Concept Note
The World Social Forum 2024 Nepal is being organized in Kathmandu from 15th to 19th February with its founding slogan “Another World is Possible’. The World Social Forum First met in January 2001 at Proto Alegre. Convening of the forum was an alternation response to the emerging contradiction of globalization and institutions that shape the course of globalizations. Unrestricted Market fundamentalism that was associated with globalization needed to be checked and challenged with alternative debates and possibilities. Thus, The WSF emerged as an open meeting place for reflective thinking, democratic debate of different ideas, free exchange of experience and interlinking for effective actions, by groups and movements of civil society that are opposed to inhuman unsought of globalization and domination of the world by few powerful institutions.
At the core of WSF movement is recognition of plural voices of justice, equity and participation. Much has changed since the last first decade of 2000, world today is facing newer form of globalized challenges. The political social and economic contradiction that was created by unbridled economic globalization brough more dislocation and disarray in global spaces and national societies. This has created condition of fear and anxiety among poor and marginalized communities and people all over the world similarly as we witness democratic reversal, emerging populism, authoritarianism, unapologetic nationalism and majoritarianism. World has change significantly after COVID-19 Pandemic. Its impacts are still unfolding. We live in much fluid and uncertain world today. Imagining or articulating Another World in these contexts requires much deeper conversations among people at large.
Trade unions and workers are always on the forefront of the struggle of equitable and just democratic society. If we look back to history of Nepal, Trade unions have struggled for a long since 1946 and played a significant role in major political transformations, to establish the democracy with human and trade union rights. Nepali Trade Unions have created a Joint Trade Union Coordination Centre (JTUCC) Nepal to raise workers voice collectively and claim their rights. Despite of the remarkable achievements with progressive labour legislations and policies to address the changing world of work, Trade Unions in Nepal have been facing various challenges as the implementation of labour-related laws, policies and international labour standards proved to be inadequate, resulting the workers being deprived of their fundamental labour rights. Moreover, the changing global context and domestic production relations has added numerous challenges to the labour market and our labor relations could not able to change as per our expectations.
Individual trade unions have been participating in past WSFs to voice their concerns in global solidarity and in WSF Nepal we are participating in various platform both individually and collectively. This has allowed us for opportunity participate in multiple issues. In this WSF 2024 JTUCC’ is organizing a Nepal Labour Forum to debate and discuss following issues among many other. We feel at the core of our struggle is recognition, dignity and justice.
Issues to Discuss:
- Social Justice for workers
- Challenges of democratic backsliding and question of political participation and representation
- Changing nature of work- emergence to new technology such as automation and AI
- Wage and livelihood, OSH, Job Security
- Migration and migrant workers- xenophobia, wage theft, inhuman treatment, precarity
- Gender justice issues- discrimination, harassment, representation
- Climate crisis and Just transition
- The Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection
- Informalisation of Jobs
Objectives of the JTUCC High Level Discussion
- To understand the emerging challenges in world of the work and role of Trade Unions to address the
- To discuss on the effective measures to ensure the fundamental labour rights and social justice to the
Program Details
Venue: Bhirkutimandap Hall, Kathmandu Date: 18 February, 2024
Time: 2 pm-4:30 pm
Participants
The national trade unions, international trade unions, global union federations, experts, other workers’ rights organization, civil society organisations etc.