Global Projects

WIEGO has undertaken two global projects that combine the specific expertise of its core programmes with the broad reach and knowledge of many partners. Both the global projects – Inclusive Cities and the Women’s Economic Empowerment project – involve close collaboration with our members and partners around the globe. Under the leadership of Global Projects Director Rhonda Douglas, WIEGO is playing a coordination and technical support role in both projects.

Inclusive Cities Project

Launched in 2008, the Inclusive Cities project aims to strengthen membership-based organizations (MBOs) of the working poor in the areas of organizing, policy analysis and advocacy, in order to ensure that urban informal workers have the tools necessary to make themselves heard within urban planning processes. Inclusive Cities is a collaboration between MBOs of the working poor, international alliances of MBOs and those supporting the work of MBOs. The following partners are involved in the Inclusive Cities project:

• Asiye eTafuleni (South Africa)
• AVINA (Latin America)
• HomeNet South Asia
• HomeNet South-East Asia
• Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP, India)
• Latin America Network of Waste Pickers
• Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA, India)
• StreetNet International
• WIEGO

In its first two years, the Inclusive Cities project has undertaken significant activities. The following are some key examples of where WIEGO has played a coordinating role:

• Worker education materials have been created, and a Learning Hub at SEWA Academy builds on that organization’s long history and experience in organizing informal workers.
• In-depth research was conducted by Inclusive Cities partners into the global recession’s impact on urban informal workers in ten countries. The first round of research, done in 2009, resulted in a report that helped inform global discussions at the highest levels. Following completion of the second round of the study in 2010, the partners decided that this work should be ongoing. The Inclusive Cities partners will now conduct a study each year of the state of the urban informal workforce in 15 cities around the world. For more information, see The Global Economic Crisis and the Urban Informal Economy.
• WIEGO provided technical, communication and logistical support to waste picker delegations as they make their voices heard at the highest levels of international climate change negotiations. Read more. 
• An Informal Economy Budget Analysis tool was developed that will expand understanding of how government budgets address the interests of informal workers, and identify opportunities for informal workers or their representatives to participate in the budget process. First used in South Africa by Debbie Budlender, an expert on gender budget analysis, in consultation with Francie Lund and Marty Chen, this tool was recently tested in Brazil, Pakistan, Peru and Philippines.
• Inclusive Cities partners had a big impact at World Urban Forum 5 (WUF5) in Río de Janeiro in March 2010. Delegation members relayed strong messages through networking, meetings, a press conference and a book launch. Several were panellists in various dialogues; others made presentations at networking events.
• In collaboration with StreetNet International, WIEGO is supporting a policy approach to planning for “mega events” (such as the World Cup in 2010) that is inclusionary of the urban working poor.

In addition, one of WIEGO’s key responsibilities under the project has been to create and maintain a common website on behalf of project partners. The site launched in three languages in June 2009:

• English (www.inclusivecities.org)

• Portuguese (www.cidadesinclusivas.org)

• Spanish (www.ciudadesinclusivas.org)

The Women’s Economic Empowerment Project

Launched in 2009, and funded by the MDG3 Global Fund by the Government of the Netherlands, this project advocates for the needs of informal workers, especially women. The project seeks to strengthen membership-based organizations (MBOs) of the working poor, and to support women informal workers globally in articulating their needs and concerns to policymakers at all levels. The objectives are to achieve positive policy changes, to improve women’s livelihoods, and to share key success factors in order to secure further sustainable development. Women’s Economic Empowerment seeks to promote the voice, visibility and validity of working poor women across different countries, sectors and issues in the informal economy.

The project consists of six elements developed with WIEGO’s partner networks and organizations:

1. Voice for Domestic Workers
   In partnership with the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF), WIEGO’s Organization and Representation Programme is helping build an international movement of domestic workers, who are mainly women and among the least recognized and protected workers. An International Domestic Workers Network (IDWN) has been formed, and the focus of the work is a campaign for an international convention on domestic work, which is on the agenda for the International Labour Conference in 2011. The project is active in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

   Read more about the progress toward a Convention on decent work for domestic workers.

2. Fair Trade for Women Producers
   By involving women producers in all stages of its development, this project is analyzing, documenting, and disseminating good practice examples of fair trade for women producers. The project is active in India, Nepal, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Nicaragua and Mexico. Read more on this topic and find links to some case studies.
3. Organized Strength for Home-Based Workers
   A collaborative research and advocacy project between WIEGO and HomeNet Thailand, this project focuses on issues of concern to home-based workers such as social protection, legal status and labour rights. Objectives are to improve the livelihood, economic security and empowerment of women home-based workers in Thailand, including providing greater access to social protection and, especially, occupational health and safety.

Read more about home-based workers.

4. Market Support for Street Vendors
   WIEGO is partnering with Asiye eTafuleni (Zulu for “Bring it to the Table”), an NGO in Durban, South Africa, to establish a “learning hub” for inclusive urban planning policies and processes that address the needs and concerns of working poor women, with an emphasis on street vendors. Asiye eTafuleni also supported the street vendors in the Warwick Junction area of Durban during the lead-up to the 2010 Fifa World Cup as plans to demolish the market and build a large mall, displacing street vendors and destroying their livelihoods, were announced. The mall proposal was later dropped. Visit the Asiye eTafuleni website to learn more.
5. Occupational Health and Safety in the Informal Economy
   This innovative project is working to improve the available information on occupational health and safety (OHS) in relation to women informal workers, support women informal workers in their learning about OHS impacts and patterns in their work, and assist them in articulating their concerns to policy-makers to affect positive policy changes in the medium and long-term. Read more.
6. Global General Assembly of Working Poor Women
   In April 2010, leaders of membership-based organizations (MBOs) of the working poor met in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, at the Global General Assembly. The assembly is organized every four years by WIEGO. The MDG3 Global Fund provided support to bring women leaders to this conference, fostering their leadership development and ability to network within the broader movement. Read more.

Read more about the Women’s Economic Empowerment Project.