Trade Union position paper for the HLPF 2017

The trade unions’ joint position paper for the High Level Political Forum 2017 (HLPF) - the follow-up and review mechanism of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - is now available.

The annual event, under the auspices of the UN’s Economic and Social Chamber (ECOSOC), aims to chart progress towards the achievement of the SDGs. The theme of this year’s HLPF, which is being held in New York on 10-19 July 2017, is Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world.

The trade union position paper is entitled Fighting poverty and promoting gender equality. It emphasises the comprehensive approach of the Decent Work Agenda as a framework for the implementation of the SDGs. It highlights that successfully ensuring the components of the Decent Work Agenda is central to the achievement of SDG 1 (ending poverty), SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 5 (achieving gender equality) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure).

The position paper elaborates on the role of minimum living wages in tackling in-work poverty and boosting the economy. It also emphasises the role of social protection systems in combatting poverty and promoting inclusive growth. On gender equality, it details how labour market and social policies can help close the gender pay gap and highlights how investing in the care economy can remove barriers to women’s employment. On health, it highlights the importance of occupational health and safety standards to ensuring well-being in and out of the workplace. The position paper includes a set of recommendations to Governments:

The full trade union position paper for HLPF 2017 is available here.

Find out more about trade unions’ work on the SDGs here.