The General Assembly, a key governance event for the WIEGO Network, happens every four years.
The common purpose of all WIEGO General Assemblies (GAs) is to share experiences and knowledge, set priorities and frame issues, and review WIEGO’s activities and future plans. GAs also serve to expand and strengthen the WIEGO Network.
In conjunction with each GA, WIEGO co-organizes a public event with local partners. Since it was founded in 1997, WIEGO has held these general assemblies:
2022
Mexico City, Mexico - 12-14 November 2022
WIEGO 8th General Assembly will be held in Mexico City, November 12-14. This event will have as its main theme "The Next 25 Years" and will provide an opportunity for WIEGO's institutional and individual members to review progress on our work, share knowledge and experiences and provide input on WIEGO's next 5-year strategic plan. WIEGO will also be co-hosting a public event with the Commission for Human Rights of Mexico City where workers in informal employment from Mexico City will present a platform of demands for post-pandemic economic recovery.
2018
Johannesburg, South Africa - 12-14 November 2018
WIEGO 7th General Assembly 2018, 12-14 November 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa celebrated WIEGO'S 20 years; the theme was "Celebrating 20 Years - Organizing for Change". The event gathered leaders, activists, researchers and policymakers in the informal economy to celebrate past achievements and chart the course ahead.
2014
Yogyakarta, Indonesia - 11-13 November 2014
WIEGO 6th global General Assembly, 11-13 November 2014 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia celebrated women’s leadership in the growing global movement of informal workers, and was sponsored by the FLOW (Funding Leadership Opportunities for Women) Fund and Swedish Sida. WIEGO Members heard reports on progress and outcomes over the previous four years and looked ahead at highlights of plans and priorities for the next period. Special events included a panel discussion on women's economic empowerment and a public event focused on Formalizing in the Informal Economy: Informal Workers' Perspectives.
2010
Belo Horizonte, Brazil - April 2010
WIEGO 5th General Assembly, 2010 April in Belo Horizonte, Brazil brought together grassroots women leaders from membership-based organizations of informal workers, activists and union leaders, academics and researchers, and government officials. "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. Read the WIEGO 5th General Assembly Report.
2006
Durban, South Africa - April 2006
This assembly in Durban saw the launch of WIEGO's new governance structure, as mandated in the WIEGO Constitution that was ratified in October 2005. It was a landmark event for the WIEGO Network and marked the first General Assembly of WIEGO Members, both institutional and individual.
PUBLIC EVENT: 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.
2002
Ahmedabad, India - January 2002
PUBLIC EVENT: We participated in the first day of the annual general meeting of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA).
2000
Cambridge, USA - May 2000
Read the WIEGO 2nd Annual Meeting Report.
PUBLIC EVENT: 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.
1999
April, Ottawa, Canada
Read the WIEGO 1st General Meeting Report.
PUBLIC EVENT: We co-organized a policy dialogue on the informal economy with the International Centre for Development Research (IDRC).