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It was 30 years ago that the ILO first used the term "informal sector." Contrary to earlier predictions that it is a temporary or residual phenomenon, the informal economy has been growing rapidly in almost every corner of the globe, including industrialized countries. The dilemma - whether the informal sector should be promoted as a provider of employment and incomes or seek to extend regulation and social protection to it and thereby reduce its capacity to provide jobs and incomes for an ever-expanding labour forces - still exists and it is much larger in magnitude and more complex.
The ILO Conference, held from 3 to 20 June 2002, discussed the topic of the informal sector for the first time since 1991. The ILO is looking at the situation of those in the informal economy in terms of decent work deficits. Many women and young workers are engaged in poor-quality, unproductive and unremunerative jobs that are not recognized or protected by law, and lack the rights at work, representation and voice, and adequate social protection.
The ILO Conference adopted a conclusion calling for a new ILO programme of work that would focus on the issues of employment generation, social protection and poverty reduction for those in the informal economy. The new programme should provide a roadmap for future ILO activities aimed at extending rights to those who need them and access to the benefits of labour standards and the global economy.
ILO Tokyo Branch Office, in special collaboration with the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-RENGO), will hold a Public Forum on the topic, with Ms. Lin Lean Lim, Manager, Gender Promotion Programme, as reporter. Ms. Lim was closely involved in the preparatory process of the report on decent work and the informal economy submitted to the Conference and was one of the members of the secretariat for decent work conference committee. Other issues discussed at the Conference will be also presented. English-Japanese simultaneous interpretation will be provided.
| Organized by : | ILO Tokyo Branch Office |
| Special collaboration with : | Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-RENGO) |
| Time & Date : | Friday, 30 August 2002 15:30-18:30 |
| Venue : | Elizabeth Rose Conference Hall, 5th Floor, the United Nations University Headquarters Building (5-53-70, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; five minutes' on foot from Shibuya and Omotesando stations) |
| Keynote speech : | "Decent Work and the Informal Economy"
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| Comments and presentation : | "Urban informal economy in Asia - Its potential, issues and current situation in Japan"
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| Comments from ILO constituents and academic : |
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