• English
  • Français
  • العربية
Follow us
Union for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfM     Mediterranean Day
  • Who we are
    • Who we are

      The Union for the Mediterranean is an intergovernmental institution bringing together the European Union Member States and 16 countries from the Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean to promote dialogue and cooperation.

      Overview   

    • Who we are

      • Member States
      • Meet the team
      • Partners
      • History
    • Key documents

      UfM Annual Report 2022 Regional Integration
  • What we do
    • Notre action

      The UfM seeks to enhance regional cooperation, dialogue and the implementation of concrete projects and initiatives with tangible impact on our citizens to address three strategic objectives: human development, stability and integration.

      Overview   

    • Inclusive Development

      • Economic Development and Employment
      • Higher Education & Research
      • Social & Civil Affairs

      Sustainable development

      • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
      • Transport & Urban Development
      • Energy & Climate Action
    • How we work

      • Political Framework
      • Regional Dialogue Platforms
      • Projects and Initiatives
  • Work with us
    • The UfM Secretariat is the operational platform of the Union for the Mediterranean. The staff of the UfM is made of more than 17 nationalities working in a multicultural environment that fosters cooperation and intercultural communication and exchange.

    • Work with us

      • Vacancies
      • Secondments
      • Internships
      • Procurement
      • Roster of experts
  • Info center
    • Info center

      Find our latest press releases, press invitations, visual identity, key institutional documents, photos and other relevant information


      Download the UfM Visual Identity Guidelines and Logos (zip file)   

    • Info center

      • Media corner
      • News
      • Agenda
      • Publications and key documents
      • Human Stories of the Mediterranean
    • UfM in the Media

      17 February 2023 – La Tribune Afrique – Nasser Kamel : « L’Europe doit regarder de près l’idée d’emmener ses centres d’approvisionnement en Afrique »
      View article
      28 March 2023 – Il sole 24 ore – Anna Dorangricchia (UfM) on women entrepreneurs in MENA region
      View article
      11 May 2023 – ANSAmed – ‘Più integrazione Ue-Sud la chiave per gestire le migrazioni’
      View article
      See more
  • Contact

The UfM joins the efforts for promoting the transition from informal to formal employment

Economic Development and Employment
  • Around 2 billion people around the globe work informally, most of them in emerging and developing countries, including a 68.8% in the Arab World.
  • The absolute majority of these workers do not enjoy social protection, rights at work or decent working conditions, which seriously hampers the sustainable and inclusive development efforts on the ground.
  • Most people end up in the informal economy not out of choice, but out of need in the absence of any other viable and decent alternative that would protect their rights in a properly-functioning labour market.
  • The UfM Secretariat joins the regional and global efforts aiming at accelerating the transition from informal economy to formal employment, adopting the principles of Decent Work and actively addressing the labour-related challenges in the UfM Region.

Barcelona, 18 March 2019. Acting upon the UfM Ministerial mandates and in line with the UfM Roadmap’s emphasis on ensuring the contribution of UfM activities to regional stability and human development efforts, the UfM Secretariat organized a Workshop on Informal Business Integration at its premises in Barcelona on 18 March 2019. The Workshop focused on two interrelated thematics, namely the Role of Social Dialogue and the Protection of Women, Young People and Vulnerable Groups in a context of informality.

The Workshop brought together multiple stakeholders from different sectors across the labour market and the employment landscape to exchange views and experiences, share best practices and lessons learned, and present recommendations on how to tackle the transition to formal economy using multidisciplinary and integrated approaches. Perspectives from international organizations, public administrations, NGOs, private sector representatives and social partners were presented throughout the Workshop.

The challenge of transition from informal economy to formal employment is one that affects both shores of the Mediterranean. In addition to presenting a hurdle to the Sustainable Development Goal of Decent Work (SDG 9), it clearly gets in the way of inclusive development. Around 2 billion people around the globe work informally, most of them in emerging and developing countries, including a 68.8% in the Arab World. The escalating migratory pressure witnessed by many countries in the UfM region over the past few years added to the urgency of this challenge, whereas the predominantly heterogeneous character of informal economic activities contributes to the difficulty of formulating a standard solution.

While there are best practices that can inspire integrated approaches to tackling the informality issue, the economic, political and socio-cultural specificities of each country call for a tailored remedy and for a reinforced multi-stakeholders dialogue.

“Social Dialogue in its different modalities plays a fundamental role in reducing the share of informal economy and addressing its many ills,” stated Rachid Maaninou, the UfM Deputy Secretary General for Business Development and Employment. “There is a need to involve the informal sector into structured social dialogue alongside other social partners to ensure equal footing representation and advocacy.”

Share this:

Latest news

Accelerating the Mediterranean’s transition to a green, circular and inclusive economy and to climate resilience
26 / 05 / 2023
Enhancing sustainable waste management in the tourism sector in the Mediterranean: UfM Member States approve support for the TOUMALI project
23 / 05 / 2023
See more

Agenda

Colloque Régionalisation des chaînes de valeur en Méditerranée
02 / 06 / 2023
Consultation webinar to support the establishment of the UfM Regional Platform on Disability
05 / 06 / 2023
See more

Who we are

  • Member States
  • Meet the team
  • Partners
  • History

What we do

  • Economic Development & Employment
  • Higher Education & Research
  • Social & Civil Affairs
  • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
  • Transport & Urban Development
  • Energy & Climate Action

How we work

  • Political Framework
  • Regional Dialogue Platforms
  • Projects and Initiatives

Work with us

  • Vacancies
  • Secondments
  • Internships
  • Procurement
  • Roster of experts

Info centre

  • Media corner
  • News
  • Agenda
  • Publications and key documents
  • Human Stories of the Mediterranean
  • Photo gallery
  • Video gallery
Co-financé par l'Union européenne  -  Cookie Privacy  |  Privacy Privacy  |  Legal notice
  • Who we are
    • Member States
    • Meet the team
    • Partners
    • History
  • What we do
    • Economic Development and Employment
    • Higher Education & Research
    • Social & Civil Affairs
    • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
    • Transport & Urban Development
    • Energy & Climate Action
  • How we work
    • Political Framework
    • Regional Dialogue Platforms
    • Projects and Initiatives
  • Work with us
    • Vacancies
    • Secondments
    • Internships
    • Procurement
    • Roster of experts
  • Info centre
    • Media center
    • News
    • Agenda
    • Publications and key documents
  • Contact
  • Social media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • Linkedin
    • Flickr
  • English
  • Français
  • العربية
  • English
  • Français
  • العربية
Union for the Mediterranean – UfM
/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in Megamenu – Latest Ufm in the news - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in Megamenu – Latest Ufm in the news - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Content template for Posts - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Content template for Posts - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in NewsRoom – Related News (Sidebar) - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in NewsRoom – Related News (Sidebar) - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */

 

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.


3rd Party Cookies

Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Cookies Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Read more

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!