Economic Rights Protection

In discussing economic rights, members are encouraged to examine:

i) Property Rights

*Promote efficient governance of individual and collective property in order to integrate the extralegal economy into the formal economy and ensure it remains easily accessible to all citizens

*Ensure that all property recognized in each nation is legally enforceable by law and that all owners have access to the same rights and standards

*Create a functioning market for the exchange of assets that is accessible, transparent and accountable

*Broaden the availability of property rights, including tenure security, through social and other public policies, such as access to housing, low interest loans, and the distribution of state land

*Promote an inclusive property-rights system that will automatically recognize real and immoveable property bought by men as the co-property of their wives or common-law partners

ii) Business Rights

*Guarantee basic business rights; including the right to vend, to have a workspace, and to have access to necessary infrastructure and services (shelter, electricity, water and sanitation)

*Strengthen effective economic governance that makes it easy and affordable to set up and operate a business, to access markets, and to exit a business if necessary

*Expand the definition of "legal person" to include legal liability companies that allow owners to separate their business and personal assets, thus enabling prudent risk-taking

*Promote inclusive financial services that offer entrepreneurs in the developing world what many of their counterparts elsewhere take for granted-- savings, credit, insurance, pensions, and other tools for risk management

iii) Labour Rights

*Respect, promote and realize freedom of association so that the identity, voice and representation of the working poor can be strengthened in the social and political dialogue about reform and its design

*Improve the quality of labour regulation and the functioning of labour market institutions, thereby creating synergy between the protection and productivity of the poor

*Expand social protection for poor workers in the event of economic shocks and structural changes

*Promote measures that guarantee access to medical care, health insurance and pensions

*Ensure that legal empowerment drives gender equality, thus meeting the commitments under ILO standards that actively promote the elimination of discrimination and equality of opportunity for, and treatment of, women who have emerged as a major force in poverty reduction in poor communities