Commonwealth values trade union contribution to civil society.

Commonwealth values trade union contribution to civil society.

Mrs Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General, in her address to the Commonwealth Trade Union Group meeting in Geneva on 14 June 2009, expressed her appreciation of the contribution made by trade unions to the Commonwealth People's Forum (CPF) in Kampala and hoped that the trade union participation in the CPF in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2009 would enrich the debate on such important themes as human rights, gender equality, informal sector workers, social protection and sustainable development.

Mrs Mwamba emphasized the impact of the current economic and financial crisis on the countries in Commonwealth, notably, on the most vulnerable and fragile of them and referred to the decline in the GDP in the countries concerned, the 9% projected drop in world trade and significant reductions in direct investment, official development assistance (ODA) and remittances. She added that the forthcoming Meeting of the Commonwealth Finance Ministers in Cyprus would address some of the issues, that climate change, reforms of the International Financial Institutions (IFIs), democracy, good governance and human rights would be part of the agenda of the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Trinidad and Tobago in November 2009 and that the capacity building through technical co-operation remained a priority for the Commonwealth.

Mrs Mamounata-Cissé, Deputy General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), in her speech to the Meeting, said that the Commonwealth and the trade union movement shared a set of aims, values and principles, that they strove to promote them and that the CPF in Trinidad and Tobago would provide an opportunity to work even more closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat, Commonwealth Foundation and other institutions. She stressed the importance of the World Day for Decent Work in 2009 and hoped that it would be celebrated throughout the Commonwealth with the support from all members in the CTUG.

The Annual Meeting of the Commonwealth Trade Union Group (CTUG) chaired by Khurshid Ahmed, General Secretary, Pakistan Workers' Federation (PWF), held at the ILO, was attended 53 representatives from 17 countries in the Commonwealth and Zimbabwe.