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Partnering with WIEGO

Our Partnerships

WIEGO is a global network that supports the movement of workers in informal employment, especially women and those living in poverty. Our mission is to improve their working conditions and to challenge the systems that cause poverty and inequality to build a more just world of work.

WIEGO forms partnerships to help us achieve our strategic priorities. These strategic priorities are defined through consultations with our membership: organizations and networks of workers in informal employment, statisticians, researchers and development professionals. 

We have a niche: WIEGO’s research is collaborative and action-oriented, which means it is informed by the needs of workers and their organizations. We help develop and improve statistics on informal employment by collaborating with official statistical agencies. We support, strengthen and connect worker organizations, enabling them to build collective voice and influence in the policymaking and rule-setting bodies that affect their work and lives.

We do not enter partnerships outside this niche.

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Our Activities

Workers in informal employment and their democratic organizations are at the centre of what we do and we take time to carefully plan activities in response to their needs. We develop partnerships and collaborations that further our existing priorities and that aim to create systemic change.

What We Do
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Our ImpactBuilding a Fairer World of Work

Our work is done with and for organizations of workers in informal employment, to inform their struggle for the right to work in safe, decent and healthy working conditions.

We develop research and statistics that increase the visibility of workers, and support workers to organize, amplify their collective voice and influence policy.

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Vendors in Ahmedabad, India

Our DonorsWIEGO receives support from a range of funders in our efforts to empower workers in informal employment around the globe. We are grateful to these organizations, foundations and governments for their generous financial support.

Learn More About Our Donors

Frequently Asked Questions

  • This website offers a knowledge base with thousands of resources on the informal economy and a search engine to help you find what you’re looking for. Please explore it. (Remember to cite our material.)

    We regret that we are unable to reply to the numerous requests we receive from students to assist with their research.

    If you are MEDIA, visit our Press Room.

  • WIEGO does not pursue funds for projects that fall outside of our strategic priorities. These priorities are informed by our members’ needs and our own specific niche.

  • We know that real systemic change on issues facing workers in informal employment will take commitment from everyone and appreciate the role forward-thinking corporations can play. However, based on previous experiences, our Board has taken a decision not to accept corporate funds for WIEGO work. We no longer enter partnership agreements for work done jointly with the private sector. Private sector entities interested in engaging with organizations of workers should reach out to them directly. We are also unable to provide advice for corporations seeking to develop their strategies, including consultancy firms on contract with corporations for this purpose.

  • WIEGO doesn’t currently have an internship programme, but we know that our Institutional Members can sometimes host interns if their costs are covered and encourage you to reach out to them directly.

  • WIEGO is not a gatekeeper to informal workers or their organizations. If you want to speak directly with the regional and global Networks of informal workers, or to any of the WIEGO Institutional Members, you can reach out to them via their own websites.

  • As a general rule, WIEGO does not undertake service delivery projects, such as (for example) the provision of water and sanitation, vaccine campaigns, “slum” upgrading, or projects requiring the building of infrastructure. It is possible that some grassroots groups among our Institutional Membership may be interested in these kinds of opportunities if it improves the livelihoods and/or working conditions for their members.

  • Our experience is that this type of funding arrangement is not well-suited to the work we do supporting membership-based organizations of informal workers. While we explore some of these opportunities from time to time, if they are a clear strategic fit, it is generally in partnership with the regional and global Networks of informal worker organizations in response to their expressed needs.

    We prefer to develop partnerships slowly over time to ensure our values and objectives are aligned and then proceed to joint fundraising as needed to fulfill those objectives.

  • We cannot get involved in funding proposals with very short time frames. These don’t leave enough time for proper consultation with our members.

  • From time to time, WIEGO team members accept speaking engagements at relevant events. However, our primary commitment is for informal workers to represent themselves in key global policy forums. Feel free to reach out to the regional and global Networks of informal workers directly if you are looking for informal worker leaders for speaking engagements.