Sharing experience on South-South cooperation

As part of a two-day International Relations Committee meeting at the end of October 2013 in Johannesburg South-Africa, the CGSLB and our South-African partner organisations COSATU and SACCAWU organised a workshop on South-South cooperation. This workshop took place in the context of our 3-year partnership program 2012-2014, co-financed by the Belgium ministry of development cooperation.

During the workshop attention was given to what South-South cooperation means for COSATU and her affiliates, what we as trade unions can do to promote trade union solidarity among our southern sister trade unions and the current role of COSATU and the affiliates in their own partnership programs. It was concluded that capacity building and experience sharing should be given a centre role in any cooperation program.

As a member of the TUDCN network the CGSLB presented the work that the TUDCN has being doing on south-south cooperation to the COSATU affiliates. Special focus was placed on the 8 trade union principles on development effectiveness and the TUDEP tool on partnership was introduced to the 30 participants.

The meeting was closed by the South African Minister of International relations and development, Ms Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, who explained the South-African government’s policy on south-south cooperation and international solidarity, the role of South-Africa in the BRICS and referred to the current role of the South-African government in the struggle of the Palestine people.

By the International department of the CGSLB