Since it was founded in 1997, WIEGO has held five general meetings, in:

• Ottawa, Canada (April 1999) - download WIEGO 1st General Meeting Report
• Cambridge, USA (May 2000) - download WIEGO 2nd Annual Meeting Report
• Ahmedabad, India (January 2002)
• Durban, South Africa (April 2006) 
• Belo Horizonte, Brazil (April 2010) - download WIEGO 5th General Assembly Report

The common purpose of all WIEGO general meetings has been to share experiences and knowledge, set priorities and frame issues, and review WIEGO’s past activities and future plans. Another purpose has been to expand and strengthen the WIEGO network. 

The general meeting in Durban, held in April 2006, had an additional special purpose: namely, to launch the new governance structure of WIEGO as mandated in the new WIEGO Constitution ratified in October 2005. As such, it was a landmark event for the WIEGO network and marked the first General Assembly of WIEGO Members, both Institutional and Individual. 

Public Events
In conjunction with each general meeting, WIEGO has co-organized a public event with local partners:

• Ottawa, April 1999
  We co-organized a policy dialogue on the informal economy with the International Centre for Development Research (IDRC).
• Cambridge, May 2000
  We organized a research conference on the informal economy with the Radcliffe Public Policy Center and a dialogue on organizing in the informal economy with the Urban Studies and Planning Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• Ahmedabad, January 2002
  We participated in the first day of the annual general meeting of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA).
• Durban, April 2006
  We co-organized an urban policy colloquium called "World Class Cities’ and the Urban Informal Economy: Inclusive Planning for the Working Poor" with StreetNet International and the School of Development Studies at the University of KwaZulu Natal.
• Belo Horizonte, April 2010
  "Inclusive Cities for the Working Poor,” co-sponsored by the Federal University of Minas Gerais, featured presentations on innovative approaches to inclusive planning from Brazil and several other countries. Also, the General Assembly closed with a photo exhibit and book launch featuring what has been done for the street vendors of Warwick Junction, Durban, South Africa – reaffirming what is possible when organizations of informal workers, committed and creative professionals, and city government work together.