The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the reference document on development priorities at the international level. It was adopted by the United Nations in September 2015, by 193 countries, and builds on the Millennium Development Goals MDGs, 2000-2015), which aimed to reduce extreme poverty. The 2030 Agenda contains a set of shared objectives, known as the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), to which all countries have committed. The 17 SDGs cover issues highly relevant to the work of trade unions, including the promotion of decent work, the fight against poverty, inequalities and climate change, and they recognise the need for greater gender equality, free quality education, public services and stronger institutions.
Trade unions, through the Trade Union Development Cooperation Network (TUDCN)Trade Union Development Cooperation Network (TUDCN), are heavily involved in the SDG process at global, regional and national level. Through their everyday work on upholding freedom of association, social dialogue and collective bargaining, and on promoting decent work and the rights of working people, trade unions are instrumental to achieving the SDGs. As outlined in their Strategy on the 2030 Agenda, TUDCN members are conducting their own national monitoring and analysis to make sure that countries are on track to fulfil their commitments. The review takes into account the trade union priority SDGs: SDG 1 (end poverty), SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 8 (decent work), SDG 10 (reduced inequalities), SDG 13 (climate action) and SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions). The reviews will be promoted during the UN’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) and the UN regional fora on sustainable development, which are the follow-up and review mechanisms of the 2030 Agenda.
The key messages emerging from the trade unions’ national monitoring and analysis are presented in the country profiles, available below.