financial literacy

MSMEs in the Informal Sector: Formalization Ensure Sustainable Finance and Decent Jobs?

About 2 billion workers, or over 60 percent of the world’s adult labor force, operate in the informal sector –at least part-time, according to the ILO. The COVID-19 pandemic hit informal workers particularly hard, especially women. Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSME), both formal and informal, make up over 90% of all firms around the globe and offer employment to one-third of 1.2 billion people in the world who work in the informal sector. They generate services for other sectors like small and large industries, retail, tourism, transportation, construction, etc., and contribute to over 30% of GDP and more than 70% of all jobs created in developing countries. MSMEs were heavily impacted by the pandemic and continue to face existential challenges on various fronts including but not limited to business formalization.

MSMEs, both formal and informal, make up over 90% of all firms around the globe1 and contribute to more than half of the GDP in most countries irrespective of income2. As many countries struggle to cope with the growing debt burdens and limited fiscal space to finance the SDGs, the important role of MSMEs as catalytic forces for achieving the SDGs cannot be stressed enough. Despite formalization gathering pace, MSMEs and those in the informal sector also continue to struggle to access formal finance. Without the appropriate regulatory reforms, social protection measures, access to formal finance, and capacity building in tools such as financial literacy and numeracy tools to help manage finances effectively, inclusive growth and a decent work environment for those in the sector will remain a challenge. As part of the Development Cooperation Strategy 2020-25, the ILO is forging partnerships that advance policy objectives and coherence within the framework of Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs) that promote Financing Decent Work. In this panel, the speakers will share global and on-the-ground perspectives and explore steps countries are taking through regulatory reforms, access to finance, and capacity building to ensure sustainable finance and decent work for MSMEs in the informal sector.

Register here!

Speakers:

H.E. Mr. Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the UN (TBC)
Ms. Chantal Line Carpentier, Chief, UNCTAD New York Office of the Secretary-General
Ms. Adriana Marina, Founder of Hecho por Nosotros & animaná, Argentina
Mr. Amar G. Prabhu, Principal of Don Bosco Industrial Training Institute Kurla, Mumbai, India
Ms. Sandie Ejang Elobu, CEO, Western Silk Road, Ltd., Uganda
Ms. Nana Efua Brown-Orleans, Program Lead, Duapa Workspace, Ghana
Ms. Estella Kabagaya Eldradaa, Founder, Mama Children Village, Uganda

Organizers: NGO Committee on Financing for Development, Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund (DBA Women First International Fund), Salesian Missions Inc, Africa Development Interchange Network, Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sisters of Charity Federation

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Financing for Development is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org.

MSMEs in the Informal Sector: Formalization Ensure Sustainable Finance and Decent Jobs?

About 2 billion workers, or over 60 percent of the world’s adult labor force, operate in the informal sector –at least part-time, according to the ILO. The COVID-19 pandemic hit informal workers particularly hard, especially women. Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSME), both formal and informal, make up over 90% of all firms around the globe and offer employment to one-third of 1.2 billion people in the world who work in the informal sector. They generate services for other sectors like small and large industries, retail, tourism, transportation, construction, etc., and contribute to over 30% of GDP and more than 70% of all jobs created in developing countries. MSMEs were heavily impacted by the pandemic and continue to face existential challenges on various fronts including but not limited to business formalization.

MSMEs, both formal and informal, make up over 90% of all firms around the globe1 and contribute to more than half of the GDP in most countries irrespective of income2. As many countries struggle to cope with the growing debt burdens and limited fiscal space to finance the SDGs, the important role of MSMEs as catalytic forces for achieving the SDGs cannot be stressed enough. Despite formalization gathering pace, MSMEs and those in the informal sector also continue to struggle to access formal finance. Without the appropriate regulatory reforms, social protection measures, access to formal finance, and capacity building in tools such as financial literacy and numeracy tools to help manage finances effectively, inclusive growth and a decent work environment for those in the sector will remain a challenge. As part of the Development Cooperation Strategy 2020-25, the ILO is forging partnerships that advance policy objectives and coherence within the framework of Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs) that promote Financing Decent Work. In this panel, the speakers will share global and on-the-ground perspectives and explore steps countries are taking through regulatory reforms, access to finance, and capacity building to ensure sustainable finance and decent work for MSMEs in the informal sector.

