Advocating for Access to the COVID-19 Vaccine: Experiences from Informal Workers Around the World

Time: 9:00 am – 10:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time
Languages: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Hindi and Bahasa Indonesian.
 

Securing access to safe and effective vaccines is an issue of economic justice, because it is crucial for protecting workers’ health and livelihoods.

In March 2021, institutional members of WIEGO at global and regional levels discussed ideas for supporting informal workers’ right to access vaccination and highlighted challenges including global vaccine inequity, workers’ lack of opportunity for dialogue and participation with governments in the national roll-outs of vaccines, and the resistance and fear expressed by some networks’ affiliates regarding the vaccine and governmental handling of the pandemic.

Our webinar featured experiences from different informal economy workers organizations and how they have successfully advocated for access to vaccination. The event aimed to provide relevant, credible and accessible informational materials that could allow our networks and their affiliates to act at global and national levels to secure vaccine access.

Panelists included:

• Debora Contreras: delegate of the team of Health Promoters of the Movement of Excluded Workers (MTE) and Union of Workers of the Popular Economy (UTEP), Argentina.
• Aline Sousa da Silva: President of CENTCOOP, Representative of the Distrito Federal in the National Committee of the National Movement of Waste Pickers of Recyclable Materials (MNCR), Coordinator of the National Secretariat of Women and Youth of Unicatadores, Brazil.
• Carmen Brítez: Secretary of Acts and Organization of the Union of Auxiliary Personnel of Private Houses (UPACP), Argentina and Vice-president of the IDWF.
• Eva Mokoena: African Reclaimers Organisation (ARO), South Africa.
• Wisborn Malaya: Zimbabwe Chamber of Informal Economy Associations (ZCIEA), Zimbabwe.
• Reema Mishra: Member of SEWA Bharat and board member of SEWA Ruaab, India.

The webinar was organized by WIEGO in collaboration with: