Workers Capacity Strengthening & Project Consultation Workshop

Introduction

Pacific Island Countries (mostly Small Island Developing States - SIDS) are extremely vulnerable to climate change due to their heavy reliance on marine resources, agriculture and tourism, and the concentration of all major services, settlement and tourism infrastructure in coastal areas. Sea level rise, erosion, inundation, loss of fresh-water and frequent and more intense tropical cyclones and other natural disasters will further negatively impact all major services, infrastructure, environmental resources and livelihoods. The associated stresses of adapting to climate change and the detrimental effects of social disruption related to enforced migration, loss of livelihoods, injuries, disease or death also impact on health and well-being.

Climate change will continue to be one of, if not, the most significant challenges to the future of the Pacific SIDS and there is mounting recognition and an urgency to identify effective strategies to strengthen the adaptive capacity and resilience of the labour market and institutions to prevent livelihoods and job losses and reduce the impact on production capacities of the economy. To do this, it is imperative that employers' and workers' organizations are fully involved in influencing national dialogues and have the capacity to take bipartite action on issues of common interest in support of national plans that contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Workshop Objectives

The main outcomes of the workshop are expected to have a clear project roadmap aligned to the project objectives and needs of Workers Organisations. Specific objectives include:

1. Consult representatives of Workers Organisations (EO) on the design, strategy and implementation of the project (Inception Phase);
2. Highlight models for collaboration/social dialogue, services, SDG implementation and reporting, Just Transition for Environmental Sustainability and support with consideration to project integration;
3. Prepare Workers Reps for the project joint meeting with Employers on 24th July in PNG

Participants

Two representatives of Workers Organizations - President and Chair of the Youth Wing - from each of the project target countries (Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and Kiribati) will be invited, with additional invitations extended to representatives from Workers’s Organizations in the Solomon Islands. One participant will be from the Australian Council of Trades Union (ACTU), three from APHEDA and three from ILO (1 from Geneva and 2 from Suva). A total of 19 participants are expected.