Register here!

Speakers:

H.E. Mr. Arrmanatha Christiawan Nasir, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the UN (TBC)
Ms. Chantal Line Carpentier, Chief, UNCTAD New York Office of the Secretary-General
Ms. Adriana Marina, Founder of Hecho por Nosotros & animaná, Argentina
Mr. Amar G. Prabhu, Principal of Don Bosco Industrial Training Institute Kurla, Mumbai, India
Ms. Sandie Ejang Elobu, CEO, Western Silk Road, Ltd., Uganda
Ms. Nana Efua Brown-Orleans, Program Lead, Duapa Workspace, Ghana
Ms. Estella Kabagaya Eldradaa, Founder, Mama Children Village, Uganda

Organizers: NGO Committee on Financing for Development, Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund (DBA Women First International Fund), Salesian Missions Inc, Africa Development Interchange Network, Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Sisters of Charity Federation

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Financing for Development is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/NY, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women/Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org.

Coloniality of Knowledge in Hegemonic Psychology, II: Confronting Professional Discipline

SPSSI is proud to host a webinar series this semester entitled “Decolonial Perspectives on the Psychological Study of Social Issues,” which has been organized by the Readsura Decolonial Editorial Collective. All webinars in this series are free and open to everyone. Please join us for the fourth webinar in this series, on…

Coloniality of Knowledge in Hegemonic Psychology, II: Confronting Professional Discipline

Register here: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iBs_7cA5SEe5kvyhu4uzmQ

Convener/Discussant: Shahnaaz Suffla

Presenters:

Stephanie Grant, Stephanie D’Costa, & Kandyce Anderson Amie | Decolonizing school psychology research: A systematic literature review
Hugo Canham | Conundrums in teaching decolonial critical community psychology within the context of neo-liberal market pressures
Jesica Siham Fernández | “And now we resist”: Three testimonios on the importance of decoloniality within psychology

Read more about the webinar series here: spssi.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&PageID=2818

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Mental Health, please visit ngomentalhealth.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at tonkin@hartford.edu or fmhult@umbc.edu.

Coloniality of Knowledge in Hegemonic Psychology, II: Confronting Professional Discipline

SPSSI is proud to host a webinar series this semester entitled “Decolonial Perspectives on the Psychological Study of Social Issues,” which has been organized by the Readsura Decolonial Editorial Collective. All webinars in this series are free and open to everyone. Please join us for the fourth webinar in this series, on…

Coloniality of Knowledge in Hegemonic Psychology, II: Confronting Professional Discipline

Register here: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iBs_7cA5SEe5kvyhu4uzmQ

Convener/Discussant: Shahnaaz Suffla

Presenters:

Stephanie Grant, Stephanie D’Costa, & Kandyce Anderson Amie | Decolonizing school psychology research: A systematic literature review
Hugo Canham | Conundrums in teaching decolonial critical community psychology within the context of neo-liberal market pressures
Jesica Siham Fernández | “And now we resist”: Three testimonios on the importance of decoloniality within psychology

Read more about the webinar series here: spssi.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&PageID=2818

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Mental Health, please visit ngomentalhealth.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Language and Languages, please email the co-chairs at tonkin@hartford.edu or fmhult@umbc.edu.

Eliminating Extreme Poverty and Hunger Amongst Older Persons & People with Disabilities by Implementing a Supplementary Income Program: Evidence from Ethiopia

The NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity (COIGENS) proudly invites you to the first meeting in their new series on Social Trauma and Intergenerational Solutions! This inaugural meeting will focus on:

Eliminating Extreme Poverty and Hunger Amongst Older Persons and People with Disabilities by Implementing a Supplementary Income Program: Evidence from a Program in Lalibela, Ethiopia

To attend this exciting virtual event, please contact COIGENS Program Coordinator Kevin Brabazon at NGOcommittee.COIGENS@gmail.com to receive the Zoom access link, which will be sent out prior to the meeting.

About Nov. 11 Meeting:

This first meeting will focus on the traumas of extreme poverty and hunger and will offer a simple approach to eliminating both traumas. The social protection program that is often found in social security systems (in the USA it is referred to as Supplementary Security Income or SSI). This meeting will introduce you to a demonstration project in Lalibela, Ethiopia that is sponsored by COIGENS. The Mayor of Lalibela will introduce five recipients of the supplementary income part of the Lalibela Project and will interview them to show how their lives have changed since joining the program. This will be a live feed so attendees will be able to ask questions in the last 30 minutes of the program.

In the Lalibela Project, Supplementary Income is provided to eligible participants on a monthly basis. The income is set above the Extreme Poverty level and is intended to show the government and international observers that this “social trauma” could be eliminated on a national level by implementing a 1% income tax.

Program:

Keynote Speech: Dr. Kurt Johnson, Pioneer in the Knowledge Field of Science and Religion Interface, “The Three Generational Family Model at the Interface of Social and Economic Sciences and Religion”

Program Presentation: Abebe Fentaw Sisay, Director of the Lalibela Project, “Honor Your Father and Mother and Love Your Neighbor as Yourself as a Basis for Social Development”

Mayor Tesefa Habte, Mayor of Lablibela, will introduce and interview five of the elders who have been lifted out of extreme poverty by the supplementary income program in the Lalibela Project

Please note: You do not need to be a member of COIGENS to join the Zoom meeting though we are offering free membership extended from December to run through April of next year. Any time you wish to join, let us know and we will add you to the list of members. If you prefer to follow our meetings as a non-member, we welcome that too. We are interested in building a community of common interests in which we can share ideas and shape the way the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be realized. – Dr. Susanne Seperson, Acting Chair, COIGENS; United Nations Representative, Generations United

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing/NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing/Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing/Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/Vienna, please visit viennafamilycommittee.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org.

Eliminating Extreme Poverty and Hunger Amongst Older Persons & People with Disabilities by Implementing a Supplementary Income Program: Evidence from Ethiopia

The NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity (COIGENS) proudly invites you to the first meeting in their new series on Social Trauma and Intergenerational Solutions! This inaugural meeting will focus on:

Eliminating Extreme Poverty and Hunger Amongst Older Persons and People with Disabilities by Implementing a Supplementary Income Program: Evidence from a Program in Lalibela, Ethiopia

To attend this exciting virtual event, please contact COIGENS Program Coordinator Kevin Brabazon at NGOcommittee.COIGENS@gmail.com to receive the Zoom access link, which will be sent out prior to the meeting.

About Nov. 11 Meeting:

This first meeting will focus on the traumas of extreme poverty and hunger and will offer a simple approach to eliminating both traumas. The social protection program that is often found in social security systems (in the USA it is referred to as Supplementary Security Income or SSI). This meeting will introduce you to a demonstration project in Lalibela, Ethiopia that is sponsored by COIGENS. The Mayor of Lalibela will introduce five recipients of the supplementary income part of the Lalibela Project and will interview them to show how their lives have changed since joining the program. This will be a live feed so attendees will be able to ask questions in the last 30 minutes of the program.

In the Lalibela Project, Supplementary Income is provided to eligible participants on a monthly basis. The income is set above the Extreme Poverty level and is intended to show the government and international observers that this “social trauma” could be eliminated on a national level by implementing a 1% income tax.

Program:

Keynote Speech: Dr. Kurt Johnson, Pioneer in the Knowledge Field of Science and Religion Interface, “The Three Generational Family Model at the Interface of Social and Economic Sciences and Religion”

Program Presentation: Abebe Fentaw Sisay, Director of the Lalibela Project, “Honor Your Father and Mother and Love Your Neighbor as Yourself as a Basis for Social Development”

Mayor Tesefa Habte, Mayor of Lablibela, will introduce and interview five of the elders who have been lifted out of extreme poverty by the supplementary income program in the Lalibela Project

Please note: You do not need to be a member of COIGENS to join the Zoom meeting though we are offering free membership extended from December to run through April of next year. Any time you wish to join, let us know and we will add you to the list of members. If you prefer to follow our meetings as a non-member, we welcome that too. We are interested in building a community of common interests in which we can share ideas and shape the way the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be realized. – Dr. Susanne Seperson, Acting Chair, COIGENS; United Nations Representative, Generations United

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Intergenerational Solidarity is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing/NY, please visit ngocoa-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing/Vienna, please visit ngoageingvie.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Ageing/Geneva, please visit ageingcommitteegeneva.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/NY, please visit ngofamilyny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/Vienna, please visit viennafamilycommittee.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@yahoo.com or bknotts@uua.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org.

NGO Committee on Financing for Development regular monthly meeting

Join the NGO Committee on Financing for Development for their regular monthly meeting on November 4 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm EST at the Baha’i International Community Office at 866 UN Plaza, with Zoom access capabilities for those who are unable to attend in person. As the conference room can accommodate up to 25 participants, in-person attendance will be on a first come first served basis for those who have registered at this link by 4:00 pm October 31.

To attend virtually, kindly register to receive the Zoom access link here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctdu6urD4qGdG5uqTnKvZAqzQHuY_QnaQq

The agenda, minutes of the last meeting, and resource material are being uploaded to the meeting folder here.

Note to members:

Save the Date for upcoming FfD workshop! The Committee’s annual workshop on FfD, titled “Financing for Development Post COVID” will be held on November 9 from 8:30 am – 10:00 am via Zoom. This workshop is being organized by the Executive Committee. Interested participants are encouraged to register here.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Financing for Development is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org.

NGO Committee on Financing for Development regular monthly meeting

Join the NGO Committee on Financing for Development for their regular monthly meeting on November 4 from 1:00 – 3:00 pm EST at the Baha’i International Community Office at 866 UN Plaza, with Zoom access capabilities for those who are unable to attend in person. As the conference room can accommodate up to 25 participants, in-person attendance will be on a first come first served basis for those who have registered at this link by 4:00 pm October 31.

To attend virtually, kindly register to receive the Zoom access link here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctdu6urD4qGdG5uqTnKvZAqzQHuY_QnaQq

The agenda, minutes of the last meeting, and resource material are being uploaded to the meeting folder here.

Note to members:

Save the Date for upcoming FfD workshop! The Committee’s annual workshop on FfD, titled “Financing for Development Post COVID” will be held on November 9 from 8:30 am – 10:00 am via Zoom. This workshop is being organized by the Executive Committee. Interested participants are encouraged to register here.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on Financing for Development is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development/Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org.

Parents’ Role in Fostering the Financial Literacy of Their Children

The NGO Committee on the Family invites you to join their first fall event of the year, in which attendees will hear from Susan Beacham and a New York banker about educating parents on how to raise financially responsible children.

This event will be held virtually via Zoom. Register here!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on the Family/NY is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/Vienna, please visit viennafamilycommittee.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights/NY, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org.

Parents’ Role in Fostering the Financial Literacy of Their Children

The NGO Committee on the Family invites you to join their first fall event of the year, in which attendees will hear from Susan Beacham and a New York banker about educating parents on how to raise financially responsible children.

This event will be held virtually via Zoom. Register here!

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: The NGO Committee on the Family/NY is a Substantive Committee of the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations. Likewise, for more information on the NGO Committee on the Family/Vienna, please visit viennafamilycommittee.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Children’s Rights/NY, please visit childrightsny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org.

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