The International Labour Organization (ILO) ended its’ regional meeting encouraging the promotion of decent work to reduce informality and inequity in the Americas. The region’s main challenge is to advance towards sustainable development, growth and social inclusion.

“It is very important to send a message from the Americas to the world: no development deserves being called human without decent work” said ILO’s general director, Guy Ryder, during his closure speech.
“Democracy only becomes stronger with better jobs for everyone”, added ILO’s maximum authority.

The “Declaration of Lima”, which summarizes three days of debate among 490 ILO delegates, states that inequality must be battled through “integrated economic and social public policies, which promote social inclusion, decent work and productive employment, as well as proper contexts for sustainable companies”.

Recent data published by the ILO states that there are130 million informal workers in the region, representing almost 47% of the entire working population.

During the debates, ILO’s director claimed that “an important obstacle the region faces is the persistence of informality, which is linked to inequality, low productive levels (…)”.

Ryder also pointed out that “the region’s main challenge is to advance towards sustainable development with economic growth and social inclusion”.

The region’s pressing need is to articulate public-private policies in order to create more decent work, provide dynamism to the labour market, reduce informality and create a formal gateway for youth employment.