The 2024 Waste Pickers Conference held in Bulawayo on 01 March 2024 as part of the international waste pickers’ day commemoration and the women’s month celebrations, managed to identify strategic 7 advocacy action points to be pursued to advance waste pickers integration in 2024.
Through a participatory, reflective and co-creative approach, the 140 waste pickers that attended the 2024 conference identified the following key advocacy action points which they (the waste pickers), working closely with Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights (MIHR) will seek to achieve in the year 2024:
- Availability of operating spaces for waste storage and waste value addition;
- Strengthening the organization of waste entrepreneur groups;
- Improving waste entrepreneurs’ visibility and access to Personal Protective Equipment;
- Knowledge and skills capacity development for waste groups;
- Market linkages for waste entrepreneurs;
- Support for waste projects and access to waste recycling equipment;
- Policy and decision makers’ recognition of waste entrepreneurs as key development players.
MIHR will, in the post conference period, breakdown these advocacy priorities into actionable agenda items and will also be leading and offering technical advocacy support and guidance towards the realization of these priorities.
The 2024 conference ran under the theme “Recognize, Build and Value – the contribution of waste pickers and entrepreneurs to sustainable local and national development, circular economy and climate justice”. Government stakeholders that include the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Zimbabwe Gender Commission attended the conference and gave solidarity messages.
This year’s conference was held in collaboration with Danish Church Aid through their World Food Programme funded urban resilience programme.
MATABELELAND INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS 
Leave a comment