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Academy on Decent Work for Social Justice promotes universal social protection in Portuguese-speaking countries

The Academy on Decent Work for Social Justice for Portuguese-Speaking Countries took place in Lisbon from 10 to 14 February 2025, organized by the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITC-ILO), the Institute for Employment and Vocational Training (IEFP) and the ILO ACTION/Portugal Project, with funding from the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity, and Social Security of Portugal.

The academy brought together 130 participants, including directors and officials from ministries and public institutions, social partners, policymakers, and representatives from non-governmental organizations, civil society, and international cooperation. Participants came from Angola, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste.

Marking the 10th anniversary of the ILO ACTION/Portugal Project, the event provided a space for participants to reflect on the technical assistance and capacity-building activities that the ILO and ITC-ILO have carried out in Portuguese-speaking countries. They also explored the interconnections between employment, social protection, and skills policies, fostering the development of more comprehensive and integrated approaches. The academy served as a unique platform for knowledge sharing and exchanging experiences on current and future challenges in the world of work, with a strong emphasis on promoting social justice and protecting rights.

The opening session featured the participation of Portugal’s Secretary of State for Labour, Adriano Rafael Moreira; the President of IEFP, Domingos Lopes; the Executive Secretary of CPLP, Zacarias da Costa; and the Director of CIF-ILO, Christophe Perrin. This was followed by a panel discussion on the 2030 Agenda and Decent Work, with Maria Helena André, Director of the ILO’s Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV), as the keynote speaker, alongside an intervention by José Luís Albuquerque, Director-General of GEP.

This strategic event enabled participants from the eight countries to deepen their understanding and exchange experiences on key topics, including:

• Policies to support the realization of rights in a world of work in transition
• Data and indicators on the labour market and social protection
• Expanding fiscal space for social protection and employment policies
• Formalization strategies for the promotion of decent work
• Labour market and social protection indicators for designing and evaluating policies to promote decent work

By fostering dialogue and cooperation, the academy contributed to strengthening policy frameworks that promote decent work and social justice across Portuguese-speaking countries.

Watch the video of the event