Informal Sector

Order of the National Green Tribunal regarding pollution of Godavari river, Telangana, 29/05/2025

Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of News Item titled "Telangana: Deepening pollution crisis in Godawari threatens lives livelihoods appearing in the Telangana Today dated 13.05.2025" dated 29/05/2025. The application was registered suo-motu on the basis of the news item titled Telangana: Deepening pollution crisis in Godawari …

Promoting circularity in the value chain of plastics in India

The study undertakes a quantitative analysis of the value chain of plastics in India to estimate the social benefits that can be generated from adopting a circular framework. The study also conducted an alternate scenario analysis, where the degree of circularity in 2030 is varied to emphasise the need for …

Order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court regarding plan for street vendors in Shimla, 05/07/2023

Order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court in the matter of Court on its motion Vs State of Himachal Pradesh & Others dated 05/07/2023. The matter related to street vendors in Shimla. Municipal Commissioner and the Municipal Committee, Shimla have not yet prepared a plan for street vending under Section …

The future of work in the context of population ageing in Asia and the Pacific

This paper deals with the diverse landscape of demographic and labour market trends in the region, and puts them in context with emerging trends and developments – repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition toward a green economy, the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the impact of and responses to climate …

Working with informality: constructive ways to transform food systems

Many people in low-income countries rely on informal food systems for food and livelihoods. But informality puts food systems outside — or partly outside — the governance of states and value chains. This working paper explores the challenges involved in reversing decades of underinvestment, and why focusing too closely on …

Negotiations by workers in the informal economy

Negotiations are a valuable and important tool for increasing the voice of workers in the informal economy. This paper provides empirical evidence from Africa, Asia and the Americas on negotiations and collective bargaining by workers in the informal economy. These practices demonstrate that negotiations involving workers in the informal economy, …

Leaving no one behind: how a global instrument to end plastic pollution can enable a just transition for the people informally collecting and recovering waste

This report provides an overview on the importance of the Informal Waste and Recovery Sector (IWRS) for ending plastic pollution. It outlines how the current negotiations towards a global instrument to end plastic pollution can leverage a just transition of the IWRS. It calls for the just transition of the …

Informal services in Asian cities: lessons for urban planning and management from the COVID-19 pandemic

People in the urban informal sector have suffered disproportionately during the COVID-19 pandemic and face a highly uncertain future. While supporting the livelihoods of most of the developing world’s urban poor, the informal sector also deprives them of basic services and social protection. Rendered vulnerable to socioeconomic threats, people in …

Caste, gender, labor and COVID-19 in the urban informal economy: a review of experiences in three selected sectors

One of the key questions posed in the research within the Rebuild project is to understand how COVID-19 exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities for women in the urban informal economy. The backdrop of the pandemic has exposed many layers of social disenfranchisement and vulnerabilities. Situate vulnerabilities fundamentally within the context of historical …

Economic Development in Africa Report 2021: reaping the potential benefits of the African continental free trade area for inclusive growth

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could reduce COVID-19-induced growth contraction, poverty and inequality trends and spur sustainable and inclusive growth on the continent if stronger support measures targeting women, young traders and small businesses are implemented, according to UNCTAD’s Economic Development in Africa Report 2021. The report shows …

Disability at a glance 2021: the shaping of disability-inclusive employment in Asia and the Pacific

By this publication, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) offers a regional review of the employment status of persons with disabilities. The intent is to galvanize stakeholders into action and to inspire effective and innovative solutions, taking into account latest developments in the …

Social protection for the informal economy: operational lessons for developing countries in Africa and beyond

The informal economy in Africa is large and diverse, and it is the main source of employment in the region. It is projected to grow and create more jobs. The informal economy is well established in the region, but it also faces a host of development challenges. It is characterized …

Seven transformations for more equitable and sustainable cities

Urbanization is happening differently today than in the past and occurring most rapidly in places with the fewest resources. Traditional approaches are not able to keep up, leaving billions of people with poor access to basic necessities, dragging down economies and damaging the environment. This synthesis report of the Towards …

Integration of Informal Sector in Solid Waste Management

The waste collection and material recycling activities in developing countries, including India, are majorly performed by the informal waste sector. Reportedly, 30–60 percent of all paper and cardboard, 50–80 percent of all plastic and nearly 100 percent of all glass bottles manufactured in India are recycled with the interventions of …

The Union Territory of Ladakh Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2021

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on July 8, 2021 has issued the Union Territory of Ladakh Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2021. The Provision under the Union Territory of Ladakh Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Rules, 2021 …

Toward sustainable e-waste management in Asia and the Pacific

The purpose of this policy brief is to analyze the current situation in e-waste management in Asia and the Pacific and suggest appropriate policy options in the context of a specific set of challenges faced by the region. This policy brief will provide information on the current situation of e-waste …

Effects of COVID-19 on regional and gender equality in Sub-Saharan Africa: evidence from Nigeria and Ethiopia

The labor structure in sub-Saharan Africa is characterized by a high share of informal employment in the rural agricultural sector. The impact of COVID-19 on female employment may not appear to be large as the share of such employment is particularly high among women. Nevertheless, widespread income reduction was observed …

The long shadow of informality: challenges and policies

A strikingly large percentage of workers and firms operate outside the line of sight of governments in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs)—a challenge that is likely to hold back the recovery in these economies unless governments adopt a comprehensive set of policies to address the drawbacks of the informal …

Amnesty International Report 2020/21: The State of the World’s Human Rights

The global pandemic has exposed the terrible legacy of deliberately divisive and destructive policies that have perpetuated inequality, discrimination and oppression and paved the way for the devastation wrought by COVID-19, Amnesty International said in its annual report. Amnesty International Report 2020/21: The State of the World’s Human Rights covers …

Workers at risk: panel data evidence on the COVID-19 labor market crisis in India

The COVID-19 pandemic is having unequal impacts. Research has highlighted that across race, gender, age, and income groups, the health and economic consequences of this crisis are far from uniform and other preexisting inequalities have been exacerbated. This paper focusses on the differential impact on the formal and informal segments …

Informality and social protection in African countries: a forward-looking assessment of contributory schemes

In recent years, African governments have made significant efforts to develop a range of contributory social protection schemes that cover workers in the informal economy. This report aims to provide an overview of these extension practices in the region through seven country case studies selected to illustrate the range of …

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