WORLD CLASS CITIES FOR ALL

Hosted by StreetNet International, the National Alliance of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), and the Delhi University Dept. of Social Work, from 14-16^th April 2008

Cities are vibrant living systems, not the products of grand, utopian schemes, concocted by overzealous planners.

– Jane Jacobs

Ms Shikha Joshi, NASVI, presented the welcome note and emphasized that various developments at the global level in the name of the beautification of the city with rise of the private companies in the retail business due to globalization have severely affected the lives and livelihood of the street vendors and hawkers worldwide. In India, although there exists urban street vendor and hawkers policy in some states but it is hardly implemented. She also reiterated the demand for the formation of the National Policy on street vendors and hawkers which calls for proper strategy building. She said that we are not opposed to the growth but the growth should be inclusive and people oriented.

The National Conference was formally inaugurated by Prof. Arjun Sengupta, Chairman, National Commission on Enterprise in Unorganized/Informal, Government of India (NCEUIS) by lighting the lamp. Ms. Nozipho (StreetNet International) introduced each of the foreign delegates. Mr. Arbind Singh (NASVI) briefly introduced the delegates from NASVI who have travelled from different parts of the the country.

Prof. S. K. Tandon, pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi, welcomed all the delegates. He said that everybody in the city needs street vendors and they are the most friendly persons in a forbidding city who never ask anything in return. Giving example of the Metro project in the Delhi University area, he mentioned that how the entire space next to the metro station was completely transformed into a concrete maze whereby the trees were replaced by vehicles. Slowly, in due course of time the vendors came and made that dead space lively again. The lives of these vendors are tough, challenging and full of complexities. There is enormous scope for the academic community to get engaged with the street vendors. They have lots of talents. We need to understand them, their life processes and their goods. He emphasized the need of conducting a detailed survey using the GIS and other latest technologies and in this regard he committed to extend any kind of support from the university.

Prof. Sanjai Bhatt, Head of the Department of Social Work, University of Delhi, said that we all are here because we all are committed to the basic values of social justice and human rights. The general notion regarding street vendors is that of a nuisance, a disease. Elaborating the issues at stakes, he argued on the four points:

3. FAMILY: where is the family of these workers – in the village or in the city itself

4. SOCIAL SECURITY: what are the provisions for the health and other social security measures

In this regard, there is a need to do advocacy at all levels from international conferences to local level rallies. This is much more important in the context of the approaching Commonwealth Games (2010) in Delhi. There does exist a National Policy on Street Vendors but it has been never implemented. The three major players in today’s world are the corporate, civil society and the government. Corporates have co-opted the term ‘vendor’ from the street vendors which now figure prominently in their communication. The apathy of the government to the informal sector can be gauged from the fact that although an Act on the construction workers is in place and the money is also lying in the coffers, but unfortunately there is no mechanism/scheme for its implementation. We need to know how willing is the government in developing and implementing the policies on the street vendors and hawkers.

Dr. Arjun Sengupta, Chairman, National Commission on Enterprise in Unorganized/Informal, Government of India (NCEUIS), brought out the dichotomy that exists in all societies, between two groups – the rich, who enjoy a life of luxury, and the poor, who manage a life under difficult conditions. He emphasized on the fact that this is a phenomena not limited to developing countries but also hounds developed countries like US, Holland, UK, and so on. The only difference between the developing and the developed nations is the size of the impoverished population. India in the last decade has seen a high GDP growth and exponential advances in technology, while at the same time around three quarters of the population are deprived of food and basic amenities for survival. Street vendors represent the dilemma inherent in the notion of equitable growth. The agenda of the present government is economic growth to be oriented towards the common man. The National Commission on Enterprise in Unorganized/Informal, Government of India (NCEUIS) is an outcome of this commitment. The review conducted by the commission highlighted the fact that street vendors play an important economic role and should be provided with sufficient leverage to practice their profession. It was also suggested that they should be involved in the sub-processes of urban planning and they should have access to formal credit. He emphasized the need to attack the whole process of development. The minority rich perceive the problem of street vendors as the problem of law and order which needs a rehauling. What is required is an organized effort on the part of the community to organize themselves and demand for their rights. the community of the unorganized sector should be defined inclusive of construction workers, fisher folks, bidi workers, small and marginal farmers and so forth. He concluded by highlighting the need to fight together to change the world order.

