Introductory Message (Summary)
by MS. JEAN D’CUNHA
Regional Program Adviser, UNIFEM- ESE- ASIA
In her introductory message, Ms. D’Cunha, thanked Homenet Southeast Asia for inviting UNIFEM to the forum. She considers it gratifying to be holding this event for drawing and sharing experiences, towards fulfillment of the rights of those working in the informal sector. She added that this forum is ideal for bringing together multiple stakeholders, represented by several countries, and for forging strategies and adapting trade unionism in the informal sector.
According to Ms. D’Cunha, advocating occupational safety and health involves rethinking of strategy to improve conditions in the informal sector. She added that linking the grassroots, and including them in formulating strategies, is equally important in advocating multilevel intervention efforts. As an important level of discourse modeling, the idea is to come up with models of empowerment for strength in membership-based organizing, including the women.
Ms. D’Cunha is pushing for organizing composed mostly of the poor with common agenda, goals and objectives, without discounting the accountability of government in addressing the concerns of the poor. She asks, “how do we gauge the success of membership among the poor, including the women?” In a social environment, the organization must have the capacity, the right to entitlement that is strategic, which means, not only the capacity to earn income, but political capacity to shape policy, introduce policy responsibility to women, to have women participate, implement, and monitor.
In addition, Ms. D’Cunha enumerated some of the factors that will lead to the success of this type of organization: a) a team-based organization composed of the poor and working to advocate for their needs and concerns.; b) a set of elected officers, accountable to the poor; c) the presence of members who contribute cash financially or in kind; d) open representation among the membership; e) a policy document that provides information on what the group believes in and the thrust or direction that it will take; f) a code of conduct as basis for ethical standards in work and attitude; g) support from other organizations, government and NGO; and finally, h) the capacity to manage and operate efficiently.
Challenges sustainability, and . code of conduct -- these factors are of critical importance. How do organizations respond to changes? What best priority must be taken? It is necessary to build awareness of policy makers on the rights based approach, and to engage the poor in all aspects of planning, monitoring and formulation, where they should be represented at all levels. It is important to review the mechanism for governance and to do capacity building in terms of representation, advocacy, operations, management, responding to crisis. It is also important to ensure that funding does not distort operations of the organization. We have to make sure that funding agencies do not erode what was cultivated.
To push for organizing composed mostly of the poor with common agenda, goals and objectives, without discounting the accountability of government, UNIFEM pledges commitment to support Homenet Southeast Asia, as an organization focused on gender concerns, critical to negotiating pressure with governments to facilitate the rights of workers, particularly of women.
|
