The conference will gather heads of states, ministers and other high-level personas as well as representatives of international and civil society organisations. Trade unions proposals will be voiced by a large national and international delegation, coordinated by the ITUC.
The trade unions have three key demands:
1. A commitment to provide social protection to all workers, ensuring that the workers and their families are protected against the environmental and economic crises they face. This we call the Social Protection Floor.
2. A shift in public policies which will ensure more decent jobs are created from environmentally-friendly “green economy” investments, and millions more are transformed into sustainable jobs. This we call Green Jobs.
3. An introduction of the global Financial Transactions Tax, which will provide the reserve to fund development and the fight against climate change, as well as contribute to reform the financial system that caused the financial crisis in the first place.
The ITUC will be very active at the summit and in the months leading up to it. A website with all the relevant information will soon be launched, together with a special mailing list for those how would like to stay up to date. Already now, news and opinions related to the process can be found at the ITUC blog on Green Economy and Climate Change.
Trade unions all around the world will be encouraged and supported to take up advocacy work on national level and make sure that the key demands are heard and reflected on by their government delegation to Rio+20.
In March ITUC will launch an important research contribution to the preparation for Rio – a comprehensive report on Green Jobs. In 12 case studies from different countries the report will explore what would happen if these countries invested more in green jobs.
You will find regular updates on the trade union preparation for Rio+20 at the upcoming special ITUC website on Rio+20 and in the Trade Union Focus on Development newsletter.
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