Pampa 2030 held regional roundtables of women’s dialogues to advance gender equality

From September 6 to 8, 2023, Pampa 2030 organised roundtables of dialogue in the Argentinian province of Misiones, where rural women, indigenous women, trade unionists, and members of the LGBTQ+ community came together to share their challenges, struggles, and experiences.

The objective of the activity was to establish connections between labor unions and civil society organisations in the province of Misiones to define the work program of the regional branch of the Argentine Monitoring Platform for Agenda 2030 (PAMPA 2030).

During the event, participants discussed the numerous inequalities and difficulties that women and LGBTQ+ individuals face in the region. They also discussed methods for raising awareness and internalising Convention 190 of the International Labour Organization (ILO) as binding international legislation for Argentina and the implementation of a participatory mapping of the territory in relation to Sustainable Development Goal 5.

The event had over 70 participants, including representatives from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the National University of Misiones (UNaM), representatives from the Observatory of Labour Violence of the Ministry of Labour of Misiones, the INADI (National Institute against Discrimination, Xenophobia, and Racism), and the representative from the Human Rights department of the Office of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in Argentina.

For the labour movement, these dialogues provided an opportunity to collaborate with rural indigenous women fighting for the land expropriated by multinational companies involved in the exploitation of foreign species that degrade the environment. They also discussed their working conditions within the framework of family agriculture and the impact of the absence of public policies for women and diversities, as well as the weakness of state institutions in the American Chaco biome. Labor unions contributed to the discussion on ILO Convention 169, ratified by Argentina, and on experiences that enable the full exercise of the national law 26160, which declares a state of emergency regarding the possession and ownership of land by indigenous original communities, in line with ILO regulations.

The female unionists of Misiones spoke about how informality and job insecurity are the most significant deficits in decent work in the province. The discussion highlighted the progress that appropriate legislation, such as the "Micaela Law", which mandates mandatory gender and labor violence training for all public servants, can bring and emphasized the need to legislate for the private sector and further strengthen training and prevention protocols.

Additionally, the meeting allowed for a dialogue about the life experiences and struggles of diversity and LGBTQ+ communities, who continue to face situations of discrimination, both symbolic and explicit