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2019 promises to be a key year for the global trade union movement at the United Nations: the United Nations (UN) Commission for Social Development (CSocD) in February will address wages and inequality; the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in March will focus on access to public services and social protection, and the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in July and September, will review global progress on education, empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality, including decent work, and the importance of strong institutions and peace. 2019 is also the Centenary of the ILO, with numerous events during the General Assembly in September 2019 that present the trade union movement with a major political opportunity to put labour issues and the need for the democratization of global economic governance at the very heart of the United Nations.
Therefore Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) New York and Public Services International (PSI) propose a Global Trade Union Strategy Meeting, 5-6 November in NYC, to reflect on inputs, joint campaigning and mapping strategic opportunities for trade union action in the lead up to 2019. The main focus of the meeting would be to outline a multi-layer action plan to be launched at the CSocD and carried forward throughout 2019, including side and parallel events at each of the major UN meeting, and connecting on-going trade union campaigns with the main themes discussed at the UN.
This meeting functions as a joint training opportunity for trade union delegates participating in these UN committees. We also want to build more strategic alliances with other major groups ahead of the year so that the trade union priorities are mainstreamed.
Monday 5 November
09:30 – 10:00 | Registration and Welcome Coffee
10:00 – 10:30 | Opening Session
10:30 – 11:45 | Setting the stage for trade union action at the United Nations in 2019 – the Road Ahead
· Moderated by Sandra Vermuyten, PSI NYC
11:45 – 12:00 | Coffee break
12:00 – 13:00 | Labour issues at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund: Recent developments
13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch at Roger Smith
14:30 – 15:30 | ILO’s Centenary and the Future of Work
15:30 – 16:45 | Reflecting on trade union action at the United Nations, SDGs and other processes
16:45 – 17:00 | Coffee break
17:00 – 18:00 | Regional UN processes, making the link with affiliates, and on-going campaigns
19:30 – 21:00 |Group Dinner
Tuesday 6 November
09:30 – 10:30 | Building coalitions with other global trade union campaigns and networks
10:30 – 10:45 | Coffee break
10:45 – 13:00 | The way forward – How can we strengthen trade union action at the UN and beyond?
13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch
14:30 – 15:30 | Meeting representatives of other Major Groups:
15:30 – 15:45 | Coffee break
15:45 – 17:00 | Meeting representatives of UN Agencies and Divisions
17:00 – 18:00 | Wrap-up session