Trade unions at the ECLAC Regional Forum on Sustainable Development 2018

The TUCA’s Trade Union Network for Development Cooperation took part in the II Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, held by ECLAC on 18-20 April 2018 in Santiago, Chile to carry out a regional follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

At the Civil Society Consultation prior to the Forum (17 April) TUCA contributed to the definition of the Civil Society Declaration, which denounced the lack of real participation of civil society organisations in the implementation of the SDGs in the great majority of countries in the region. The Civil Society Consultation also approved an institutional mechanism for the participation of civil society in the Forum’s proceedings, providing for the participation of civil society groups on the basis of territorial criteria (with sub-regional representatives) and “interest groups” (including the trade union movement), to impact on both the annual meetings of the Forum and the conclusions that the regional forum submits to the HLPF.

During the inter-governmental meeting, the governments shared their views on the progress and challenges of Agenda2030 in the region, through a “discussion among equals”, which left little space for civil society participation. The TUCA used its intervention to present its priorities for SDGs 6, 7, 11, 12 and 15 on fair transition, environmental justice and the defence of common goods, as well as the risks that the privatisation of cooperation implies for these SDGs. TUCA also insisted that democracy is an essential condition for achieving Agenda 2030 and criticised the regional trend towards the radicalisation of conservative and anti-democratic agendas (including the detention of former President Lula without proof, to prevent him participating in the elections.)

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