ILO’s Tripartite Regional Knowledge Sharing Forum concludes with commitment to tackle informality, through social dialogue, evidence-based...

ILO's Tripartite Regional Knowledge Sharing Forum concludes with commitment to tackle informality, through social dialogue, evidence-based policies and digitalization.

İSTANBUL (ILO News) - The ILO Tripartite Regional Knowledge Sharing Forum for Europe and Central Asia region concluded with shared commitment to tackle informality, emphasizing collaborative and innovative approaches on social dialogue, evidence-based policy frameworks, digitalization and innovation and sector specific approaches. It also stressed the critical role of strategic partnerships in facilitating an effective transition to formality.

Held on 18-19 December 2024 in İstanbul, Türkiye, the 1.5-day Forum, organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO), gathered representatives to discuss approaches to promoting the transition from informality to formality in the region. Forum concluded with discussions on social dialogue and the role of employers' and workers' organizations to transition to formality, critical role of strategic partnerships and EU experience, on its second day.

Recognized as a cornerstone for promoting formalization by all parties, social dialogue emerged as essential for ensuring inclusivity and addressing challenges in sectors like platform work, migration, and domestic labour. Participants stressed the need for evidence-based policymaking, streamlined administrative processes, and comprehensive legislation to make formalization appealing while discouraging informality. Digital tools and innovative approaches were acknowledged as transformative for governance, enhancing regulatory transparency and improving formalization efforts.

Priority sectors, including platform work, agriculture, and tourism, were identified as requiring tailored interventions to support the transition to formal economies effectively.

Tripartite representatives call for cross-sector collaboration and evidence-based strategies

The Regional Forum provided a platform for addressing informality through insights from workers, employers and government representatives.

The recent Regional Forum provided a platform for addressing informality through insights from workers, employers and government representatives. Workers' representatives emphasized the need for stable tripartite social dialogue and collaboration across ministries to ensure cohesive policies. They emphasized migration as a key economic factor requiring a human-centred governance approach and stressed the importance of aligning national policies with EU directives on platform work, minimum wage, and ILO's R204 Recommendation.

Employers' representatives advocated for robust, structured social dialogue at the policy-formation stage, cautioning against abrupt legislative changes that could hinder formalization efforts. They called for simplified administrative processes, greater SME awareness, easier access to finance, and evidence-based policies to make formalization appealing and informal practices costly.

From the government perspective, priorities included digitalization, inclusive policymaking, and strong institutional structures. Representatives highlighted incentives such as unemployment insurance and minimum wage adjustments, along with clear definitions for terms like self-employment, to comprehensively address informality.

Ashraf Bouali, Director of the OECD İstanbul Centre, emphasized the importance of ensuring the affordability and accessibility of social insurance, alongside creating tangible benefits, applying active labour market policies, and simplifying procedures as key strategies to combat informality. He also highlighted the value of collaboration with UN Agencies in the region, which can provide valuable lessons for other regions. Bouali committed further collaboration by OECD İstanbul Centre for addressing the challenge of informality in the countries of the region.

Key closure remarks

Yasser Hassan, Director of the ILO Office for Türkiye, makes his concluding remarks.

In his concluding remarks, Yasser Hassan, Director of the ILO Office for Türkiye, stressed the diversity of characteristics, circumstances, and instruments in addressing informality. He emphasized the need for multiple strategies, focusing on the most vulnerable groups. He noted the need for critical partnerships, including with multinational organizations like UNDC, UNDP, OECD, and the European Labour Authority (ELA) and expressed gratitude for their contributions to the effort. Hassan also noted the importance of a balanced approach, combining incentives with compliance measures, urging participants to reflect and improve their institutions' efforts in tackling informality.

Frédéric Lapeyre, Director of the ILO Priority Action Programme on Transition to Formality, reflects on the progress made since the adoption of ILO Recommendation R204 ten years ago.

Frédéric Lapeyre, Director of the ILO Priority Action Programme on Transition to Formality, reflected on the progress made since the adoption of ILO Recommendation R204 ten years ago. He noted that there is now a much better understanding of how to tackle the transition to formality. He emphasized the importance of working together to strengthen both collective and national capacities to facilitate this transition. Lapeyre also mentioned the upcoming general discussion at the International Labour Conference in June 2025, which will focus on advancing these efforts.

About the Regional Forum

Bringing together representatives from Albania, Armenia, Belgium, Moldova, Greece, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Spain, and Türkiye along with strategic partners, including the UNDC Regional Office in İstanbul, the UNDP Hub in İstanbul, the OECD Istanbul Regional Centre, and the European Labour Authority (ELA) Forum served as a policy debate platform for exchanging knowledge, lessons learned, experiences and practices of ILO constituents addressing the challenge of transition to formality in the region.

Informal employment impacts workers' rights, social protection, working conditions, and productivity, while hindering sustainable enterprise development and government capacity. Accelerating the transition to formality, in line with ILO Recommendation No. 204, is crucial for addressing decent work deficits, poverty, inequality, and promoting social justice. The 'Innovative Approaches to Addressing Informality and Promoting Transitions Towards Formality' Forum series, provide a platform for sharing good practices and evidence-based knowledge, while fostering partnerships with the ILO and multilateral agencies to tackle informality and promote sustainable economic growth.

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