WIEGO is a global action-research-policy network that seeks to improve the status of the working poor in the informal economy, especially women. Economic empowerment of these workers is at the heart of WIEGO’s mission. We believe all workers should have equal economic opportunities and rights and be able to determine the conditions of their work and lives.

We seek to improve the status of the working poor, especially women, in the informal economy by:

• helping to strengthen membership-based organizations (MBOs) of informal workers and to build sector-specific networks of such organizations
• highlighting the size, composition, characteristics, and contribution of the informal economy through improved statistics and research
• promoting policy dialogues and processes that include representatives of informal worker organizations
• promoting more equitable working conditions and more inclusive global trade, social protection, and urban planning policies