Workers in emergency employment rebuild after Super Typhoon Haiyan using the slope agriculture land technology to prevent soil erosion.

Crisis situations and response

We live in a world of worry. After decades of progress in fighting inequalities and reducing poverty, social justice and decent work face unprecedented challenges. The emergence of a global polycrisis strains the prospects for recovery and universal social justice, challenging the ILO to respond with speed, scale, and impact.

Farmers working in the aftermath of Haiyan Typhoon, Philippines, 2013 © Marcel Crozet/ILO

Roughly 2 billion people live in countries experiencing situations of fragility and armed violence, and another 200 million people are affected by the slow or sudden onset of disasters. Conflict and catastrophic events are triggered by a variety of factors and can impact differently on societies, but one way or another they all undermine peoples’ livelihoods and create decent work deficits. 

Left unattended, these problems can lead to increased poverty, inequality and social unrest.

Through its distinctive rights-based development approach, the ILO contributes to building the resilience of nations and people caught in fragile, conflict and disaster situations. 

In direct collaboration with its member States, tripartite constituents, UN partners, international and national agencies, the ILO supports an employment-centred recovery from crises while promoting decent work and social justice as key drivers of resilience and social cohesion.

Sustaining peace through employment and decent work

News and articles

Beyond the crisis: strengthening nexus coherence for social protection in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
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Beyond the crisis: strengthening nexus coherence for social protection in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

ILO’s emergency response to the Rio Grande do Sul Floods
Floods Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

ILO’s emergency response to the Rio Grande do Sul Floods

Fragile and crisis settings

Disaster settings

Disaster settings

Humanitarian Development Peace Nexus

Humanitarian Development Peace Nexus

Forced displacement settings

Forced displacement settings

Normative framework for crisis situations and response

Country operations

Occupied Palestinian Territory

Occupied Palestinian Territory

War in Ukraine

War in Ukraine

Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria

Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria

Publications

Impact of the war in Gaza on private sector workers and businesses in the West Bank

Impact of the war in Gaza on private sector workers and businesses in the West Bank

Impact of the war in Gaza on the labour market and livelihoods in the Occupied Palestinian Territory: Bulletin No. 4

ILO Brief - Bulletin No. 4

Impact of the war in Gaza on the labour market and livelihoods in the Occupied Palestinian Territory: Bulletin No. 4

ILO Transitional Cooperation Strategy for Ukraine 2024-2025

ILO Transitional Cooperation Strategy for Ukraine 2024-2025