The biggest 'private sector': what place for the informal economy in green and inclusive growth?
On 25 February 2016, a conference took place in London to help build a new policy agenda to integrate the informal economy with inclusive green growth and sustainable development. Here's what happened:
- The event reviewed informal economies in diverse contexts – from food distribution and mining to forestry and waste collection – and featured speakers from the International Labour Organisation, and from Ethiopia, Indonesia and Brazil.
- It was hosted by IIED and the Green Economy Coalition, WIEGO, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and the OECD's Sahel and West Africa Club.
- The place of the informal economy in inclusive & #greengrowth will be discussed at a conference today --> http://www.iied.org/biggest-private-sector-what-place-for-informal-economy-green-inclusive-growth … #GlobalBPS
- More pple have identified #greengrowth as an opportunity for the informal sector than a threat. Vote now #GlobalBPS https://twitter.com/IIED/status/702493526156771328 …
- BACKGROUND READING: Could the informal economy provide the way forward for the #greengrowth agenda? --> http://www.iied.org/lessons-informal-sector … #GlobalBPS
DOWNLOAD: Informal & green? The forgotten voice in #greeneconomy transition --> http://pubs.iied.org/16566IIED.html #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/5el5gstHfV- The informal workforce is the backbone of economies around the world. New video explains: http://ow.ly/YIWiM #GlobalBPS
- Is the informal economy the missing majority in transition to green economies? https://magic.piktochart.com/output/11314701-informal-economies-in-a-green-economy … #globalBPS pic.twitter.com/5VTrXBpfFO
- Kenyans call informal economy Jua Kali: the ability to solve any problem. Blog by @MaoAmis sets scene for #globalBPS http://bit.ly/1Q32nvA
- Delegates arriving for #globalBPS looking forward to getting started! https://vine.co/v/i6MBVK6iX5Q
- In a room full if brilliant people trying to find solutions to integrating the informal economy into the green economy. #globalbps
- After the scene for the discussions was set by the Green Economy Coalition's Oliver Greenfield, keynote speaker Marty Chen, the co-founder and international coordinator at WIEGO, took the stage...
- Oliver Greenfield from @GECoalition opens #GlobalBPS and asks delegates 1) what does success look like? 2) what needs to be done?
Marty Chen from @WIEGOGLOBAL takes to the stage #globalBPS. Find out more about WIEGO --> http://wiego.org pic.twitter.com/rmVkbySG5r- Marty Chen of @WIEGOGLOBAL: important to distinguish btw informal, non-corporate private sector and the formal corporate sector #GlobalBPS
- 75% of Indian production happens in informal economy says @WIEGOGLOBAL boss - why do we focus on formal business? #GlobalBPS #bizhumanrights
- Dr Martha Chen: + 50% of workforce in most developing countries employed in informal sector. Most new job opps in same sector #GlobalBPS
- #informaleconomy is stigmatised by policy makers making it hard for working poor to get out of poverty - Marty Chen @WIEGOGLOBAL #GlobalBPS
Informal workers more #Green - using less energy, raw materials & transport says @WIEGOGLOBAL #GlobalBPS #SDGs pic.twitter.com/CzsrbTHKgv- Alternative vision and policy paradigm needed that includes not excludes the working poor says Marty Chen @WIEGOGLOBAL #GlobalBPS
Majority of non-ag workers work in the #informal economy #HumanRights #GlobalBPS http://ow.ly/YIWv5 pic.twitter.com/JNhf0xNugg- We need to recognize that informal workers are legitimate economic agents who contribute to the economy #GlobalBPS http://twitter.com/IIED/status/702788324897980416 …
- .@WIEGOGLOBAL's Marty Chen 'We need a hybrid economy with space for SMEs, #informal and big business side by side'. #globalbps
- As people move out of povty will they make less green choices re livelihood and energy use? Is it an accident that green now? #GlobalBPS
- Dr Martha Chen: 'islands of prosperity in sea of despair or integrated economic planning?' Its a no brainer surely? @WIEGOGLOBAL #GlobalBPS
- Workers want to be under the protective arm of the state says Marty Chen @WIEGOGLOBAL #GlobalBPS
- The first session was hosted by Emily Benson, of the Green Economy Coalition, who focused on how the informal sector is 'The missing majority'. All the main presentations from the conference can be found at the end of this Storify.
Emily Brenson from @GECoalition now speaking at #globalBPS and explaining the status of 'green transition' pic.twitter.com/LoaH7Gg2hA
Where are the funds coming from? Emily Benson @GECoalition talks us though #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/G2VBoyKyiV
How does informality feature in green growth discourse? #GlobalBPS @GECoalition pic.twitter.com/OudfDhiDn2
How will people who don't have a stake in the 'brown' economy have one in a green economy?@GECoalition #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/HqOHiaWJ6b- Peter Poschen from @ilo now speaking #GlobalBPS and explaining the formal economy doesn’t have capacity to create the employment needed
- Elephant in the room is agriculture say Peter Poschen @ilo #GlobalBPS One in every three workers worldwide make a living from agriculture
- "We're entering era of lower world growth. Maybe good for environment, maybe not for livelihoods. How to meet this challenge?" #GlobalBPS
- Peter Poschen 'if we do not consider environment, quality of work in informal economy will deteriorate further' #GlobalBPS @ilo
Director of @Africege @MaoAmis is now speaking, read his latest blog here --> http://www.iied.org/lessons-informal-sector … #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/Uwla0UKrIq- Entrepreneur by necessity not opportunity, Green by constraint not choice. What's next in the transition from informal to formal? #globalbps
- 'We have to decide whether we want to sweep them aside and have islands of prosperity in sea of despair' Marty Chen @WIEGOGLOBAL #GlobalBPS
- For the second session on 'Informality and rural transition', Philipp Heinrigs, of Sahel and West Africa, turned delegates' attention to issues concerning urbanisation, the food economy and changing rural livelihoods. All the main presentations from the conference can be found at the end of this Storify.
This next session looks at #informality and rural transition #GlobalBPS @SWAC_OECD pic.twitter.com/xpJIMJzegs
Rural population has increased three fold to 180 million in West Africa says Philipp Heinrigs @SWAC_OECD #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/HhQGQJIw4K
Rural and urban populations are moving closer together #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/eAG5WEd1Bw
Massive #urbanisation in West Africa 22X growth, 6m in 1950, 130m by 2010 according to @OECD rep #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/2JNU7DylwS- W African food economy worth US$175 bn - mostly informal. 40% of that not agriculture. Govts must look at post farm value chain #GlobalBPS
Success of meeting growing food demand is largely down to #informal domestic and regional trade #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/1WrbMjbWZi- Formalization processes must include meaningful participation by #informalworkers themselves #GlobalBPS http://twitter.com/MaoAmis/status/702814965678395392 …
- Agree on participation, but not the language of ‘formalization’, which views the sector as a problem. #GlobalBPS https://twitter.com/WIEGOGLOBAL/status/702816403708125185 …
- If collaboration is the key currency at the base of the pyramid, can the top create exchange rates valuing this currency fairly? #GlobalBPS
- Transformation to waged econ is not going to happen this generation or next, informal workers here to stay Louise Fox @UCBerkeley #GlobalBPS
- "Do countries green growth strategies include the informal sector" asks Louise Fox. "Almost never". Yet it's so important! #globalBPS
- Thought triggered by speaker: does #naturalcapital accounts incl informal sector resource use + contrib of sector to economy? #GlobalBPS
- Delegates at #GlobalBPS starting to answer, what does success look like and what needs to be done? pic.twitter.com/o1vaa5lt43
- Session three was led by CIFOR's Paolo Cerutti, and used examples from domestic tropical; timber markets to discuss of of illegality and unsustainability in relation to the informal sector. All the main presentations from the conference can be found at the end of this Storify.
Paolo Cerutti @CIFOR speaking about domestic tropical timber markets: informal, illegal & unsustainable? #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/tvfh9bN4er- Paolo Cerutti of @CIFOR: forestry/timber-related laws must change to reflect informal reality on ground. Laws totally outdated. #GlobalBPS
- Interesting and engaging presentation from Paolo Cerutti @CIFOR #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/UklXOyQ6js
- Planning for transition from informal to formal w/out destroying livelihoods in process (too bureacratic, too long) is big issue #GlobalBPS
- Don't just focus on legality, take account issues that will bring us into formal sector says Jepara small scale furniture assoc #GlobalBPS
- Informal businesses aim to become legal so they don't have to 'live in fear' - speaker from furniture assocn in Indonesia. #GlobalBPS
- If legality is nothing more than an added cost, what incentivizes the shift from the informal to formal sector? #globalBPS
- But legality is not enough for small businesses. Need good rural transport systems, marketing support and much more. #GlobalBPS
- Illegal in the North means avoiding regulation; in the South it means unregulated. Dumpers vs. Salvagers of waste. Who defines? #globalBPS
- Delegates discuss the lessons from domestic tropical timber markets #globalGPS https://vine.co/v/i6OIMQ0xi7a
- Need to move away from definitions and focus on how informal economy connects with formal economy #GlobalBPS
- "Nothing for them, without them": How do we bring representation and voice to #informaleconomy workers? #GlobalBPS @IIED
- Terms of inclusion of informal sector in green growth is what is important, not inclusion per se - not all inclusion beneficial. #GlobalBPS
- There is a huge opportunity for cities to work with informal sector to the benefit of both says David Wilson @imperialcollege #GlobalBPS
- Access to pensions is an important issue in this debate #GlobalBPS
- What doe we mean by formalisation? Do we mean a certificate? Does that make you legal? asks Marty Chen @WIEGOGLOBAL #GlobalBPS
- Is certification without education simply another informal tax? Is success when support of the informal sector exceeds bribes? #globalBPS
- The fourth session was organised by IIED on artisanal and small-scale mining, and addressed aspects of recognition. It was presented by Gavin Hilson, of the University of Surrey. All the main presentations from the conference can be found at the end of this Storify.
Next up, - recognition as first step in ASM sector, session with Gavin Hilson @UniOfSurrey #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/6xCRwJLQsS- The number of people engaging in artisanal mining are increasing globally…recognition is key. #GlobalBPS
ASM sector very important economically and beginning to be seen as a viable way to combat poverty #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/7poSQ2y4Tn- Formalisation of artisanal mining is a lever to promoting sustainable mining practices. #GlobalBPS
Where does ASM fit in green growth? asks Gavin Hilson @UniOfSurrey #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/TxL9Mt1bfq- Now turning our focus to ASM in Ghana and hearing from Georgette Sakyi-Addo , a volunteer with Ghana Women in Mining #GlobalBPS
ASM has to be formalised but process is tedious. Officially it takes 3 months but can be 3 years #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/yB0FVFWSl6- #GlobalBPS women prop up the ASM industry, working tough, menial jobs at the lowest rung of the ladder https://twitter.com/iied/status/702859663021318144 …
- Powerful words from Georgette Sakyi-Addo speaking for Ghana Women in Mining. Sharing the reality of the situation on the ground #GlobalBPS
- Now hearing from Jikssa Kidane (Ministry of Mines, Ethiopia) speaking about about the importance of technology for the miners #GlobalBPS
- Ethiopia is doing great stuff in formalising artisanal miners, through value addition & creating an enabling environment. #GlobalBPS
- Tough to formalise the artisanal mining sector, and its unsustainable. #GlobalBPS
- Thoughts on what needs to be done for a new #globalBPS policy agenda outweigh what success would look like https://vine.co/v/i6eTFYrvLeB
- The final session was presented by WIEGO's Sally Roever, and examined different ways of approaching policies related to the informal sector in search f inclusive green growth. All the main presentations from the conference can be found at the end of this Storify.
Now talking about the urban informal economy with Sally Roever @WIEGOGLOBAL. #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/XfF7gCvBzk- Can we incentivize large scale actors to grant access to small-scale informal actors when projects are deemed uneconomical? #globalBPS
- @Trevino_Sofia Thinking of policy & econ incentives for large actors to pass on exploration results deemed uneconomic at scale. #globalBPS
.@sallyroever reports on a @WIEGOGLOBAL urban informal economy study #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/H9G9bsnLl3
A different approach to policy would include a space for organisations to identify common interests #GlobalBPS pic.twitter.com/cYEnYlBhCg- I wish more speakers could focus on the synergies between the. informal economy & green growth. #GlobalBPS
- Does acknowledging the need for small scale enterprises lead to green growth? Can growth mean going small? #globalBPS
- I'm Brazil only 2% of waste is recycled, losing out $8 billion per year of potential revenue. #GlobalBPS
- Understanding your reverse supply chain is key to catalyzing a #circulareconomy. #GlobalBPS
- Design thinking + Green= Circular Economy. #GlobalBPS
- The event concluded with a plenary session in which Steve Bass, senior fellow at IIED, catalysed the views expressed during the conference and looked at a way forward
- Is success when the Informal sector's voice is louder than the advocates & they take a seat at the table to speak for themselves? #globalBPS
- On FTSE100 IRT informal economy "it's hard to wake someone up who is pretending to be asleep". Gandhi via Mike Bird, @WIEGOGLOBAL #globalBPS
- What is the potential for south/south collaboration? #GlobalBPS
- In absence of a charismatic leader, can we have a charismatic cause & collaboration which attracts the informal sector? #globalBPS
- We need to change the narrative about #informalEconomy…the economy is not an end in itself, its there to serve people. #GlobalBPS
- The Informal Economy is not good, nor bad, it simply is, says Marty Chen. We must meet the people where they are working. #globalBPS
- Green growth/green economy voice needs strengthening to further the debate #GlobalBPS
- Is success a coalition of the UNwilling? Can we truly call it a success if we avoid hard conversations with the unconverted? #globalBPS
- IIED's Steve Bass provides closing synthesis of #GlobalBPS - we have reached consensus on the significance of the informal economy
- Dialogues can reveal the roadmap for change in complex issues filled with diverse actors #GlobalBPS https://twitter.com/iied/status/702897821834485760 …
- May need to use new terms to describe the informal economy, for example the 'shared economy' and 'peoples economy' #GlobalBPS
- New policy agenda = making connections, more evidence of whats working, rebranding, safe and recognised action dialogues... #GlobalBPS
- After the conclusion of the formal sessions, delegates took the opportunity to talk more informally with one another and take a closer look at photo exhibition illustrating the issues that had been discussed throughout the day...
- The event prompted a report by SciDev.net...
Invisible workers need recognitionBy Anita Makri One afternoon a couple of years ago, I found myself sat in the site office of one of Delhi's incineration plants and having tea with the manager. The plant was under construction near a landfill, and I was there with my colleague Ranjit Devraj to take some photographs for our story on the Indian city's waste management system.- Below you can see all of the main five presentations from the conference sessions, in order. More IIED presentations are available on the institute's SlideShare site.
