ACFTU / ACTRAV group photo during the January 2026 Beijing activity.

Development Cooperation Project

South-South Cooperation to Enhance the Institutional Capacities of Workers’ Organisations in Asia and the Pacific

In a rapidly changing world of work, workers’ organizations across Asia-Pacific and Africa face mounting challenges, from informality and inequality to digital disruption and climate change. This South-South cooperation project responds to this urgency by strengthening the capacity, voice, and influence of trade unions. Through innovative training, digital learning, and regional collaboration, the project equips union leaders, youth, and women to shape policies, promote decent work, and ensure no worker is left behind. By fostering solidarity across regions, it builds resilient, future-ready organizations capable of navigating and transforming evolving labour markets.

Project details

Duration

1 July 2024 - 1 June 2027

Development partner(s)

All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU)

Reference

RAS/24/04/ACF

Location

Asia-Pacific & Africa

Contact

Ariel B. Castro ([email protected])

Additional details

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Project introduction

The ILO's Bureau for Workers Activities and the All China Federation of Trade Unions South–South Cooperation Project is a strategic initiative designed to strengthen the capacity of trade unions across Asia-Pacific and selected African countries in a rapidly changing world of work. Faced with challenges such as digital transformation, platform economies, climate change, and persistent inequalities, the project brings together trade unionists through training, regional exchanges, and policy dialogue rooted in solidarity and shared experience. With already 3,200 participants from 30 countries since 2009, the project reinforces the role of workers’ organizations in shaping inclusive labour markets and advancing social justice.

Oliver Röpke, Director of the ILO's Bureau for Workers' Activities, emphasises that this partnership is “built on genuine South–South cooperation, grounded in solidarity, knowledge sharing, and practical solutions,” enabling trade unions to respond collectively to global transformations while ensuring decent work for all.

It is the priority of ACTRAV to strengthen this partnership with the All China Federation of Trade Unions to accelerate strategic efforts aimed at reinforcing union capacities throughout Asia Pacific region and expand these with other trade unions including in Africa.
Oliver Röpke, Director of the ILO's Bureau for Workers' Activities

Beneficiaries

Beneficiaries of the project include workers’ organisations from Asia and the Pacific region as well as from selected countries in Africa. The specific focus is with targeted beneficiaries such as youth, women, trainers, and senior leadership, ensuring a holistic approach to workers’ organisations.

Key outcomes

Workers' Organisations’ Representatives and Trainers Equipped through Effective Capacity-Building Initiatives in collaboration with ITCILO.

Output 1.1: Competencies of representatives and trainers of workers’ organisations improved.
Output 1.2: Regionally tailored capacity-building programmes delivered to the identified representatives.
Output 1.3: Sub-regional tailored capacity-building programmes enhance the knowledge, influence and skills of beneficiaries at sub-regional level (South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Pacific Islands).
Output 1.4: A cohort of trainers, equipped with state-of-the-art training skills and competencies.
Output 1.5: The cohort of trained trainers supported with delivery and implementation of training activities at national level.

Enhanced knowledge sharing and information exchange using the South-South Cooperation for Effective Policy Influence on the Decent Work Agenda in Asia-Pacific and Africa Regions.

Output 2.1: Regional conferences on key labour issues with participation of senior trade union leadership in Asia-Pacific and Africa organized.
Output 2.2: Sub-regional conferences on key labour issues with participation of senior trade union leadership in Asia-Pacific and Africa Regions and sub-regional trade union committees organized.

Output 3.1: Training modules on key ILO issues for project beneficiaries to access on the Community of Practice, including micro-learning modules developed.
Output 3.2: An online community of practice for trade union trainers in Asia-Pacific established.
Output 3.3: A repository of training activities and modules for trainers to access for their own use in training and capacity building programmes enhanced.

Testimonials

Mr. Saad Muhammad Chaudhary (Pakistan)

Mr Chaudhary from the Pakistan Union Workers Federation participated to the conference on Platform Work in Kathmandu, Nepal on 29–31 July 2025.

Mrs. Mifta Nadia Kspsi (Indonesia)

Mrs. Mifta Nadia Kspsi from the Indonesian Seafarers Union (Indonesia) participated to two digital learning trainings Jakarta, Indonesia (5 -22 May 2025) and Colombo, Sri Lanka (21 July – 7 August 2025).

Activities

Navigating Transformations in the Labour Market: A South–South Exchange on Trade Union Growth and Digital Adaptation

The South–South Exchange held in Beijing was attended by 26 participants (20 men and 6 women) from 12 countries across Asia–Pacific and Africa. The meeting served as a dynamic platform to examine the implications of technological advancement, artificial intelligence (AI), and platform-based work on labour markets. Contributions from trade union leaders, academic experts, and ILO specialists enriched the discussions.

Key thematic areas discussed included platform work, data governance, algorithmic management, and emerging strategies for worker organisation. Country case studies from China, Singapore, and the Philippines provided diverse perspectives on policy innovation and union engagement within the gig economy. Notably, the ACFTU showcased its extensive campaign to unionise platform workers, encompassing over 100 app-based enterprises. Participants from other countries shared insights on legal reforms, landmark judicial decisions, and ongoing challenges in safeguarding the rights of platform workers.

Major outcomes of the exchange included:

Sharing of national strategies for organising platform workers.

Understanding of ACFTU’s large-scale unionisation campaign.

Consensus on the critical role of social dialogue and innovative organising models.

The exchange reaffirmed the necessity of proactive trade union engagement in shaping labour policies, expanding representation among platform workers, and advocating for transparency in algorithmic management systems.

Contact

Ariel B. Castro

Desk Officer, Asia and Pacific, ILO ACTRAV

Email: [email protected] Phone: +41 22 799 6112