High Level meeting of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), Paris, 18-19 February 2016
By Matt Simonds (TUDCN/TUAC)
The trade union movement was recently represented at the High Level Meeting of the DAC (HLM) through the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC). John Evans, General Secretary of TUAC, and Paola Simonetti, Coordinator for the Trade Union Development Cooperation Network (TUDCN), were able to convey trade union messages and priorities to the High Level Officials from DAC Member Countries and beyond, who were in attendance.
The crowded one and a half day HLM agenda covered four issues related to the DACs work, with some important decisions which will affect how ODA is measured and used, emerging from the meeting. The outcomes of the meeting can be found in the DAC HLM Communiqué. Topics included were the following:
1. The role of the DAC/development cooperation in achieving the 2030 Agenda
2. A new DAC in a changing world—exploring reform of the DAC
3. Modernising the ODA measurement, including for Private Sector Instruments, Peace and Security Costs, and Total Official Support for Development
4. The role of ODA in addressing the refugee crisis.
Report of the ACTRAV-TUDCN seminar on UN 2030 implementation
The ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) and the Trade Union Development Cooperation Network (TUDCN) organised a joint seminar on 12-13 December 2015 in Paris, on the role for Trade Unions in the follow-up and implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda, with ITUC affiliates from Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia-Pacific, and the Global Union Federations (GUFs).
Report of the November 2015 meeting of the African Trade Union Development Network (ATUDN)
The African Trade Union Development Network (ATUDN), the African regional network of the TUDCN, met in Dakar on 23-24 November 2015, ahead of the 3rd ITUC-Africa Congress. The meeting gathered ITUC-Africa affiliates from all corners of the continent, who discussed about the different activities and aspects of the regional network. A main topic of discussion was the role of African trade unions in the monitoring and follow up of the UN 2030 Agenda.
Report of the CPDE training on the GPEDC, Nairobi 15-16 January 2016
By Anne-Cécile Coly, Member of the Union des Syndicats Autonomes du Sénégal (UNSAS)
A training session for various CSO focal points from the civil society organisations (CSO) platform for monitoring development cooperation was held by the CPDE (CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness) in Nairobi on 15 and 16 January 2016. This two-day workshop aimed at making a significant contribution to the second monitoring round recently launched by the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC). It trained various focal points and members of civil society from different countries, and allowed the focal points to acquire knowledge and technical information about the GPEDC.
Dutch Presidency of the EU Council: Development priorities
The Netherlands holds the rotation Presidency of the Council of the European Union during the first semester of 2016. The Presidency is strongly committed to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will seek to support the Commission in developing a proposal dedicated to this purpose. It will also promote its ‘aid and trade’ agenda at EU level, stressing the strong link between EU trade and development aid. Moreover, The Presidency is also expected to facilitate a compromise position within Council and with the Commission on the EU’s position on future relations between the EU and the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP), given that the Cotonou Agreement expires in 2020.
The Dutch Presidency held on 2 February 2016 the very first combined informal meeting of Development and Trade ministers. More information.
New ITUC report exposes hidden workforce of 116 million in global supply chains of fifty companies
The global supply chains of 50 companies employ only six per cent of people in a direct employment relationship, yet rely on a hidden workforce of 94 per cent according to new research from the ITUC.
Position of the Belgian Federal Council for Sustainable Development on the implementation of the SDGs
The Belgian Federal Council for Sustainable Development, in which Belgian trade unions ABVV-FGTB, ACV-CSC and ACLVB-CGSLB take part, approved their position in relation to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Belgium. The Employers' Group abstained.
Solidar Suisse projects on informal labour in South Africa
By Joachim Merz and Zoltán Doka (Solidar Suisse)
The UN 2030 Agenda with its 17 “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs) reaffirmed that achieving decent work for all is still high on the global agenda. Targets such us decent work for all (8.5), eradication of forced labour and modern slavery (8.7), protection of labour rights and promotion of safe and secure working environments (8.8) have been endorsed by all UN members.
Despite this celebrated breakthrough agenda, countless people in formal and informal work struggle to translate their human rights into better and more secure lives. They still demand for their health to be protected, their basic needs to be met, and their old age to be secured by pensions. They still fight against abuse and exploitation by governments and businesses alike.
Pakistan journalists assert worker and human rights
By Tula Connell, Solidarity Center USA
The recent murders of three Pakistani journalists in separate incidents highlight the dangers media professionals in that country face daily on the job. And like workers in all industries, reporters, photographers and other media staff need tools to effectively address safety and health issues at work and ensure their fundamental human rights.
The new blog "Workers Voice @ OECD" by the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC), comments on the latest OECD reports, events and policies from a trade union perspective with inputs from the TUAC staff and other trade union representatives.
New website of TUCA's Development Cooperation Network
The Development Cooperation Network of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA) has launched a revamped website. Have a look!
News from the development community
Detailed final 2014 aid figures released by OECD/DAC
The detailed final aid figures for 2014 are now available on the OECD Aid Statistics web site. The new data add significant detail to preliminary Official Development Assistance (ODA) statistics that were released in April 2015 and shed new light on overall aid spending, confirming that rather than declining, ODA reached an all-time high in 2014. In 2014, final figures for net official development assistance (ODA) flows from DAC member countries totalled USD 137.2 billion, marking an increase of 1.2% in real terms over 2013. As a share of GNI, ODA was 0.30%.
Report of the UN Secretary-General on the critical milestones towards coherent, efficient and inclusive follow-up and review of the 2030 sustainable development agenda at the global level
The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda requested the Secretary General, in consultation with Member States, to prepare a report for consideration at the current 70th session of the General Assembly in preparation for the 2016 meeting of the High-Level Political Forum, which outlines critical milestones towards coherent, efficient and inclusive follow-up and review at the global level.
The report explores how to put in place a coherent, efficient and inclusive follow-up and review system at the global level, within the mandates outlined in the Agenda. It does not attempt to describe or prescribe how to implement the 2030 Agenda, the primary responsibility for which lies at the national level; nor does it attempt to describe the wide array of possible multilateral support mechanisms to such implementation efforts.
Free online course on Workers´ Rights in a Global Economy
What are global workers’ rights? Which institutions and instruments can be used to realize them, including in global supply chains? A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) of the Global Labour University will explore these questions from an interdisciplinary and multi-level perspective. Based on a mix of video lectures, readings, interactive quiz questions, online resources and interviews with activists and labour scholars from around the world, participants will gain both knowledge and practical skills for furthering workers’ rights worldwide. The MOOC is designed as an interactive platform allowing both peer-to-peer learning and interaction with labour experts from around the world.
This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the ITUC and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.
