Date: Thursday, March 30, 2023
Time: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Central Africa Time / 2 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time
Place: In-person (Southern Sun Ridgeway Lusaka, Zambia) and virtual event. Registration required.
To join online, click here.
To join us in Lusaka, RSVP to [email protected].
Co-Hosted By: The Multilateral Partnership for Organizing, Worker Empowerment, and Rights (M-POWER) and the Zambian Congress of Trade Unions
Supported By: Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF), International Trade Union Confederation-Africa, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Solidarity Center and Southern African Trade Union Coordination Council (SATUCC)
“Amplifying the Voices of Workers to Safeguard Democracy in Africa” is an official side event of the second Summit for Democracy, a global democracy initiative co-hosted by Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea, the United States and Zambia from March 28-30, 2023. The second Summit will showcase progress made by Summit partners on commitments during the Year of Action. M-POWER is one of the largest commitments made by Summit partners.
SPEAKERS
● Joy Beene, Secretary General, Zambia Congress of Trade Unions
● Toindepi Dhure, General Secretary, Zimbabwe Domestic and Allied Workers Union
● Kassahun Follo, President, Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions
● Akiko Gono, President, International Trade Union Confederation
● Naomi Kimbala Lunat, Director Gender Youth and Child Development, Zambia Congress of Trade Unions
● Mavis Koogotsitse, Executive Secretary, Southern Africa Trade Union Coordination Council (SATUCC)
● Thea Lee, Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor
● Bheki Mamba, President, Trade Union Congress of Swaziland
● Dan Mihadi, General Secretary, Transport Workers Union – Kenya
● Japhet Moyo, Secretary General, Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions
● Richard Mulonga, Chief Executive Officer, Bloggers Association of Zambia
● Alex Nkosi, Coordinator, International Trade Union Confederation-Africa
● Joel Odigie, Deputy General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation-Africa
● Guy Olivier Ouédraogo, General Secretary, Confédération Syndicale Burkinabé
● Matthew Parks, Parliamentary Coordinator, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU)
● Lisa Peterson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Bureau, U.S. State Department
● Ruth Sakala, General Secretary, Domestic Workers Union of Zambia
● Henry Sinkala, General Secretary, Basic Education Teachers Union, Zambia
● Emmanuel Ugboaja, General Secretary, Nigeria Labour Congress
● Ezra Sekelani Zulu, Youth Chairperson, Zambia Congress of Trade Unions
AGENDA
8:00 a.m. Introductions and Opening Remarks
9:00 a.m. Solidarity Messages
9:30 a.m. Declining Labor and Human Rights Standards on the African Continent
11:30 a.m. Closing Democratic Spaces and Challenges of Transparent Electoral Processes
12:30 p.m. Lunch
1:30 p.m. How Workers Can Strengthen Democracy Through Elimination of State Capture and Corruption in Africa
2:30 p.m. Youth and Women Workers’ Participation in Democratic Governance
3:30 p.m. Closing Statements
Full agenda here.
Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in French.
The Multilateral Partnership for Organizing, Worker Empowerment and Rights (M-POWER) is a historic global initiative focused on ensuring working families thrive in the global economy and elevating the role of trade unions and organized workers as essential to advancing democracy. It includes steering committee members from governments, philanthropy and labor organizations, including the AFL-CIO, Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC); the governments of Argentina, Canada, Spain and the United States; and Funders Organized for Rights in the Global Economy (FORGE). The Solidarity Center is a partner.