From 11th to 15th March, 2024 the elected international council members of StreetNet met in Baku, Azerbaijan for the first official meeting of their new term, which officially began in May 2023 after the elections at the 7th International Congress. The International Council is composed of 15 elected members and the International Coordinator. The host organization from Azerbaijan – Xhimat-ish provided an excellent welcoming environment, accompanied us around the modern and vibrant capital city Baku, a capital of Azerbaijan and invited us for a traditional dinner.

Welcoming workers’ representatives from all over the world

On March 10th members of the Executive Committee met for their quarterly meeting and the following day the meeting of the International Council started. The opening session was attended by the Chairperson of Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation, Sattar Maohbaliev, that stressed the importance of decent working conditions for street vendors and the efforts made by trade unions in Azerbaijan to improve their conditions. Ilias Aliev, President of Xhimat-ish, echoed his remarks and welcomed the council members. “We need to claim our space,” said Lorraine Sibanda, President of StreetNet. “We have to acknowledge that violence against street vendors is a reality all around the world. We fight for protection, regulation and a sustainable path of transition to formality”. Media channels of Azerbaijan were also present.

A growing organization

The discussions of the International Council covered many topics: the work plans of 2024, the financial sustainability of the organization and new proposals for strengthening StreetNet and its global presence. Two new member auditors were elected: Maya Gurung (NEST, Nepal) and Kashiwa Lameck (AZIEA, Zambia). Member auditors are part of the executive committee and have the responsibility to oversee the correctness and transparency of the finances of the organization. A new Regional Focal Point for Asia was appointed: SEWA Self-Employed Workers Association), our affiliate from India.

StreetNet keeps growing and acquiring new affiliates all over the world: during this meeting, the council members approved six new organization to join our alliance: UTEP from Argentina, CIEAS from E-Swatini, UCOMTAE from Ecuador, WIENU from Uganda, YNTYMAQ from Kazakhstan and Trade Union of Entrepreneurs, Business and Service sector of Uzbekistan

We are very proud and excited to welcome these organizations in our families, which demonstrates the gradual growth of StreetNet and its geographical extension

Learning about media and communication

The International council concluded its work on March 13th and the following two days were devoted to a workshop on media and communication. The workshop was facilitated by the StreetNet media team, with the assistance of Graciela Mora, press officer of WIEGO and Sergiy Taran, expert in political identity and communication. The sessions of the workshop were focused on developing the capacity of the leaders to think strategically in terms of communication, to effectively speak to the media and to prepare for an interview. The second day of the workshop was devoted to practical exercises on how to design a collaborative campaign, how to write an effective press release and how to use the free design app Canva.

“This was the first time StreetNet devoted an entire workshop to media and communication for our leaders” said Margarida Teixeira, Communication and Media Manager of StreetNet, “and it was great to see everyone working together, exchanging ideas and useful tips based on their lived experiences and actively engaging in practical sessions with new tools. It has been a very successful learning experience for all”.