SOLIFEM Project concludes with regional meeting on formalization, social dialogue, and employability

ALGIERS (ILO News) - The regional EU and ILO joint initiative “Social Dialogue for Formalization and Employability in the Southern Neighbourhood (SOLIFEM)”, officially concluded with a hybrid regional closing meeting held on 19–20 February 2025. The event brought together ILO constituents from Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), along with  regional stakeholders and development partners, to reflect on project achievements, exchange experiences, and discuss sustainability strategies for the future.

A major outcome of the meeting was the adoption of the "Regional Guidelines for Sustainable Formalization: Outcome Document of the Regional Closing Meeting of SOLIFEM project”. The document provides a roadmap for sustaining progress in employability, formalization and social dialogue across Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The document will also serve as a key reference for the upcoming Union for the Mediterranean Ministerial Meeting on Employment in October 2025.

Participants identified actionable steps to institutionalize the project's results. Governments were encouraged to integrate formalization into national policy frameworks, strengthen social dialogue mechanisms, and promote employability tools—such as Recognition of Prior Learning—to support youth and women in transitioning to the formal economy.

Employers' and workers' organizations also committed to sustaining momentum. Employers' groups are expanding advisory services, developing sector-specific formalization roadmaps, and offering targeted training and compliance support. Trade unions are enhancing outreach to informal economy workers, advocating for their representation, and embedding formalization in broader worker assistance programmes.

The SOLIFEM “Regional Guidelines” emphasized the persistent need to sustaining regional dialogue and peer learning among the countries, proposing the creation of an Arab Social Dialogue Forum as a sustainable mechanism for dialogue, coordination, and joint policy development.

In addition, the Outcome document called for dedicated funding support from development partners to ensure that formalization becomes a long-term policy priority—moving beyond a project-based approach to foster decent work, economic inclusion, and social stability across the region.

Since its launch, SOLIFEM has supported the transition from the informal to the formal economy, strengthened tripartite social dialogue, and enhanced employability, particularly for youth and women. The closing event provided an opportunity to assess the project’s impact, share lessons from its independent final evaluation, and explore options for scaling up effective approaches.

With the adoption of the Regional Guidelines for Sustainable Formalization, the meeting marked a key milestone in advancing formalization and promoting social dialogue in the Southern Neighbourhood.

For more on the role of employer organizations in advancing formalization, see the spotlight feature here.