Coordinating Committee for International Staff Unions and Associations of the United Nations holds 31st General Assembly

Analyzing diverse issues related to defending the interests and benefits of United Nations staff is the objective of the 31st annual General Assembly of the Coordinating Committee for International Staff Unions and Associations (CCISUA), which will take place through Friday, June 17, at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in Santiago, Chile.

At the meeting, in which around 40 union representatives from different UN agencies are participating, the attendees will discuss, among other issues, the modifications to the compensation package that were agreed at the body’s General Assembly.

In response to an invitation by ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, Alicia Bárcena, the assembly will also analyze the impact that leading and implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will have on United Nations staff members.

At the inauguration of the meeting, the most senior representative of the United Nations regional organization emphasized the importance of the strength of trade unions and the participation of union leaders in forging better social and labor policies.

“ECLAC has worked on a permanent basis and tirelessly for equality in our region with the objective of ensuring that the fruits of sustainable development reach everyone. In striving for equality, good-quality employment and labor relations are key,” Bárcena said.

The Executive Secretary recalled that the United Nations is the institutional expression of the international community, the cornerstone of the international system and a key actor for effective multilateralism.

“This is member States’ essential instrument for tackling common challenges, managing shared responsibilities and taking collective action, in the constant search for a world that is peaceful, inclusive and developed in a sustainable way, where international law and dignity and the value of the human being are at the center,” she added.

Bárcena said that, to truly fulfill the organization’s objectives, the voice of trade unions and associations must be heard and should be given due consideration in decision-making processes.

The meeting—which is being headed by CCISUA President Ian Richards and Ricardo Jordán, President of the Association of ECLAC Officials—will conclude with a strategic action plan for the next 12 months.

The CCISUA is one of the multilateral body’s three trade unions, along with the Federation of International Civil Servants’ Associations (FICSA) and the United Nations International Civil Servants Federation (UNISERV).