General discussion on innovative approaches to tackling informality and promoting transitions towards formality to promote decent work

HomeNet International will participate with a delegation of home-based worker leaders and representatives at the 113th Sessions of the International Labour Conference (ILC), scheduled to take place from June 2-13, 2025. During this two-week session, a general discussion will address innovative approaches to tackling informality and promoting transitions toward formality to advance decent work. Additionally, there will be a second discussion on protection against biological hazards in the workplace and a first discussion on decent work in the platform economy.

HomeNet International, along with delegations from our sister organizations—SEWA, the Global Alliance of Waste Pickers, the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF), StreetNet International, and WIEGO—aims to advocate for the rights of informal economy workers worldwide. We seek to ensure that decent work becomes a reality for everyone and to strongly promote the recognition of informal economy workers as workers.

HomeNet International Delegation at ILC

Almabubu Zharkynbaeva, is currently the Deputy Chairman of the Trade Union of Workers of Light Industry, Allied Industries and Services of the Kyrgyz Republic. The union represents over 8,000 members, including garment workers, textile workers, home workers, craftsmen, and others. She oversees labor protection issues within the industry. Almabubu holds a degree as an engineer-technologist in knitwear production and has higher technical education. She has over 45 years of work experience.

Jemima Nyakongo, is a home-based worker with extensive experience in mobilizing and organizing women in the community. Jemima's journey began as a basket weaver in Kenya, and she has since been a tireless advocate for home-based workers. Currently serving as the Organizing Secretary for the Rachuonyo Women Group and Chairperson of HomeNet Kenya, she was also elected Treasurer of HNI at our physical Congress in April 2023. As of May, 2025, the HNI Executive Committee has appointed Jemima the role of Interim Coordinator of HNI.

Gloria Solórzano is co-founder and Organizing Secretary of the Red Nacional de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras Autónomos (RENATTA) of Peru, which represents home-based workers, as well as other workers in the informal economy. She has also represented informal economy workers' organizations at the ILO International Labor Conferences in Geneva in 2014 and 2015, which focused on the transition from the informal to the formal economy.

Suntaree Saeng-ging started working with informal workers, including home-based workers, more than 30 years ago during the establishment of HomeNet Thailand, where she is currently a board member. She is also the executive director of HomeNet South East A and ex-officio member of HomeNet International’s Executive Committee.

Patricia Coñoman is a leader of the Coordinadora Nacional de Trabajadores en Domicilio (CONATRADO) of Chile and a member of the regional organization COTRADO ALAC. She was president of the CONTEXTIL union for 40 years (1975-2015) and was part of the board of the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT) from 1988 to 2017. In addition, she served as Councilwoman of the commune of El Bosque in Chile from 2021 to 2025.

Highlights

Global Position Paper on Formalization: Collective Action for Risk Reduction and Decent Work

The joint statement, signed by HomeNet International, the International Alliance of Waste Pickers (IAWP), the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF), StreetNet International, the Unión de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras de la Economía Popular (UTEP), and WIEGO, highlights the lived realities of the over 2 billion people engaged in informal employment globally and reinforces the urgent need to implement ILO Recommendation 204 to ensure inclusive, rights-based pathways to formalization for all workers, regardless of employment status. Read the full statement to understand our collective demands and vision for decent work.

ILO Resources
ILO Recommendation 204 – Concerning the Transition from the Informal to the Formal Economy, Adopted at ILC 104th Session, June 2015.

Report VI: Innovative approaches to addressing informality and promoting the transition to formality for decent work (ILC 113th Session, 2025)

Points for Discussion: General discussion on innovative approach to addressing informality and promoting the transition to formality for decent work (ILC 113th Session, 2025)