As the International Labour Confederation (ILC), we mark this meaningful day by drawing public attention to the multi-layered crises faced by refugees and reaffirming our commitment to a solidarity approach grounded in rights, labour, and human dignity.

Refugees are not only displaced from their homelands, but also stripped of their basic rights. In countries of refuge, they face informality, insecurity, underpayment, discrimination, and severe labour exploitation. Millions of refugees are excluded from trade union rights, social protection mechanisms, and conditions worthy of human dignity. Yet, decent work is a universal right that does not vary between citizens and refugees. Recognizing and guaranteeing this right is essential to prevent labour exploitation and to establish a fair social order.

Women and children represent the most vulnerable groups in displacement processes. Threats such as violence, child labour, early marriages, and human trafficking directly endanger their right to life. Access to education, healthcare, psychosocial support, and protection remains a distant privilege for many refugees.

Refugees are often portrayed in public discourse as a burden—economically and socially criminalized and excluded. However, history shows that refugees have meaningfully contributed to host societies through their labour, knowledge, cultural richness, and spirit of solidarity. Rights-based social inclusion policies and labour-based integration models play a vital role in building just and inclusive societies. The effective participation of refugees in productive processes is not only a matter of individual rights but also a guarantee of social stability and the continuity of labour itself.

Today, not only wars and conflicts but also environmental disasters—such as droughts, floods, wildfires, and famine—are displacing millions. However, climate-induced displacement is still not recognized under the international refugee protection regime. As ILC, we call for the international recognition and legal protection of individuals forcibly displaced by the climate crisis.

To ensure that refugees can live with dignity and benefit equally from fundamental labour rights, ILC urges all social partners, decision-makers, and civil society actors to engage in joint action around the following demands:

·         Ensure decent work, social protection, and safe working conditions for refugee workers, and strengthen mechanisms to combat discrimination.

·         Guarantee access to collective bargaining and trade union rights for refugee workers.

·         Provide special protection programmes for women, children, and individuals displaced by climate-related causes.

·         Implement ILO standards and international agreements to fully cover refugee workers, and ensure that member states are held accountable in this regard.

·         Build a common discourse and action of labour solidarity to combat racism, xenophobia, and hate speech.

·         Guarantee refugee access to education, healthcare, shelter, and social services through inclusive public policies.

A just world is one in which no one is forcibly uprooted from their homeland—and where those who are displaced are not excluded.

We must embrace refugeehood not as a crime, but as a defense of human dignity, and work together to advance peace, justice, and labour rights.

Because the rights of refugees are the conscience of humanity.