TUCA adopts resolution on development cooperation

The Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA) held its third congress from the 26th to the 29th of April 2016 in Sao Paolo, Brazil. National trade union representatives from across the region came together to discuss the priorities of the labour movement. Among these, a discussion on how to engage trade unions in international cooperation on sustainable development was undertaken which resulted in TUCA’s adoption of a new resolution.

Development cooperation is a commitment to which the great majority of countries have pledged both resources and political will. It carries with it ideals of societal organisation that define its goals. TUCA’s Resolution 4 on cooperation for sustainable development included a "commitment to strengthening the Trade Union Development Cooperation Network as a key space for training, information sharing and strategy-building to enhance trade union influence on development and cooperation policies". It further highlights 4 principles which are central to the regional development outlook of the labour movement:

  1. As a tool for the promotion of the well-being of populations, states play a key role in the design, implementation and evaluation of development policies.
  2. The potential for different forms of cooperation (North-South, South-South and Triangular), to promote human rights and reshape the historical asymmetries between North and South.
  3. The need for an evaluation based on a broad range of indicators. Development cannot and must not be evaluated by per capita GDP alone. Among other things, it fails to take inequality into account, which is hugely impactful on the quality of people’s lives.
  4. The active participation of the labour movement in defining, implementing and evaluating development policies. Within this perspective, the central role of Development Platform for the Americas (PLADA) in ensuring cooperation with States was stated.

The management report for the period 2012-2016 was presented during the Congress. On development cooperation it stated:
“Through the Trade Union Development Cooperation Network (TUDCN) and in coordination with the ITUC, the TUCA built more capacity to advocate and lobby in the framework of regional and global discussions on development and cooperation policies, in particular: the United Nations discussion to define the Sustainable Development Goals (“2030 Agenda”) and Financing for Development; the Global Partnership for Effective Cooperation and Policy Forum on Development of the European Union. It also improved its proactive participation in the ITUC Cooperation Network, as well its coordination with other civil society organizations actively promoting the human rights approach in cooperation policies.”

You can see the outcome document of the TUCA congress in Spanish, Portuguese, English and French here: Base Documents and Resolutions
You can read the full management report here: TUCA Political Management Report 2012-2016. Or you can check out their video explaining the key points of the report (in Spanish, TUDCN features at 7:15):