Transcript THE ITUC AND ITS WORK ON INTERNATIONAL POLICIES ON Seoul (Korea)

THE ITUC AND ITS WORK ON
INTERNATIONAL POLICIES ON
CLIMATE CHANGE AND GREEN JOBS
Seoul (Korea)
19 May 2008
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ITUC. Sustainable development and
climate change
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2002 World Summit on Sustainable
Development
Trade Union Assembly on Labour and the
Environment (January 2006)
The Sao Paolo Accords (April 2006)
The Johannesburg Declaration (July 2006)
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ITUC Congress Resolution
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ITUC funding congress, Vienna (Austria) November 2006. The
ITUC congress resolution.
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“Congress underlines the need for the international community to
implement an overarching strategy for sustainable development. It
calls on the ITUC to integrate the link between health and the
environment fully into its work, particularly in respect of workplace,
enterprise , and national action to protect occupational health and
safety and working conditions, and by bringing workers´ issues fully
into the activities of the Commission for Sustainable Development, the
World Health Organisation and the United Nations Environment
Programme. It further calls for an end to unsustainable consumption
practices and cooperation for implementation of the Kyoto Protocol to
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change”
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ITUC General council
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3rd ITUC General Council. Washington DC.
December 2007.
Special Action programme
Special Task Force + Programme of action
“Call upon all ITUC affiliates and Global Unions partners to
fully and actively engage in actions for adoption of a
comprehensive post-2012 international framework for
addressing climate change and the reductions in
Greenhouse Gas emissions that are entailed, and for the
creation of sustainable employment opportunities through
an effective Green Jobs strategy”.
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ITUC Special action programme on
climate change I
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Implementation in coordination with affiliates, GUFS, TUAC, ETUC and ITUC regional
organisations: ITUC-AF, ITUC-AP and TUCA.
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A comprehensive Green Jobs campaign to bring maximum weight to bear on governments and
other national and international decision-makers to achieve consensus and active support for a
green jobs-based strategy to tackle climate change.
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Coordination and assistance to, affiliates at national level in lobbying for green jobs and agreed
post Kyoto targets together with development assistance from industrialised to developing
countries.
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Engaging affiliates further in work to achieve trade union objectives, including strengthening links
with government's UNFCCC national contact point, especially regarding national communications
and reporting.
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Integration climate change perspectives into other fields of trade union work at all levels which
have a bearing on sustainable development (development, poverty issues, gender equality,
occupational health and safety, trade union rights and HIV/AIDS)
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ITUC Special action programme on
climate change II
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Encouraging affiliates to engage employers in workplace-based GHG
reduction activities through collective agreements and other means of
social dialogue.
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Encouraging unions, governments, employers and civil society to
undertake analysis, country-by-country, sector by sector, of joint plans
of action with periodic evaluation and reporting, promoting the concept
of workplace assessments as a major tool for strengthening
partnerships and implementation and making optimal use of the Trade
Union Sustainable Development Unit.
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Establishing a Trade Union Task Force to implement the Green Jobs
Campaign and oversee agreed activities including those of the ad hoc
trade union working group on climate change.
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International trade union action
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COP13 Bali. Bali Action Plan.
Post-2012 Kyoto Protocol
Post Bali processes UNFCCC- United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (Mexico,
Trinidad and Bangkok)
16th Meeting UN Commission on Sustainable
Development (CSD-16)(May 2008)
Sustain labour Foundation training == UNEP
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COP13 Bali UNFCCC
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91 member trade union delegation from 23 countries
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Future action on climate change that would incorporate
Greenhouse Gas reduction targets which involved all countries,
coupled with a “just employment transition” programme that
promoted green jobs and decent work with special focus on
training, education and the involvement of workers.
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COP13 Bali
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Securing a new Post-2012 Kyoto Protocol with new and more ambitious
targets.
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Advancing a programme of action to link GHG prevention, reduction,
stabilisation or controlled increases to targets on renewable energy use,
carbon capture, deforestation, and alternative transportation to a green
job and decent work programme.
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Proposing better and more detailed sector-based research and analysis
on the social and employment impact of CO2 emissions.
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Promoting a just employment transition programme that would address
worker displacement, migrations, unemployment in climate-sensitive
sectors, along with the effects of adaptation and mitigation.
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Highlighting the role of workers and trade unions in decision making
about climate change at the workplace, local, national and international
levels, by advancing models of current place.
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COP13 Bali outcomes
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Recognised the need for deep and urgent cuts in GHG emissions and supported
sustainable development principles to implement social and economic development
along with poverty eradication objectives.
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Agreed for all countries to become involved in the next Kyoto agreement in
accordance with the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”.
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Agreed to implement adaptation through sectoral and national planning, broadened
the discussions under the UNFCCC and the Nairobi work programme on adverse
effects, and called for consideration of economic and social consequence of
mitigation response measures, creating better avenues for Green Job promotion and
employment transition.
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Encouraged further initiatives of civil society within the UNFCCC´ s national
communication, reporting and information processes, especially as related to
training, education and awareness raising.
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Called on governments to prepare assessments of needs, specific to national
circumstances, including the use of social research methods and other relevant
instruments.
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Called for a broader involvement
of international organisations.
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International trade union action
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ITUC-TUAC-RENGO
G8 Leaders summit
G8 Labour ministers meeting (Niigata)
TUAC. OECD
ITUC Task Force on Trade, Investment and
Labour Standards
ITUC Task Force to implement the green jobs
campaign
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Involvement
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Identify a trade union contact point
Nominate a representative to our trade union
ad hoc working group on climate change
Provide information about your activities
Consider nominating a representative to
COP14
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Green Jobs Initiative
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ILO-UNEP-ITUC
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“Promotion and identification of the many technological innovations,
investment opportunities, enterprise and quality job creation potential
of a sustainable development path. At the same time it will look at the
adaptation and social protection needs of enterprises and workers
affected by the production and consumption shifts involved”
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Initial report on Green jobs later in 2008.
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Green Jobs Initiative
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To promote awareness and dialogue
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To identify and respond to knowledge gaps
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To facilitate just transition that reflects the environmental, economic and
social pillars of sustainable development
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To promote policies and measures to achieve green jobs and green
workplaces
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To catalyze employment and poverty alleviation within climate mitigation
and adaptation programmes
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To strengthen collaboration between UNEP/ILO/ITUC, within the UN
system and with the international business community.
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Transitional measures
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Needed to protect workers from the unexpected consequences
of climate change measures
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Essential to fuel mass support for climate change policies, as
employment concerns have regularly been put forward as a
reason for not undertaking climate change policies.
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Training
Social protection
Social dialogue and freedom of association
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Transitional measures
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To ensure the continuity of economic activity in given regions affected
by climate change or by climate change policies.
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Economic diversification policies along with mitigation and adaptation.
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Co-governing change
Fuelling change
Targeting change
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Reinforcing social partners´ capacities
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Dialogue with civil society must include trade unions in all
decision-making process for successful climate change
adaptation and mitigation.
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Governments must create or strengthen laws or regulations that
ensure labour rights, employment rights and participation.
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Good practices involving workers and trade unions must be
actively encouraged by governments.
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Effective participation can flourish by recognising worker rights
at the workplace with respect to production decisions.
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The Trade Union Programme of Work
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To strengthen the trade union working group on climate change.
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To coordinate closely with trade unions at the national level to prepare
future international meetings (COP14, COP15 …)
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To improve trade union participation in the UNFCCC preparatory
processes by working with the new ITUC task force on climate change.
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To strengthen trade union capacity at the national level through
training and education programmes.
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SEE YOU SOON
THANK YOU
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