Smt. Renana Jhabwala, President, SEWA Bharat, opened the speech with appreciating the renowned personality Ela Bhatt whose pioneering work it was of initiating the street vendor movement 30 years ago. She conceived the idea of StreetNet in 1995 which materialized in 2000. She talked about the increase in development that is ignoring the needs of street vendors. The term “world class cities” has come from the globalised class. The city is not made up of concrete and buildings but of the people. To address the issues she highlighted firstly the ‘mindset’ of the people to develop the idea of the world class city. She laid emphasis on infrastructure the problem of the mobility of cars against the needs of people called for urban poor needs to be assimilated, such as provision of sanitation and building of vendor markets. Bringing up the issue of retail malls she said that there are two approaches to deal with the issue – one to oppose and the other to compete. Another important consideration was that it is the street vendors who represent the cultural uniqueness of the country, which attracts the tourists, rather than the homogenizing malls. Lastly, since women are being driven out of the unorganized sector due to the increase in violence, it is imperative to have women’s market.

Mr. Krishna Prasad Shah, Vice President, NASVI, opened his speech with the token of appreciation to NASVI. He, being a part of it since 2002, brought forth the importance of the life of the vendors in small towns and their own struggles with basic facilities. He focuses on vendors committee which aimed to look at ‘vending zones’. NASVI has been one of the longest networks for vendors in India and also advocates policy making and development.

Mr. Kim Heung-Hyun, President StreetNet International, Durban, shared the common concern that the cities must not be seen just as infrastructure of iron and steel but as the people. He said that we are gathered here to discuss city policies undergoing change in the name of the growth and development. The construction of roads and bridges are beneficial only for rich and ignores the poor. The policy development should keep in mind all the people inclusive of the poor, who have been merely a staircase to social development. We must make efforts to give benefits to people below the poverty line.

Prof. Tandon while answering to a question said that there are two hundred thousand street vendors in Delhi and if we were to send them on a holiday we would lack the basic facilities of living.

Prof. Sanjai Bhatt was asked to clarify what he had said on ‘social justice’ and ‘human rights. He explained the role of the Department of social work profession and the role played by the social work trainees as well as the professionals in understanding and fighting for the cause of social justice. He was sad that ministers who have been invited for the conference were unable to come due to their other commitment. He also added that in case the social workers raise issues of social justice in government meetings their name is dropped from the subsequent meetings. Finally he said that the government is deaf and blind to the needs of the street vendors.

Day 1: Session 3: Presentation on Shared Experiences on Policies and Planning

In the previous session, the participants had been divided into two groups, where they had shared their individual country specific experiences of the issues and concerns of street vendors vis-à-vis policy and planning. Further to that, a brief presentation was made on behalf of each group summing up their individual expressions. A common list of issues, comments, clarifications and suggestions that have evolved thereof are given below:

Following this, a committee was constituted from among the participants to represent a united global concern for the rights of street vendors.

Day 2: Session 1: Participation in Planning – Experiences of Street Vendors’ Organizations

Mr. Orlando Mercado, CTCP, Nicaragua, is a street vendor in Nicaragua. He indicated that there was a major tussle between the police and street vendor community in 2002. 364 vendors were jailed and it took a 2 month period of long drawn negotiations before their freedom was restored.

The main concerns of the street vending community of Nicaragua were the absence of adequate health facilities, education and social justice. This led to demand for street vendors’ rights from the establishment. Street vendors ask for the right to participate in the Municipal and other Government body elections. Their experience has been bitter since at the time of Presidential and Municipal elections remember them at the time of elections and forget their promises as soon as the election period has passed over.

Last year however, their demands for social security and health facilities to the Presidential Candidate were heard and after having won the elections the President appears to have accepted their suggestions and has started strategizing to implement the same.

