ITUC Champions Democracy and Social Justice at UN Summit of the Future

Held in New York from 22-23 September 2024, the Summit adopted the "Pact for the Future" after nearly two years of negotiations. According to the ITUC, the Pact presents an opportunity to revitalise multilateralism but requires urgent action and sufficient funding to be effective. Read the ITUC's statement on the Pact for the Future here.

Regarding the Pact's commitments on the digital transition, Luc Triangle addressed the Summit, calling for a binding instrument to regulate the platform economy. He also advocated for trade unions to play an active role in shaping the digital transition to ensure it respects human and labour rights. A notable example of such involvement is the AFL-CIO's agreement with Microsoft on artificial intelligence (AI), which underscores the importance of social dialogue.

The Summit also provided a platform to build alliances with like-minded governments and organisations. The ITUC engaged with high-level figures such as UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Robert Rae, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development Navid Hanif, UN Under-Secretary-General for Policy Guy Ryder, as well as representatives from OXFAM, ICAN, and the Permanent Missions of Belgium and the USA to the UN.

These meetings allowed the ITUC to share its priorities on key UN processes, including the upcoming Second World Summit on Social Development and the Fourth UN Financing for Development Conference. The ITUC reminded global leaders that sustainable development can only be achieved through a New Social Contract that places decent work and SDG 8 at its core, along with bold commitments to finance these policies.