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self-employed persons in OECD countries andtheir proportion is growing. For EU countries asa whole, the incidence of own-account work isgreater for men (11 percent) than for women (7percent). But, in some countries, a higher proportionof women than men are own-account workers.Age is a factor in own-account work: thoseaged 45 and above are more likely than youngerpersons to be working on their own account. 32Indigenous and Tribal PeoplesFinally, one specific group in society that hasoften suffered from abject poverty and profounddiscrimination consists of indigenous and tribalpeoples. It is estimated that there are 350 millionindigenous and tribal peoples (ITPs) representing5000 ethnic groups. While they representfive percent of the world’s population, they accountfor 15 percent of the world’s poor. Poverty,inequality, and various types of injustices haveplagued ethnic societies around the world. 33The ILO has defined indigenous and tribal peoplesas those who have (a) traditional lifestyles,(b) culture, economic conditions and way of lifethat is different from the other segments of thenational population (e.g., in their ways of makinga living, language and customs), and (c) theirown social organisation and traditional customsand laws. Indigenous peoples are, furthermore,distinguished from tribal peoples by the fact thatthey live in historical continuity in a certain area,or before others occupied or came to their area. 34The definition of ‘indigenous’ as provided by theUnited Nations shares features with that providedby ILO: it highlights the ‘historical continuity ofthese peoples with pre-colonial societies; theirstrong attachment to their traditional territories;their distinct social, economic and political institutionsas well as distinct languages and beliefs;their non-dominant position in national societiesand their wish to identify themselves as differentfrom the rest of society.’ 35At the root of the poverty and social exclusionfacing ITPs everywhere is discrimination. Whetherimplicitly or explicitly, ITPs have faced discriminationaimed at wiping out their cultural identityBox 3 ILO’s Convention on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples1989 (No. 169)ILO adopted the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention(No. 169) to include the fundamental concept thatthe ways of life of indigenous and tribal peoples shouldand will survive. It also stressed that these peoples andtheir traditional organisations must be closely involvedin the planning, design and implementation of developmentpolicies that affect them. It sets the minimuminternational standards while opening the ground forhigher standards in countries that can go further.Convention No. 169 adopts a general attitude of respectfor the cultures and ways of life of indigenous andtribal peoples, placing emphasis on their right to acontinued existence and to development according totheir own priorities.It is a comprehensive instrument covering a range ofissues pertaining to indigenous and tribal peoples,including land rights, recruitment and conditions ofemployment, access to natural resources, social securityand health, education and means of communication,vocational training, conditions of employment andcooperation and contacts across borders.Protection is still the main objective but it is based onrespect for indigenous and tribal people’s cultures, theirdistinct ways of life and their traditions and customs.It is also based on the belief that indigenous and tribalpeoples have the right to continue to exist with theirown identities and the right to determine their own wayand pace of development.145