The ILO and the Italian Cooperation for the reconstruction in Somalia

Somalia is facing the challenge of achieving peace and political stability. Since 2001, the ILO’s InFocus Programme on Crisis Response and Reconstruction (IFP/CRISIS) works there with the help of the Italian Foreign Ministry Technical Cooperation on an intensive job creation programme aiming to support the peace building process.

The programme is conducted on the basis of discussion fora with the local population; this aims to ensure efficient identification of areas where intervention is most urgently needed, as well as to provide work for the greater number of persons of various qualifications. As a result, more than 600 people in Mogadishu have been employed on infrastructure projects, such as construction of roads, drainage systems and waste collection centres. Much attention has been given to gender mainstreaming and, for some projects, up to 70 percent of the employees are women.

Renovation projects are also proceeding in the rest of the country, including the Puntland and Somaliland regions. In the city of Hargeisa for instance, the ILO’s project for the improvement of surface water drainage has already generated over 4 500 work days and has also provided a starting point for a more sustainable water management system.