Global Unions bring the voice of workers and trade unions to World Urban Forum 11

Global Unions bring the voice of workers and trade unions to World Urban Forum 11

The Trade Unions and Workers Roundtable in-person participants at WUF11. From the right James Bartholomeusz (ITF), Gerardo Juara (AGOEC Argentina-PSI), Huma Haq (PSI), Linnea Wilström (BWI), Daria Cibrario (PSI), Reaaz Chuttoo (CMWEU Mauritius-BWI), Shinichi Akiyama (ILO).

PSI led a Global Unions’ delegation at the 11th Session of UN Habitat’s World Urban Forum (WUF11), 26–30 June 2022 in Katowice, Poland. A joint PSI, ITF and BWI delegation composed of policy staff and affiliated union representatives organised and held the Trade Union and Workers’ Roundtable bringing the voice of workers and trade unions to WUF11.

Daria Cibrario

WUF11 was an opportunity for Global Union representatives to engage with many partners present and raise awareness about the challenges of city and local community workers reminding the Forum that there is no implementation of the New Urban Agenda, of SDG 11, of the Sendai Framework, of the COP Agreement or of any other UN framework without workers with labour rights and in decent working conditions.

Full video of the Trade Unions and Workers Roundtable at WUF11

The participation of the GUF delegation also opened new avenues for constructive and progressive dialogue and ground action. During the WUF11 week the GUF delegation worked collaboratively as a single team and engaged with UN Habitat officials, as well as representatives of C40, Cities Alliance, the UCLG, the Commonwealth Local Government Forum, the General Assembly of Parties (GAP) and the World Urban Campaigns.

 While Trade Unions and Workers were initially left completely out of the WUF11 programme, Global Unions immediately reclaimed their space in the Forum as a Major UN Group and obtained to re-open a slot in the official programme of the Forum to hold a full-fledged constituent Roundtable on 30 June. Besides, they also got advocacy and speaker engagements in other high-level events that amplified and multiplied the visibility and voice of the workers who build, operate, service and bring cities to life daily. 

PSI was invited for the first time to address the World Assembly of Local and Regional Governments that took place on 26 June 2022, prior to the beginning of WUF11. PSI representatives also spoke at the following events: 

Global Call for Action towards World Clean-Up Day (27 June)

Partnership to Tackle Global Waste Challenge and Beat Plastic Pollution organised by UN Habitat Basic Services – Waste (Daria Cibrario and Gerardo Juara)

Financing Urban Adaptation Networking Event (28 June 2022)

Organised by the University of Pennsylvania and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of State, and US AID involving UCLG, OECD Cities, World Economic Forum and World Bank (Daria Cibrario)

Urban Evening Cinema Event: The Voices of Unheard in plastic waste (28 June)

Looking at the scourge of plastic pollution and the working conditions of waste workers towards the negotiation of a UNEP international legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution (Daria Cibrario and Gerardo Juara)

The WUF11 background policy paper says that the multiple urban crises the world faces require “a radical shift away from unsustainable practices” and a need to “look back to correct the mistakes of the past”. The World Cities Report 2022 launched at the conclusion of WUF11 acknowledges for the first time Remunicipalisation as a viable policy and the role of labour unions in it. On page 244 the Report admits that “government must revision their relationship between the private sector and civil society, with special attention to underrepresented groups to co-create strategies such as re-municipalization, community-led finance and forms of co-production of urban services”. This is a breakthrough policy shift that PSI has contributed to bring about through years of consistent pro-public and pro-remunicipalisation advocacy.

 World Urban Forums (WUFs) take place every two years and are a taking stock moment to ascertain progress in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) adopted in by the Habitat III Conference in 2016 in Quito, Ecuador. PSI and BWI were both present at WUF9 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but did not attend WUF10 as it was organised in Saudi Arabia, a country where freedom of association is denied.  The 12th World Urban Forum (WUF12) will be held in 2024 and hosted in Cairo, Egypt.

Participants listen to the remarks by Daria Cibrario, Public Services International (PSI) at the Trade Unions and Workers Roundtable – Source ISSD
Participants listen to the remarks by Daria Cibrario, Public Services International (PSI) at the Trade Unions and Workers Roundtable – Source ISSD

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