About GFI

Informality

Informality

• Partner with local organizations to understand the challenges informal workers face
• Educate local and national governments about how informality affects workers and the economy
• Create decent working conditions
• Engage various stakeholders to build consensus around critical issues of informality

Over the past several years GFI has increasingly focused on the challenges facing informal workers. Within these projects GFI, in partnership with local organizations, conducts surveys of workers to better understand their background and the challenges they face. This information is used to help educate local and national governments about how informality affects workers and the economy. Informal workers often represent a large part of a country’s economy and are rarely understood or considered during the policy and decision making process. Through raising awareness on how to create decent working conditions and engaging various stakeholders, including the government, private sector, and nonprofits, GFI’s projects build consensus around critical issues of informality and push for policy and regulatory changes.

Example:

In Tunisia, GFI’s local team collected information from informal workers on their backgrounds, needs, and obstacles, and used that information to engage key stakeholders to build consensus around solutions for integrating informal workers into the formal economy. Through this process, GFI’s project has changed the national dialogue around informality and has put informality on the national policy agenda.

Our programs that focus on market-access and prosperity include:

Tunisia Inclusive Labor Initiative

Promoting Informal Labor Rights

Verapaz Community Empowerment Program

Verapaz Action for Sustainable Agro-Industry