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Global Alliance of Waste Pickers
“From Informality to Dignity: Advancing Social Protection and Justice for All Workers” Theresa Bul full speech at the Transition from the informal to formal economy panel. #ILC2025
Chairperson, distinguished delegates,
I am Teresa Bul, a Nigerian waste picker from Lagos State, speaking on behalf of WIEGO and the International Alliance of Waste Pickers.
The informal economy, where over 2 billion people earn a living, is not a barrier to social justice—it reflects policy failures to address poverty, exclusion, and lack of protection. Rather than forcing workers into rigid systems, policies must adapt to recognize and support us.
Recommendation 204 should be a road map to reduce risk, secure livelihoods, and ensure social protection and justice—not just productivity.
I urge the ILC to center formalization on:
- Job creation: with gender-sensitive policies that guarantee access to finance, workspace, and fair legal frameworks.
- Rights at work: ratify and implement Conventions 189 and 177, recognize informal workers in labor laws, and ensure a just transition for waste pickers.
- Social protection: make it accessible to all workers.
- Collective bargaining: remove barriers to our right to organize and negotiate.
Recognizing, protecting, and empowering informal economy workers is essential for a just world, as our work sustains the economy.
Theresa Bul
Association of Scraps and Waste Pickers of Lagos
IAWP Delegate at the #ILC2025
Global Position Paper on Formalization: Collective Action for Risk Reduction and Decent Work
This position paper was developed for the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) to contribute to the General Discussion on innovative strategies for addressing informality and advancing transitions toward formal employment that supports decent work.
Grounded in the ILO’s Decent Work framework, WIEGO, HomeNet International, the International Alliance of Waste Pickers, IDWF, StreetNet International, and UTEP advocate for a rights-based approach to formalization. This approach prioritizes risk reduction, access to social protection, and economic policies fostering enabling environments for cooperatives and social and solidarity economy enterprises. It also calls for legal frameworks that secure labour rights and collective bargaining for all workers, including those in informal employment.
MUST READ AND RECORD YOUR VOICE READING THIS! Nets and WIEGO Position Paper Formalization June 2025Download Global-Position-Paper-on-Formalization-June-2025-FrenchDownload DEBE LEER Y GRABAR SU VOZ LEYENDO ESTO Redes y WIEGO Documento de posición Formalización Junio 2025DownloadThe Fine Print I:
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