Global Trade Union Assembly on Labor, Environment Set for Kenya Next Year
Posted on: Tuesday, 18 October 2005, 09:00 CDT
Global trade union assembly on labor, environment set for Kenya next year
NAIROBI, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The first global Trade Union Assembly on Labor and the Environment is scheduled to take place in Nairobi early next year, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) announced here Monday.
Trades unionist from across the globe will be attending the assembly which is scheduled to take place between January 15-17, 2006 at the UN office in Nairobi, Klaus Toepfer, UNEP's executive director said in a statement.
"Trades Unions have an important role to play in this, helping to push employers to raise the environmental standards of goods and services and environmental health standards in the work place, " Toepfer said.
"The notion that there are tough choices between jobs and the environment is outdated as this important assembly shows," he added.
He said the three-day meeting organized by UNEP will be attended by the International Labor Organization and representatives from governments, the business sector, nongovernmental organizations and all other major groups.
"Indeed, environmental management and tackling environmental issues can be a source of new and cleaner industries and jobs. Take global warming as one example. Industries that reduce their dependency on fossil fuels by being more energy efficient can save on fuel bills making them more competitive in the market-place," Toepfer said.
The assembly will also be known as "WILL 2006" because, at the event, trade unions will be launching their "Workers' Initiatives for a Lasting Legacy."
"Workers and their trade unions have the political will to make a great positive difference for the preservation and restoration of the environment," said Guy Ryder, general secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.
"We are committed for two main reasons: because as the social agents at the fore-front of the production chain we can have a unique concrete and positive influence, and also because where workers sit they are too often the very first victims of environmental risks. Decent work for sustainability is a key to the social dimension of sustainable development," he added.
Debates and recommendations at the assembly will cover issues ranging from the implications of global climate change for the world of work and the prevention of hazardous chemicals in the workplace up to occupational, public and environmental health.
Trade unions actions for equal and sustainable access and management to resources and services and trade unions and worker participation in environmental governance, and corporate social responsibility and accountability will also be discussed.
The participants are expected to adopt recommendations and commitments on labor, the environment and sustainable development.
Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS
Related Articles
- Global Challenges of Sustainability Call for Action and Solutions
- Reportlinker Adds Environmental Sensing and Monitoring Technologies: Global Markets Report
- UTC Named to Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations for Fifth Consecutive Year
- Arizona State University's Global Institute of Sustainability to Host Rain Bird's Ninth Intelligent Use of Water(TM) Summit
- Hitachi Develops the Long-Term Plan ''Environmental Vision 2025'' to Combat Global Warming
- On the Road to the UN-Bali Climate Change Conference: Creating Global Consensus on a Sustainable Model of Avoided Deforestation
- Understand the Technology Issues Behind Algorithmic Trading Environments
- Alcan Recognized As Best-in-Class of the "2006 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World"
- Apollo Alliance President to Speak at International Trade Union Assembly on Labor and the Environment in Kenya
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds