Towards peace and decent work in Africa – accelerating progress on the SDGs

UNU-WIDER and UNECA event

Towards peace and decent work in Africa: Accelerating progress on the SDGs


What are the critical ingredients that we need to attend to in a conflict-affected state to provide the foundation for future peace once the conflict subsides? With the majority of African workers informally employed, how can decent work—including social protection and labour rights—be provided for those in the informal sector?

On 26 October 2023, UNU-WIDER and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) co-host an event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, bringing together experts from various UN, academic, and institutional backgrounds to debate on how to achieve progress towards peace and decent work in Africa. The focus is on how to accomplish these goals at the necessary speed to achieve the global goals. This event is also livestreamed on UNECA's YouTube channel.

The event begins with a presentation of UNU-WIDER's synthesis of its 2019-2023 work programme, titled Towards peace, decent work, and greater equality, which synthesizes the institute’s most salient research and policy lessons on the three universal aspirations shared by humans everywhere—peace, decent work, and fairer societies. It outlines major findings that support fulfilment of these universal aspirations and identifies opportunities for action that can accelerate progress towards the SDGs.

A panel discussion with experts follows, debating and exchanging ideas on questions such as:

  • How essential is the provision of aid in conflict settings and does the international community provide enough aid, in the right ways, to support the peace process? 
  • How can progress towards peace and decent work in Africa be accelerated to achieve the global goals by 2030, while strengthening the social contract based on equal rights and opportunities for all? 

Programme
14.00-14:30 Registration
14:30-14.40 Welcome address

Kunal Sen | Director UNU-WIDER
Sweta Saxena | Chief of Staff, UNECA
14:40-15:00 Presentation of UNU-WIDER report Towards peace, decent work, and greater equality

Kunal Sen | Director, UNU-WIDER
15:00-16:30 Panel discussion

Chair: Sweta Saxena, UNECA

Saurabh Sinha | Chief Social Policy, UNECA
Abebe Shimeles | Honorary Professor, University of Cape Town
Kunal Sen | Director, UNU-WIDER 
Mohamed Salih | Professor, Erasmus University Rotterdam

Questions and discussion with audience
16:30-17:00 Coffee reception