Somalia ratifies three core International Labour Organization conventions and joins Decent Work Program
His Excellency Prime Minister Abdiweli Sheikh Ahmed, today addressed the International Labour Organization (ILO) Governing Body followed by signing the ratification of three core ILO Conventions and joining of the Decent Work Program at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Prime Minister on behalf of the Federal Republic of Somalia ratified: the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention; Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention and ratified against the Worst Forms of Child Labour.
Somalia’s engagement in the Decent Work program which aims to grow sustainable jobs, with a specific focus on the youth, as well as protect the fundamental rights of the worker.
Addressing the ILO Governing Body, the Prime Minister, Said:
“Somalia has vast natural and untapped resources, however, the poorly diversified economy, underdeveloped infrastructure, weak education system, lack of markets and weak capacity to manage these resources in a sustainable way, leave the economy’s full potential still untapped.
“Large numbers of unemployed youths are a potential source of insecurity given their vulnerability to recruitment into criminal and violent activities by terrorist groups.
“While we engage in military operations we must continue to address the main challenges which allowed the collapse of the state, ultimately allowing Al-Shabaab to rise. We must make efforts to:
* Harmonise our traditional setting
* Ensure fair access to resources and fully inclusive political engagement
* Implement sustainable Somali owned state building process for peace
* Institutionalisation of protection and promotion of Human Rights in harmony with the Paris principles
* Integration of the Post Transition Human Rights Road Map, New Deal Compact, National Stabilisation Plan and Decent Work Program
“Job creation is a key part of our stabilisation plans as we must prove to the people that there is a peace dividend now that Al-Shabaab has been driven out. Investing in job creation is much more productive, sustainable and cost effective than peace-making, peacekeeping or any other conventional military operations.”
The Director General of the ILO, Guy Ryder, hosted a working lunch for the visiting Prime Minister and his delegation where they discussed the importance of concerted multilateral and bilateral co-operation.
Following the working lunch the Prime Minister met with the Geneva’s Friends of Somalia chaired by the UK Ambassador to UN Missions (Geneva) Karen Pierce, which is a unique cross-regional member states group within the UN system in Geneva, briefing them on the current developments in Somalia and ongoing operations against Al-Shabaab. The State representatives reconfirmed their support for Somalia’s ongoing stabilisation and welcomed the Prime Minister’s vision of self-reliance.