TUDCN 2016 Open Coordination Meeting

The network’s annual Open Coordination Meeting took place on the 15 & 16 of November 2016 at the ITUC headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Among the issues covered, the over 30 participants discussed the trade union strategy on Agenda 2030, the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC), EU development policy and upcoming research streams.

The meeting was an opportunity for members of the TUDCN to share recent experiences at the national, regional and global levels. Following a general update on the TUDCN’s work, participants from TUCA, ITUC-Africa and ITUC-AP detailed progress at regional level.

A major focus of the TUDCN’s work has been on establishing a common strategy on Agenda 2030. Ensuring that the overlap between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the aims of trade union work is one that is mutually reinforcing is at the centre of this work. Participants discussed ways of mobilising trade unions around the issue in order to coordinate advocacy efforts and implement an effective monitoring system.

Recent research publications were reviewed and the different research work streams of the TUDCN were discussed, including on ensuring business accountability, the role of social dialogue in development, Official Development Assistance and on organisation capacity.

Read the full event report here and consult the meeting documents here.