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FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF STREETNET
by Pat Horn
StreetNet’s first International Congress will be held in Seoul, Korea, from 16 - 18 March 2004. StreetNet has a policy of rotating the venue of its international events, to reflect its international character. The National Alliance of Street Vendors of Korea (NASVK) which is affiliated to StreetNet, will be hosting the 2004 conference.
WHO CAN ATTEND ?
The Congress will be held strictly in accordance with the constitution of StreetNet International. Only delegates from StreetNet affiliates will be able to attend. The number of delegates from each organisation depends on how many members they have affiliated to StreetNet International (i.e. members who are market vendors, street vendors and hawkers) as at 31 December 2003. Because StreetNet operates according to the principle of proportional representation, those with more members are entitled to more delegates and therefore more votes at Congress - and of course, they also pay higher annual affiliation fees in line with the size of their affiliated membership.
Also, according to StreetNet’s constitution, if an organisation is entitled to more than one delegate, at least 50% of their delegates have to be women.
The following organisations were accepted as affiliates of StreetNet in June this year:
The following organisations have now also complied with most of the affiliation requirements (some still need to supply their constitutions):
There is still time for other organisations to affiliate to StreetNet and attend the International Congress, provided that they comply in full with the affiliation requirements by 31 December 2003. They must send in their application on the required form available from the StreetNet office, together with their constitution, and pay a joining fee of US $50. After joining, affiliates have to pay an annual affiliation fee every year in July, depending on the size of their affiliated membership, at a rate of 1c (one USD cent) per member per annum.
WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE THE STREETNET LAUNCH ?
The Interim Committee, which was elected to steer StreetNet until the election of the International Council at the first International Congress, has met twice - in March and again in June 2003. Its next meeting will be in the form of a teleconference in October 2003.
The International Co-ordinator visited four countries in Latin America after a workshop on “the challenges of organising in the informal economy” which was held in Lima, Peru, in April 2003.
The International Co-ordinator and the Secretary, Elvis Chishala, visited ASSOTSI in Maputo, Mocambique in May 2003. At the end of that visit, ASSOTSI completed their application to affiliate to StreetNet. We also met representatives of the Organizacao dos Trabalhadores de Mocambique (OTM), the national trade union centre which had established ASSOTSI when they realised the importance of organising workers in the informal economy. They also assisted ASSOTSI to enter into negotiations with the municipality of Maputo about the rights of informal market vendors.
The International Co-ordinator and a representative from the National Alliance of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) represented StreetNet at the annual congress of street vendors of Korea, which is organised every year in June by NASVK to commemorate the struggle of street vendors against the crackdown against them during the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988. It was a very well-organised event, organised in conjunction with the political, human rights and other civil society organisations who work in alliance with NASVK on many issues where they have to struggle against government policies and actions.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN AT THE CONGRESS ?
The conference will be held over two days. Reports will be presented about StreetNet’s progress since its international launch in November 2002, followed by discussion. Amendments to the StreetNet constitution will be considered and decided upon, as well as resolutions. Finally, elections will be held for the International Council of StreetNet which will hold office for three years. Proposed constitutional amendments, resolutions, and nominations for the elections have to be sent to the StreetNet office at least 60 days prior to the congress, and circulated to all affiliates in advance. Organisations nominating candidates for election to the International Council, including the positions of International President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer, will be expected to submit a profile of that person so that all organisations can know about her/his experience with street vending and organisational history.
Then there will be a one-day Policy Dialogue, where Korean municipal and government officials will be invited to come and debate with the conference delegates about street vending policy. Since the Korean laws do not recognise the rights of street vendors, we hope to persuade them to reconsider, change their policies and reform their laws.