By Esenvosa Izah
The International Labour Organization (ILO) and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) have collaborated to build capacities of workers to participate in UN reforms relating
to decent work agenda.
The organisations are jointly organising a three-day capacity building workshop for NLC educators
on the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UN-SDCF) and the
Decent Work Agenda (DWA).
At the opening of the workshop on Wednesday in Lagos, the Director of ILO Country Office, Ms Vanessa Phala, said that the workshop was crucial and planned as part of ILO’s ongoing efforts at exploring innovative approaches.
Phala was represented by Ms Chinyere Emeka-Anuna, Senior Programme Officer, ILO Country Office, Abuja.
“These approaches are for supporting and guiding trade unions and encouraging them to take a more proactive and assertive role in processes shaping development policies at national, regional and global levels.
“To this end, allow me to commend the ILO (ACTRAV) for launching, in April 2021, a publication entitled: `United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation and the Decent Work Agenda: A Trade Union Reference Manual’.
“The reference manual for trade unions emphasises their political and developmental role in the UN sustainable development.
“I am pleased to note that this workshop has been conceptualised around the themes and modules in the reference manual designed to explain and simplify UN country level development processes,” she said.
The official said that the processes included common country analyses leading up to the consolidation and adoption of the cooperation frameworks and the expected role of trade unions as well as how unions could promote ILO normative agenda, international labour standards and national development strategies.
A UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr Matthias Schmale, said that the UN-SDCF outlined how the UN system would leverage its comparative advantages and broad resources.
Schmale was represented by Ms Inviolata Chinyangarara, ILO Senior Specialist in Workers’ Activities,
Country Office, Abuja.
He said: “It has been written with the close collaboration and vital inputs of government at all levels,
along with a wide array of others from across the society, including the NLC.
“We are now close to finalising this essential framework; the document will be our North Star as it
outlines the how, what, where, when and why of the UN’s activities across the country.
“It outlines how we will drive change and accomplish the 2030 Agenda with its accompanying SDGs.”
In his remarks, NLC’s General Secretary, Mr Emmanuel Ugboaja, said that the workshop was unique because trade unions had not been engaged with regard to UN operations in the country.
“There is a formal effort to get the workers through the trade unions to be involved and get acquainted with the works of the UN in the country.
“This is the initial take-off to build the capacity of trade unions to understand the workings of the UN, particularly with regard to the development goals,” he said. (NAN)