All the same this struggle must go on. How is it even thinkable that the Street Vendors that comprise such a huge proportion of the population cannot have a voice in the developmental policies of the State? It is the street vending community that creates about 50% of the Gross Domestic Product and pay 80% of the taxes as against the 20% contribution made by the organized sector.

This November, there are State elections to be held and the community of street vendors has taken a stand that they will not participate in the elections unless the government evolves social security solutions for them. At the moment Nicaragua has 32 986 street vendors and 32 organizations representing them. The community is largely represented by organization and there is one organization completely managed and represented by women street vendors.

The concerns of the street vendors have finally begun to be recognized by the Nicaraguan government. The organizations of street vendors have also started corresponding with the governments of the United States of America, El Salvador, Guatemala and Costa Rica to give their struggle a global face. This has also meant inviting candidates from Mexico and Brazil to recognize the legitimacy of their concerns and acknowledge their demand for social security and human rights. There is also an organization in Nicaragua which has an international participation in the struggle for rights of the street vendors and informal economy workers.

Mrs. Martha Santayo, FNOTNA, Mexico, shared her experiences of street vending and atrocities she faced since her childhood years. Her parents were also street vendors and they were traumatized by the police atrocities and had to fight for their rights. The condition of the street vendors in Mexico is very dismal and hence she decided to fight for the cause. It is not only the government which is responsible for the present condition; we should also share the responsibility for our plight. The government has recognized us because they were interested in our votes. The process of attaining our rights was not so easy. For that we had to go to the tribunals and had to undergo ill-treatment by the government officials and authorities. She asserted that the street vendor should be treated the same as other citizens of the country. It is true that the vendors pay fewer amounts in taxes in comparison to those in the organized sector but the government has accepted that this is what we can pay. We are ready to pay taxes to the government but in return we want fixed places for street vendors in the city as well as the social justice and social security for them. In order to get due respect in the society we have to be very strong. She founded an organization in order to press for the demands of the street vendors and to organize them. She reiterated that it is important to use the political avenues and hence representatives of vendors in Mexico have acquired dignified posts in the government. She, finally, said that we must be united to fight for the cause of the street vendors.

Ms. Angelique Kipulu Katani, LDFC, Congo, began by giving a brief information about the social political and economic situation in the country. Congo is a big country, rich in minerals and agriculture but with majority of people living in poverty. In the 1990s Congo faced a severe economic depression which led to the loss of employment and livelihoods for many. Now approximately 85 per cent of the people are in the informal sector. And even the rest 15 per cent are indirectly dependent on the unorganized sector to supplement their income. Initially she was working for a Union whose main objective was to organize the workers in the organized sector. But gradually with the fall of the economy they realized that it is the unorganized sector which needs more attention. The poor economic conditions led to an increase in the number of women taking up activities to support the family which were initially done by men. These women brought textile from the neighboring country and set up their own business in Congo. They had to cross a river in order to fetch the material. The growing number of women opting for this business led to a lot of chaos at the border which prompted the government to ban the activity. This led to inhumane treatment of women, confiscation of their property and some were even jailed. It is at this juncture that the women approached the Union for help. But since the existing framework of the Union did not provide for working with the informal sector workers, the policies and by-laws were modified to accommodate the informal sector. In her personal acquaintance with the Mayor of Congo, Ms. Katani approached him to improve the condition of these women and open up the trade barriers. The Mayor on his part very categorically asked her whether she is personally willing to take the responsibility to ascertain that rebels from across the border do not disrupt their country. Replying to this Ms. Katani said that she is not dipping into politics and her sole motive is to help the women who are the bread earners of their families. At her behest the women were given a place to conduct their business from the outskirts of the city because she felt that the already existing market was not the right place to rehabilitate them because of overcrowding. While working with these women the Union has also come to realize that the workers in the informal economy face various problems like lack of social security measures, lack of housing facilities and so on. Added to this is the burden of various forms of taxes that the vendors have to pay. In order to sensitize the civic authorities about the problems faced by vendors a meeting was conducted in January 2008. Ms. Katani ended by saying that an international platform is required to address issues of the vendors and the current workshop is a good effort towards achieving this objective.

