Asia-Pacific

The 2016 New York Declaration for Migrants and Refugees mandates the United Nations to forge a Global Compact on Migration and a Global Compact on Refugees, which will be adopted in a High-Level Conference in 2018.

Each year, the International Day for Disaster Reduction is observed around the world on 13 October. "All levels of government need to recognise the crucial role of their emergency workers," says PSI General Secretary Rosa Pavanelli. "These workers deserve not only respect, but protections, including the rights to join unions and negotiate terms and conditions."

PSI Congress is a once in five-year opportunity to make trade union and political contacts, debate policy and inspire action. An exciting part of this experience is the cultural programme designed to complement the political agenda. For the first time, PSI is offering unions the opportunity to be publicly recognized for their support for this important programme.

In a statement released on the occasion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Ministerial Council held in Manila on 10 September, PSI and its allies called for governments in the region to defend the public Interest and reject RCEP.

On 14 August, PSI affiliates and other public sector unions in the Philippines made history. After a seven-year-old battle, the Senate of the Philippines finally concurred with the ratification the ILO Convention concerning Protection of the Right to Organise and Procedures for Determining Conditions of Employment in the Public Service (No. 151), becoming the first country in Asia to do so.

Civil society organisations, trade unions, public water operators together with International Steering committee members of GWOPA jointly send the open letter to the Executive Director of UN-HABITAT concerning the recent attempt to undermine GWOPA's core purpose, origin and history.