From 10th to 13 th August 2024 members and leaders of StreetNet International (SNI) gathered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to reflect on their 20-year journey and chart a course for the next four years.

The 2024 Strategic Planning Meeting brought together street vendors leaders from around the world to assess their collective achievements, address ongoing challenges, and plan for a future rooted in unity and solidarity.

The meeting was attended by members of the StreetNet International Council, coordinators of the regional focal points of the 5 StreetNet regions, members of the Education committee and technical staff. The meeting was facilitated by an expert external facilitator, Sue Soal. Each region met previously for their Regional Meeting: the discussion held during such meetings helped feed the global strategic agenda.

The activities of the meeting

Day 1 set the stage with participants reflecting on StreetNet’s core values and its role in the global landscape, followed by critical work on the organization’s identity and constituency.

On Day 2, the vision statement was finalized, with insightful presentations on regional strategies and the introduction of strategic thinking as a methodology. IDEA, StreetNet’s Cambodian affiliate and host of the meeting, shared its approach to social protection extension, offering a practical perspective.

Day 3 was dedicated to developing a strategic framework and mission statement, with the day ending in solidarity over dinner on a boat over the striking scenery of the Mekong river.

Finally, on Day 4, participants set concrete goals and evaluated the entire process, making suggestions to drive future efforts in this domain.

Reflecting on two decades of StreetNet International

From the outset, the tone was set for a meeting that would not only celebrate past achievements of the last 20 years, but also confront the harsh realities facing informal economy workers globally. SNI’s International Coordinator, Oksana Abboud, welcomed delegates by underscoring the significance of the gathering. This was not just a moment to celebrate, but a pivotal opportunity to reflect on how far the organization has come—and where it needs to go from now on. With governments worldwide implementing policies that often marginalize informal economy workers, the goal of StreetNet is to overcome the systematic barriers street vendors face by building collective power.

Solidarity as a political priority

Throughout the meeting, delegates from various regions shared a common sentiment: street vendors and informal economy workers continue to be systematically excluded from decision-making processes in their cities and countries and marginalized. Several key challenges surfaced in these discussions, including violence, evictions, lack of appropriate recognition policies for street and market vendors. The key priority areas for action that have been identified by all regions are the need to fight for the extension of social protection, working on social and solidarity economy, a just transition to formality, inclusion of informal economy in social dialogue, womens’ rights, youth mobilization and the right to use public space as a working place.

A significant part of the meeting was devoted to analyzing political challenges. In regions like the Americas and Europe, right-wing social policies are further weakening the informal economy, harming individual rights and threatening the stability of the global economy and the access to welfare state and social protection. This will inevitably lead to more struggles for the most vulnerable populations.

The depth of these challenges highlights the critical need for SNI’s work in advocating for the recognition of street vendors as part of the global workforce. Global worker power can help counter-balance reactionary policies around the world. Solidarity among workers has emerged as a cornerstone for success. In a world where governments and institutions are resistant to recognising informal economies and to drawing the path to a just formalization, the need for unity and collective action has never been more urgent.

The process of finalizing the Strategic Goals, specific objectives and outcomes with anticipated activities is still ongoing and expected to be ready by the end of 2024.