Niger: Putting up a network for safe migration
During the last 15 years, the country has become an important migration hub combining settled diaspora with transiting migrants staying for some time, before continuing further north to Maghreb and Europe, and refugees fleeing conflicts in neighboring countries. Most of these people are utterly exposed to great vulnerability and are at severe risk of exploitation.
It is in this context that Nexus is carrying out the 36 month-long project Re.Mi (from French “Migration. Réseaux” i.e. “Migration. Network”) to contribute to preventing the root causes of precarious migration, and protecting migrant’s human, social and economic rights. The project is conducted in partnership with the Union des Syndicats des Travailleurs du Niger (USTN), along with a series of NGOs and governmental bodies in Niger at the national and local level.
The project focus on four main pillars of action: 1) Strengthening the collaboration and capacities of civil society actors working in the field of migration; 2) facilitating spaces for social dialogue between public and private actors working in this field; 3) creating a network of services for migrants in vulnerable situation; and 4) launching awareness-raising campaigns on the risks connected to unsafe migration.
Somalia: Formalising informal workers for inclusive growth, peace and social dialogue
Somalia is steadily emerging from decades of hard crises. The country is navigating through a fragile period of recovery with economic growth estimated at 1.7 per cent. Most of it, however, results from the informal economy’s activity, which corresponds to approximately 83 per cent of total employment.
With the aim to help create decent work for women and men, CGIL Nexus has launched the programme I.N.FORMA.L in cooperation with the Federation of Somali Trade Unions (FESTU), the International Trade Union Confederation Africa (ITUC Africa), Somalia’s Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, four enterprise development units, and Somalia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The project focuses on three sectors of intervention (fishing, textile, and small-scale trade) and includes plans for a tripartite committee of government, business and workers’ organisations to draw up a three-year action plan detailed by sector and locality. In a nutshell, partners will conduct surveys to produce knowledge and map resources and needs. The latter will allow for offering specific technical training. In addition, the project will help 120 informal micro-enterprises to transition to the formal economy through the four enterprise development units.
