as agronomists, veterinarians, nutritionists, cash and market specialists, economists, as well as data and analysis experts. Prior to joining the ICRC, Ms. Bennborn worked as an Assistant Producer for business news channel CNBC in London. She holds BA (Hons) in Communication and MA in International Relations and Negotiation.

Dr. Oliver Jütersonke, Head of Research, CCDP

Oliver Jütersonke is a member of the strategic board of the Swiss Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries (KFPE), an associated member of the Zurich University Centre for Ethics, and part of the management committee of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform. He holds a Doctorate and Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures (DES) from the Graduate Institute and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Politics from the University of Exeter. His current research agenda, covering security-development linkages, humanitarian intervention, urban violence, peacebuilding norms, and sub-state public service provision, is driven by an overarching interest in the way concepts and labels interact with institutional practices and programming concerns. Recently, he was lead author for a Workers’ Guide to ILO Recommendation No. 205 on employment and decent work for peace and resilience.

Ms. Aminata Maiga, Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Country Office for Angola, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon since April 2014
In recent years, Aminata Maiga's work focused on employment promotion in Central Africa, particularly in the Great Lakes region, and on issues related to the world of work in fragile settings, with particular emphasis on conflict and post-conflict environments. Previously in Kinshasa, Ms. Maiga served the ILO as Senior Specialist for Jobs Creation and Enterprise Development in Yaounde, and as Africa Regional Coordinator for Women's Entrepreneurship in Addis Ababa. Prior to joining the ILO in 2009, Ms. Maiga worked as Senior Economist, Financial Analyst and Consultant in Austria, Côte d'Ivoire, Montreal and for the Government of the Northwest-Territories in Canada. Ms. Maiga holds an MBA from HEC Montreal in Canada and a Magistère of Economic Development from University of Clermont Ferrand in France.

Closing Remarks:

Mr. Oliver Hoehne, Deputy Head of the Multilateral Division of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and to the other international organizations in Geneva
Oliver Hoehne is the Deputy Head of the Multilateral Division of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and to the other international organizations in Geneva, where he leads the Global Affairs Team. Joining the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 2008, he held positions in Bern, Belgrade and Bujumbura dealing with peacebuilding, transition and humanitarian affairs. He previously worked as a delegate and manager for the ICRC.

Moderator:

Mr. Donato Kiniger-Passigli is a specialist in crisis resolution, development cooperation, and labour affairs. He coordinates the Fragile States and Disaster Response Group at the International Labour Office (ILO), being in charge of promoting and organizing ILO crisis response programmes and initiatives in the wake of major humanitarian crises, addressing unemployment and decent work deficits. He worked extensively on the preparations of the normative instrument adopted by the ILO Conference in 2017 on “Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience” and authored several ILO publications on emergency management, risk assessment and coordination. He is member of the advisory board of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and a Fellow of the prestigious World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS). As an expert in conflict analysis, risk management, disaster needs assessment and business continuity, he delivers lectures and trainings on the above subjects.


Participants are kindly requested to register online to attend the event and to obtain access the UNOG building where the event is held: