On 28 June 2023, ACJR in collaboration with Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) hosted a webinar on The Right to Public Spaces and Informal Work: Key considerations for Law & Policy-Making. The laws and policies governing the use of public spaces are often developed and implemented by authorities without consultation with the people who are most likely impacted by these laws and policies. Herein lies the importance of considering “pro-poor” law and policy-making approaches that are balanced, fair, ensure public participation and respect the rights of all people.

The webinar discussions defined the problem regarding public spaces and informal work and discussed the impact of laws and policies on people working in the informal economy and rights-based protections that should be afforded to them. Moreover, the webinar highlighted key considerations for law and policy-making, including, the need for policies to be designed around outcomes, the need for evidence-based policy decisions, the need for innovative, flexible and creative policy-making and the importance of policy review and evaluation. The webinar panellists included Kristen Petersen (ACJR), Pamhidzai H. Bamu and Teresa Marchiori (WIEGO).

This was the second in a series of webinars on sub-national governance and the criminalisation of poverty and status planned for 2023.