Promoting social cohesion through economic inclusion and job creation for refugees and host communities in the moughataa of Bassikounou

In Mauritania, the U.S. Department of State - Bureau for Populations, Refugees and Migration (BPRM) and the ILO continue their partnership and sign the 3rd year of the 2nd phase (September 2021 - August 2024) of the project: «Promoting social cohesion through economic inclusion and job creation for refugees and host communities in the Moughataa of Bassikounou».

The project «Promoting social cohesion through economic inclusion and job creation for refugees and host communities in the Moughataa of Bassikounou» is a continuation of the previous successful collaboration in Mauritania between the International Labour Organization and the U.S. Department of State - Bureau for Populations, Refugees and Migration (BPRM). This project is built on previous ILO work and on the various priorities and challenges that were identified in the region.

The project is targeting young women and men from refugees and Mauritanian host communities (between the ages of 16 and 35) who are willing to improve their employability and livelihoods. The project will select direct beneficiaries with a parity of 50% of participants from the refugee population and another 50% from the local youth. The project will aim for equal and balanced participation of various groups, with at least 40% of women and the inclusion of different ethnic groups.

Since the beginning of the first phase in September 2018, more than 63,000 green working days have been generated through the project’s on-site training and construction activities of around 25 infrastructures, with the participation of more than 2000 young refugees and Mauritanians in initial training, such as “Certificat de Competences (CC)”, and local professionals in qualifying training.

All trainees that are part of these projects are receiving Occupational Safety Health (OSH) training, lifelong learning, training allowances, as well as work injury insurance, career guidance and market-based skills training, while working on-site for the construction of the foreseen infrastructures, in order to improve their employability in the labour market.

The project is aligned with the Regional Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity (SCRAPP 2021-2025) for the Wilaya of Hodh El Chargui, the National Employment Strategy (2018-2022), the national action plan on the promotion of green jobs (2024-2028), the Decent Work Country Programme (2018-2022) and the “United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF 2018-2022 & 2024-2027).

Also, the project is contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, namely goal 8 on decent work and economic growth, goal 16 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, goal 5 on gender equality, goal 10 on reducing inequality, and goal 13 on climate action.

Bassikounou, a landlocked department with challenges but also opportunities
The department of Bassikounou hosts the Mbera refugee camp, which provides shelter to close to 200,000 refugees and asylum seekers (UNHCR, June 2024), who are largely dependent on humanitarian assistance. This influx of population in the region constitutes both a potential for new opportunities, by increasing the size of the local market and its needs, but also challenges, particularly in terms of social cohesion, as both host populations and refugees depend on agricultural activities for their food and income, mainly transhumant livestock farming, and the presence of refugees increases competition for access to natural resources.

• Objective 1:  Refugees and host communities have increased, inclusive and equal access to a vocational training platform providing initial and continuing training, social cohesion and peaceful coexistence skills, formal skills assessment, and certification in six sectors: eco-construction, meat products, leather and textile confection, gardening, and fodder production.
• Objective 2: Refugees and host communities in Bassikounou have improved, inclusive and equal access to demand-driven and conflict-sensitive sustainable enterprise development and labour market integration services.
• Objective 3: Refugees and host communities are jointly engaged in green economy projects in the construction and environment restoration sectors based on the territorial and conflict analysis.
   

A project to promote social cohesion and living conditions for both populations:
The project is a green Employment-intensive Investment project whose ultimate goal is to increase social cohesion between refugees and host communities in the semi-desert area of south-east Mauritania, through inclusive access to market-based livelihood opportunities and to the labour market in six high potential and green value chains.

Firstly, the project will ensure that refugees and host communities have increased, inclusive and equal access to a vocational training platform providing initial and continuing training, social cohesion and peaceful coexistence skills, formal skills assessment, and certification in the six value chains of eco-construction, meat products, leather and textile confection, gardening, and fodder production.

The project will also ensure these target groups have improved, inclusive and equal access to demand-driven and conflict-sensitive sustainable enterprise development and labour market integration services.

In addition, the project supports formalization through helping businesses in a “first step” to register/formalize at the local level (with municipalities) and the collaboration modality with the Ministry of Interior which facilitates a “second step” formalization at the national level (with guichet unique and the Directorate in charge of the civil society organizations).

The project also assists with the decentralization of support services from the cities to rural areas (e.g. through creation of training centres, knowledge sharing, dialogue with local stakeholders, mentoring, coaching etc.) and enhancing access to finance (through MFIs) and social protection in the construction sector.

Lastly, the project will engage beneficiaries jointly in green jobs and green economy projects in the construction and environment restoration sectors.