The Government of Brazil, through the Brazilian Agency of Cooperation (ABC), of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), and the International Labour Organization (ILO), signed a new agreement South-South Cooperation Programme 2023-2027 “Social Justice for the Global South”, on 16 June 2023. The Programme is designed to support the promotion of decent work and social justice in developing countries in the Americas, Africa and the Asia and the Pacific.
In its new phase, the programme builds on more than ten years of collaboration, spanning 20 projects in more than 40 countries in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. The initiative will support the advancement and promotion of decent work and social justice through the expansion of partner countries’ capacities to develop, strengthen and integrate policies, programmes and initiatives along four axes of action:
- Eradication of child labour and forced labour;
- Strengthening occupational safety and health (OSH) and labour inspection;
- Promotion of gender, race, and generational equity and promotion of equality in the world of work;
- Promotion of decent employment and social protection.
Signed in the presence of the ILO’s Assistant Director General for External and Corporate Relations, Laura Thompson, and the ABC Director, Ambassador Ruy Pereira at ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland as part of the X Brazil/ILO Annual Review Meeting, the launch of the programme also brought together representatives of the Brazilian Government and workers’ and employers’ organizations.
“The Programme signed today reflects Brazil’s commitment to social justice and correlates strongly with the current ILO World of Work Summit: Social Justice for All, which proved to be an excellent opportunity to hear the priorities of ILO constituents and other international agencies and actors and feed into the proposal to forge a Global Coalition for Social Justice”, said Assistant Director General Thompson.
Ambassador Pereira added “the new Programme will seek to advance the promotion of decent work and social justice in developing countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia-Pacific, supporting the expansion of capacities of partner countries to develop, strengthen and integrate policies, programs and initiatives in four areas of action considered priorities by the Brazilian Government and the ILO”.
Held after seven years, the X Brazil-ILO Annual Review Meeting, welcomed ILO constituents and included presentations on progress achieved as well as discussion of current and future collaboration to promote South South and Triangular Cooperation in the World of Work, Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, Social Justice and Decent Work for the Global South.
