International Labour Conference on the Informal Economy, International Labour Organisation, June 2002 - Geneva, Switzerland

WIEGO associates were commissioned by the ILO Inter-Sectoral Task Force on the Informal Economy to write two background papers - one on globalization and the informal workforce, the other on a policy framework for the informal economy - and a booklet of global statistics on the informal economy: see WIEGO Publications

Prior to the Conference, WIEGO's Organisation and Representation Programme also convened regional workshops that brought together trade unions and other emerging labor organizations of informal workers to compare organizing strategies and to draft a platform of common issues for the ILC (see list of regional workshops below).

Another goal was to dialogue with the international trade union movement - the International Trade Secretariats and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions - about the representation at the ILC of trade unions and other worker organizations that organize informal workers.

WIEGO convened a delegation comprised of informal economy trade unionists, NGO activists and researchers participated in the Conference. The team developed policy briefs, photographic exhibitions, and other materials to disseminate, and participated in discussions to inform the official resolutions and recommendations of the tripartite General Discussion on the Informal Economy.

	WIEGO Organisation and Representation regional meetings on the informal economy:
	European Regional Workshop on Decent Work for Informal Economy Workers April 2002 - Netherlands North America Regional Workshop on Organizing Workers in the Informal Economy in North America: Unions, Cooperatives, Advocacy Networks, and Emerging Labor Organizations October 2001 - Massachusetts, USA, co-sponsored by the Harvard Trade Union Program The Informal Economy in North America May, 2002 - Massachusetts, USA, co-sponsored by the Harvard Trade Union Program Africa Regional Workshop on Organizing Workers in the Informal Economy in Africa October 2001 - Lusaka, Zambia co-sponsored by the International Federation of Workers' Education Associations (IFWEA) Report of Project Seminar - pdf file (59 pages) Platform of Issues - pdf file (1 page) The Asia/Pacific Regional Workshop on the Informal Economy November, 2001 - Bangkok, Thailand co-sponsered by the Committee on Asian Women (CAW) Report - MS Word document (48 pages) Statement - pdf file (2 pages) Upcoming in 2003 Lima, Peru Informal Workers and the Union Movement: Challenges and Perspectives March, 2003, co-sponsored by the Programa Laboral de Desarollo (PLADES)