Mr. Lameck Kashiwa, AZIEA, Zambia opened the forum by saying that he would be short and brief. He firstly drew from his experiences with the government. In the Earlier years the small markets which were there to make food available. With the changing paradigm the state did get involved in the issues of the unorganized sector but yet the citizens did not have a strong monitoring and evaluation on the government. There was further growth of the formal sector due to the structural adjustment policies. He raised the issue of the memorandum of understanding between the European Union and the Zambia Government. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was that the government should straight consult the stakeholders i.e. the ‘marketeers’ to set up this new market being devloped for them. The MOU was reviewed by his organisation; the argument from the European Union was that the Government was to consult the stakeholders. Then the market organizations intervened as well to refer to the kind of markets they needed. They signified the following priorities: storage, security, electricity, water, Garbage collection and management, formal forum for disputes, funds for health and growth, emphasized open markets, education for ‘marketeers’ needs and so on. He concluded by highlighting the consequence of the struggle with the government. The government must ensure ‘Who we are’ and ‘What we need’ in the unorganized sector. Though the current law of Zambia doesn’t provide a forum to discuss problems with the sector but this remains a continuous struggle. The President of Zambia, in a discussion has noted the crucial inputs we have made for inclusive betterment and growth.

Mr. Fall: Street Vendor Project, New York, introduced his organization as one that was envisioned and raised by a street vendor who had eventually embraced the profession of law. He outlined that the street vending community in New York had their own set of issues to deal with, for which it was important to identify concerns and strategize to create structures that would be used to negotiate with the authorities.

The socio-demographic profile of the street vending community in New York is different from those in other nations, particularly Asian, African and Latin American regions. Many of the vendors are foreign emigrants. Also it may be interesting to observe that 50% of the street vendors have had exposure to military training and have a good understanding of the legal structures of America. They are therefore very familiar with laws that are connected to or those that may come into conflict with street vending.

The main goal of street vendors here is not only about solving their immediate problems but to create structures that will enable them to grow as big as the business corporations in America. In fact it is worth noting that behind the success of many of the large successful corporations in America was the effort of someone who began as a street vendor. Therefore the aim of the street vending organizations in America is provide the appropriate education and training to the street vending community such that they grow to be mainstreamed into the economy.

Unlike third world countries, street vendors in New York do not suffer to same extent from paucity of health benefits or social security rights. Their main struggle is therefore centered on transforming the image and position of the American street vendor in mainstream America.

Mr. Kim Heung Hym, KOSC, Korea at the outset grabbed the attention of the audience by narrating the incidences which resulted in the formation of KOSC in Seoul thus proving the point that history repeats itself. He said that the attitude of the Government has been to reduce the number of vendors to one tenth of their strength, even if it meant hiring of anti-social elements to do this. The consistent effort of the authorities has been to prohibit vendors from establishing themselves. He added that KOSC has a history of twenty years but the organization has been through a very critical period. The vendors, at their end, have been making consistent efforts to make alternative proposals to counter the big market and businesses of multinational companies.

Offering advice to all participants present, Mr. Kim said that the exchange has established the fact that all of us are facing similar problems and that is why StreetNet was established – to fight together for the same cause. He called upon the group to make a system whereby all can confront the system in their own country by proper planning. ‘Let us communicate our experiences to StreetNet which will in turn transfer all of the experiences to all concerned through e-mail and the website’.

Mr Arbind Singh, NASVI, undertook a brief recap of previous speakers while elaborating that the issue raised the previous day needs to be clarified. He stated that the National Policy of Government of India was adopted in 2004. But the Commission suggested a revision as some aspects of the Policy ran into problems. Now the revised policy has been recommended by the Commission. The Government of India is also thinking of a law for Street Vendors. In fact, even before the Law is enacted by Parliament some states, like Bhubaneswar and Pune, have introduced state level policy. The umbrella National Policy is also not a good alternative because in some places like Pune, the policies fail the interests of the poor. However the same policy with participation by street vendors is exhibiting productive results in Bhubaneshwar.

Mr. Ashok Kumar Pattanaik, Deputy Commissioner, Bhubaneshwar Municipal Corporation (BMC)

Mr. Ashok Kumar Pattanaik started with the declaration that Bhubaneshwar is regarded as a “Paradise for Street Vendors” by them. Giving an introduction of Bhubaneshwar, he said that the place is a confluence of tradition and modernity and has a rich cultural history manifested in its ancient architectures. He informed the audience about Article 19 (I) g in the Constitution of India which provides for running of trade and businesses from pavements. Speaking of the situation of street vendors in Bhubaneshwar, he said that they are partners in the Bhubaneshwar Municipal Corporation (BMC). He shared the findings of a survey conducted by AORVA in Bhubaneshwar which found that there are around 17 000 street vendors in the city. But he assumes the number to be larger than that. Mr. Pattanaik, believes that the problems of street vendors should not be tackled in isolation.

He enumerated the different schemes and programmes initiated by BMC for street vendors: strucutures for lodging grievances, introducing Citizens’ Report Card and Citizen’s Charter, timely evaluation, data base of street vendors, programme of micro-enterprise, linking beneficiaries with banks, forming SHGs, provision of social security and many more. He said that BMC has made arrangements for declaration of ‘Vending Zones’ in consultation with the vendors. He concluded his presentation by thanking Ms. Aparajita Sarangi, Municipal Commissioner, BMC who is the architect behind designing ‘Vending Zones’.

Mr. Narayan began by introducing his decade old association with NASVI. He went on to introduce his company, Lease Plan which manages vehicle financing and leasing in 29 countries and over 150 cities. He then stressed in the importance of corporate social responsibility and described it as the continuing commitment of businesses to behave ethically and contribute to economic development by improving the status of the bulk of unorganized workers. In this endeavor equally important are the roles played by the government, voluntary organizations and civil society organizations in collaboration with the corporate sector. Therefore corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a collective effort and responsibility.

He described the achievements of Lease Plan in CSR especially with two projects- Poverty Alleviation in partnership with Village Reconstruction Organization and Child Plan (Project Prakash). The former project was based on Gandhian principles and concept of Sarvodaya where attempts were made to make every village independent and self sustaining (An illustration of Palasnagar village in Wardha district of Maharashtra was given). The latter project was mainly to do with providing resources for the education of children of working poor and was depicted through screening of a short film. He also highlighted that in view of taking responsibility for the environment and especially in the context of environmental damage caused by vehicular pollution, Lease Plan was to subject itself to an Energy audit.

Mr. Narayan highlighted the problems related to Urbanization process and outlined the steps required to alleviate the concerns. The major problems centering around urbanization are those of migration, monopolization by malls and corporate businesses and loss of livelihood opportunities of the street vendors. The strategies focused on zoning and land use plans, demarcation of vending zones, Integration of urban drainage, solid waste management and sewage disposal, organizing better, cheap and environmental friendly transportation and last but not the least infrastructural support for street vendors such as low cost housing through cooperation between the government, non-governmental organizations and the corporate sector.

In this session, the participants had been divided into two groups, where participants had shared their individual country specific experiences on changing the mindset of planners, judiciary, executive and legislative organs of the government.

Group 1: Mr. Bhushan outlined the major issues which were brought forth in the group discussion.

Group 2: Mr. Krishan Prasad, NASVI and Elvis Chishala (AZIEA) as team leaders, highlighted the concerns of the group 2:

The session was conducted by Ms. Helen Creed from Department of Consumer and Employment Protection, Government of Western Australia.

Mr. Menon gave a brief introduction about the activities ILO which includes promotion of the labor rights, employment guarantee, and social security and so on. He cited various advocacy efforts that have been made in India in the past few years like the SNDT survey in 2001, World Social Forum (2003), visit by Director General of ILO (2003), the formulation of National Policy on Urban Street Vendors (2004) and so on. He said that women’s role is important and the research in development in the area is in the process.

Mr. Kanth described that it was a unique privilege to be invited to this conference despite having been in the Indian Police Service for three decades. However, as individual, Mr. Kanth has been equally, if not more passionate about the lives of homeless and street children. He has been part of the committee formulating the National Policy on Urban Street Vendors. He cited that while in service 3,070 unidentified dead bodies were recorded with the police and upon further investigation he discovered that about 75 percent of them had been street vendors. Among 140,000 homeless persons in Delhi, only 20,000 had managed to find some sort of physical space to exist in. Clearly the establishment was not concerned with the plight of the street people.

