IUF Women’s Committee Chair Patricia Alonso opened the meeting with a celebration of togetherness, given the challenges of COVID-19.
The Women’s Conference paid tribute to three powerful union leaders who sadly passed away during the last Congress period: Marie Fiankan, former General Secretary of CIAGHACI Dignité, Côte d’Ivoire; Myrtle Witbooi, former President of IDWF, South Africa; Ela R. Batth (also known as Elaben), founder of Self-Employed Women Association (SEWA), India.
After presentations on the brutal suppression of women’s rights in Afghanistan, Belarus, and Algeria, participants further underlined the absolute need to fight for reproductive rights everywhere in the world.
IUF regional reports to the conference touched on four areas of work:
- Organizing and recruiting more women workers and promoting more women trade unionists at the leadership level
- Defending and promoting women workers rights around maternity
- Promoting and developing women’s employment
- Preventing and eliminating gender-based violence and harassment
The IUF World Women's Conference is coming to a close for the day but we are ready for the #IUFCongress2023. It doesn't matter where we're from, what language we speak, or where we work— we're united for equal rights and access to decent employment with #EqualPay. #1u #IUFGlobal pic.twitter.com/iaSnEzvGRZ
— IUF (@IUFglobal) June 10, 2023
