Building our Power – Organising for Global Solidarity
10th Annual Global Solidarity Summer School
Congress looks forward to welcoming everyone to Derry for our 10th annual Global Solidarity Summer School – Building our Power – Organising for Global Solidarity
Over 80 trade union delegates from right across the island, North and South will gather to discuss the movement's global solidarity work and to hear from a range of national and international speakers. Kevin Callinan, Congress Vice President, will welcome people to Derry and give the Opening Address.
Emily Paulin of the ITUC Global Organising Academy, in advance of the upcoming ITUC Congress, Copenhagen, 3 to 7 December 2018, will discuss how Unions have come a long way in "Building our Power" since the last ITUC Congress in 2014. Clearly, an intensified collective effort is required if we are to have the level of influence needed to "Change the Rules" and build the kind of world we wish to live in! New and innovative forms of Organising working women and men have been successfully introduced, adapting to the new forms of employment.
Following last week's Irish Government report to the UN High Level Political Forum in New York, delegates will hear from Coalition 2030 rep, Valerie Duffy on Ireland's Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. We will then consider how best to integrate the goals into our trade union work, not least Goal 8 on decent work.
There will also be a focus on Asylum seekers and the recent decision by the Irish Government to grant access to the labour market for people awaiting a decision after 9 months. Delegates will hear from the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, IHREC and about the work of Belfast City of Sanctuary.
Finally, we ill hear about the humanitarian situation in Gaza from Dr. Mona El-Farra, Director of Gaza Projects of the Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA). This will be followed by a discussion on our ongoing Palestine solidarity work, including the Occupied Territories Bill and the recent developments in Israel, with the passing of the "Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people" law there.
There will also be a Rohingya Photographic Display at the Summer School.
We look forward to meeting delegates in Derry. If you want to follow more closely @G_Solidarity will be tweeting using #GSSS18
Please see the below presentations for your attention:
Belfast City of Sanctuary - presentation here
Emily Paulin - presentation here
Lucky Khambule - presentation here
Valerie Duffy - presentation here