He went to disclose the myths perpetuated about urbanization in India. The decadal growth of urbanization in India has been relatively slow as against the notion that the process has become rampant. Only 28 percent of India’s population inhabits cities and there are not as many slums as is portrayed to be. There are 70,000 hectares of urbanized land in Delhi and the slums occupy only 2-3 percent of that area. The issue, therefore, is not uncontrollable expansion of urban population or slums but that of the insensitivity of the planners. There is simply no inclusion of street vendors and other poor persons in the plan agenda of the government. Nearly 65 million people in India are homeless and they don’t find any mention in the welfare policy of the state. To reiterate the same issue, a miniscule amount of Rupees 20 constitutes the earning or spending budget of 79 percent of the entire population per day. This ridiculously large and growing dichotomy between the rich and the poor has not affected the mindset of the governing authorities in the least.

Citing the recent and ongoing instance of city renovation for the Commonwealth Games in 2010, Mr. Kanth said that the city is known as the engine of growth and while its growth is fuelled by the labor of the working poor, the moment the city is created, the poor are immediately sought to be removed out of sight. He therefore, suggested that inclusive planning was most crucial and that the urban poor are the worst affected category of poor since they are so blatantly erased from every part of the growth scheme.

The draft committee members were part of an extensive brainstorming session and consequently out with the following resolution which was adopted by the general assembly unanimously:

1. The informal sector especially the street vendors, small traders, hawkers are face to face with massive everyday problems including police and state repressions. After the coming of multinational companies and big national companies in retail business of daily utility commodities makes the life of these poor and marginalized sections of society more vulnerable and miserable.

This international conference resolves to oppose the entry of multinational and big national companies to start the retail business and calls for international campaign and movement against these companies (when these threaten and jeopardise the livelihoods of street and market vendors (sic) ). Hence, we urge governments:

To stop giving license to them to open retail counters for sale of vegetables, fruits and other daily utilities.

2. The development of cities cannot be viewed by better infrastructure, big buildings, roads and flyovers, but must be measured by the life of common and poor people because they are the part of the cities and they contribute immensely towards economy especially street vendors and hawkers. Needless to say that without them we cannot imagine inclusive cities. However, in recent times in the name of beautifications their markets are being displaced and they loose their employment and source of livelihood.

To give representation of organizations of street vendors and hawkers in the urban planning programmes.

We are not opposing the growth of cities but are simply asking for the building of viable markets for these sections and save employment rights of poor people.

3. The street vendors, small traders and hawkers are contributing to the total GDP of countries. Their contribution to economy cannot be ignored. But in the present scenario they are not legally protected and are always harassed by police and municipal corporations.

Hence to protect their livelihood we urge the governments to enact laws in favor of them:

4. The sharing of experiences help us resolve that all over world the problems of street vendors, hawkers, small traders is more or less same. So we should fight globally on their issues.

i. To form their organization at each layers such as at local level, at national level, at international level,

ii. To build their capacities to bargain and negotiate with state and local authorities

iii. To strengthen their organization and give support from national and international level

iv. And if any organization from any country has any problem we support them globally

5. All the problems of street vendors, small traders, hawkers are outcome of present economic and political system of countries across the globe wherein the politico-economic power is in the hands of few rich people of society, who eventually control the regimes.

Hence, we resolve that we must intervene in the political process of our country

Our ultimate goal is to have that government which is pro-poor people and to oppose this political and economical system which is responsible for this problem.

The resolution referred to above was drafted by Diana Taulo (Malawi), Marthagracia Santayo (Mexico), Oscal Robenfo Silva (Argentina), Wisborn Malaya (Zimbabwe), Jesent Nakayemba (Uganda), Fandy Gnahoui Ciarisse Reine (Benin), Ghazanfar Nawab (India), Shikha Joshi (India), Mahesh Bora (India).