During the UN World Data Forum held in Bern at the beginning of October, the SDC, NORRAG, and Development Initiatives teamed up to tackle the pressing issue of internally displaced (IDP) children in the session “TWICE INVISIBLE: A lack of data of Internally Displaced Children leaves their education behind. Time to act!” . “Twice invisible” means that there is neither data on IDP children nor data on their educational needs. Learn more about the event and watch the recording:
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With the adoption of two new laws, Qatar has taken important steps towards improved labor and living conditions for labor migrants in the country. The newly introduced laws dismantle the Kafala system and establish a minimum wage for all workers. Migrant workers can now change jobs before the end of their contract without first having to obtain a so-called “No Objection Certificate” from their employer. This new law, together with the removal of exit permit requirements earlier this year, abolishes the Kafala or sponsorship system.
In addition, Qatar set a minimum monthly wage of 1,000 Qatari riyals (equals USD 275), which will apply to all workers, of all nationalities and in all sectors, including domestic work. Employers must also ensure that workers have decent accommodation and food. The ILO and Switzerland among other actors have been in close dialogue on this matter with the Government of Qatar and welcome the action taken.
Learn more in the ILO media release »
Vocational skills development (VSD) supports individual development and is a powerful tool to integrate migrants and forcibly displaced populations into local economies and societies. The better educated and trained migrants are, the more they can take advantage of the opportunities migration offers and the greater the benefits for both countries of destination as well as countries of origin. Migration and VSD are both important topics of the Dispatch on Switzerland’s International Cooperation 2021-24. This working tool brings the two topics together. It offers a structured analysis process that helps you to better integrate migrants into your VSD programs, or to use VSD as an intervention strategy in migration projects. The tool was developed jointly by the SDC Networks Employment and Income as well as Migration and Development.
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Thank you all for the valuable contributions to this newsbrief which focuses on COVID-19 and migration. We are regularly adding your contributions to the shareweb. Please note that on the dedicated COVID-19 page, we have created sub-themes with specialized resources on: Health impact of COVID-19 on migrants, Labor migration and COVID-19 and Forced displacement and COVID-19.
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The Call to Action “Remittances in Crisis: How to Keep them Flowing” is an initiative jointly launched on May 22, 2020 by the Governments of Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The aim of this Call to Action is to raise awareness and call on different stakeholders in the remittances sector to take measures in order to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on remittance flows. The predicted decline in remittances will not only threaten the livelihoods of millions of people relying on remittances as a lifeline, but may also cause a setback for the fragile economies of many developing and emerging countries.
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Nur Khalima, a 20 year old Rohingya refugee from Bangladesh has built up some resilience and happiness despite her difficult situation. COVID-19 has set her back to being destitute again. Read story »
May 2020 / Helvetas
How does COVID-19 increase protection risks for refugees and host communities in Cox Baazar, Bangladesh? The article summarizes the major changes in the situation. Interviews were held just before the first cases were reported inside the camps, and before the latest storm hit, depicting an already grave situation. Learn more »
May 2020 / Esther Marthaler, Helvetas
Arua Municipality estimates that self-settled urban refugees make up 24% of its total population. Despite this large figure, refugees are not included in the national census and there have been challenges in documenting them at the municipal level. This is true for secondary cities across Uganda (and even the capital Kampala has only estimates of its true number of urban refugees). This lack of data makes it very difficult for cities to adequately plan and provide for all their residents, and results in increasing pressure on public services including health and education. And, in times of emergency like this, it becomes even harder to understand the level of support needed and where those in need actually reside. Learn more »
May 2020 / Florence Lozet, Cities Alliance & Evan Easton-Calabria, Oxford Refugee Studies Centre