Executive Summary

Purpose

The purpose of the staff workshop was to develop a coherent framework for pursuing work in follow-up to the Conclusions on decent work and the informal economy, adopted by the International Labour Conference in June 2002, including the basis for integrated technical cooperation proposals using the logical framework.

Information on web [top]

The agenda, participants list, presentations, summary of proceedings, and documents distributed at the Workshop may be consulted here.

Results [top]

The workshop revealed how very interrelated the issues addressed by the ILC conclusions were, and how important it was to undertake work at different levels and in a synergistic way. While the ILO could undertake some of the vast work to be done in relation to the informal economy directly, key roles will be played by the social partners, other international organizations, national and local policy makers, cooperatives, "bona fide" NGOs and researchers.

The workshop participants concurred that the strategic framework sketched out during group work (see attached graphic) could be the basis for pursuing integrated, coherent work on the informal economy under both the regular budget and extrabudgetary funds. The workshop thus identified a conceptual basis on which the detailed "marching orders" set out in the conclusions (particularly paras. 35 to 37) could be carried out. This would form the basis for "an identifiable and highly visible programme of work" to be implemented across the ILO in the context of its operational and shared objectives (since there is to be no separate structural unit).

Taking the Decent Work Agenda as the ILO's overall framework, with poverty and gender as cross-cutting issues, the strategic framework foresees pursuing work across Sectors and Regions under integrating themes. The workshop had identified Governance, Representation/Voice, Macroeconomic Policy, Productivity/Market enhancement and Addressing Vulnerabilities, but there could be other formulations. As next steps, the Workshop wanted this framework to be considered by the Informal Economy Working Group (which includes representation from Sectors and the Regions as well as INTEGRATION), by CODEV, and if possible by the Senior Management Team.

The strategic framework foresees action by the ILO itself, social partners and other international organizations. As the means to achieve follow-up to these conclusions, the framework highlights knowledge (research/statistics), advocacy and action -"Know How" and "Show How". Implicit in the framework is the idea of logical sequencing of interventions, and recognition of the diversity of informal economy situations, with a strong gender dimension. The Workshop recognized that concerted efforts will be needed to operationalize the strategic framework in a way that picks up both the ILC conclusions and broader programming objectives.

The results of the Group Work, presented in plenary using log-frames and/or structured presentations, contain many elements that can inspire integrated programming around themes. The Group Work exercise underscored the importance of precisely identifying client/beneficiary/target groups, pinpointing cause and effect relationships (done through construction of a problem tree), and cross-checking assumptions against planned activities that were logically related to solving the problems that had been highlighted.

Next steps [top]

In relation to work under the regular budget, the results of the Group Work also need to be overlaid onto the objectives set out in the Programme and Budget 2004-05, which was not available when the workshop opened. As for the TC-RAM process, the sense of the Workshop was to encourage merged concept note(s) on the informal economy, in order to promote an integrated approach and facilitate the work of the Regions in developing proposals. The considerable overlap between the informal economy and poverty recognized in the Workshop would also need to be taken into account. Participants also believed that the Workshop results could also be of assistance to ACTEMP and ACTRAV in programming the cash surplus allocated to the informal economy under the "strengthening tripartism" heading.

Impressions [top]

On the whole, the participants found the Workshop to be a positive experience in teamwork and in looking at issues from a range of perspectives. It also provided the opportunity for ILO officials to gain familiarity with or to deepen understanding of the logical framework approach. This Workshop was seen as one step in a long process of follow-up to the ILC conclusions on decent work and the informal economy.

Composition and organization [top]

The workshop was organized by the Policy Integration Department (INTEGRATION) in conjunction with the International Training Centre of the ILO (Turin), with resource persons provided as well by the Technical Cooperation Department (CODEV). It brought together 38 officials (22 men, 16 women) from the four ILO Sectors (including ACT EMP and ACTRAV), four of the five Regions, and the Gender Bureau (GENDER), plus INTEGRATION, TURIN and CODEV.

Agenda [top]

Day One featured, in addition to travel to Turin:

• Welcome, introduction and presentation of the objectives of the workshop
• Presentation of the ILC conclusions on decent work and the informal economy, including employer and worker perspectives
• Presentation of the results of a mapping process of work on the informal economy throughout the ILO
• Linkages between the informal economy and decent work and poverty reduction

Days Two and Three centred on:

• Identifying key themes around which integrated work could be pursued to follow up on the ILC conclusions
• Group work using these themes as a basis for developing a coherent programme of work that could serve as the basis for technical cooperation proposals
• Presentation of Group work, feedback and discussion of presentations
• Summary and practical next steps
• Return to Geneva