Party Political Policy
This international congress, NOTING
1. That street vendors, market vendors and hawkers probably now represent a third of the urban informal workforce around the world;
2. That vendors seek the right to vend without harassment and to have regular selling spaces in places that customers frequent, storage and child care facilities, and basic infrastructure such as water, shelter and toilets;
3. That it is common for political parties to promise to provide for the needs of vendors in order to secure their votes, but that such promises are not always kept;
4. That some street and market vendors’ organizations are controlled by political parties and do not enjoy the independence or capacity to determine their own policies and practices;
5. That vendors’ organizations which are affiliated to political parties are particularly vulnerable when their political parties fail to win in elections.
Hereby RESOLVES
1. That StreetNet International will retain a position of neutrality in relation to all political parties in all the countries where StreetNet has member organizations;
2. That StreetNet member organizations will have the right to each decide on their own policies regarding their relationship to political parties, but those who have chosen party-political affiliation will not impose their choice on StreetNet or other member organizations, including member organizations from the same country;
3. That StreetNet will support policies which are favourable to street and market vendors and hawkers only on the basis of the issues;
4. That StreetNet will equally pressurize and lobby all political parties and governments in all countries to support the policies on the regulation and development of services and facilities for street and market vendors and hawkers which StreetNet is promoting.
PROPOSED: AZIEA, Zambia
SECONDED: KATINIG, Phillipines
