IOSH joins inaugural Global Coalition for Social Justice forum

More than 250 coalition partners joined the session in Geneva, Switzerland, on Thursday 13 June 2024, which was aimed at continuing the ongoing collaborative efforts towards actions to support social justice around the world.

IOSH’s Chief Executive Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher and Strategic Engagement Manager Marijana Zivkovic Mtegha were among them, as they were joined by country ministers, worker groups, businesses, academics and other non-governmental organisations.

The Institution is well positioned to lead and contribute towards joint efforts that align with realising labour rights as human rights, ensuring human dignity and meeting basic needs, as well as strengthening just transitions and the social dimension of sustainable development, trade and investment.

IOSH was initially invited to join the coalition by International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General Gilbert F Houngbo in January this year. The coalition’s mission is to “foster multilateral cooperation and partnerships, accelerating progress towards the achievement of the SDGs. The coalition serves as a platform to generate political commitments, investments and concrete actions that support social justice in alignment with national priorities.”

The invite for IOSH came at a time when IOSH has been working with partners including the ILO and International Social Security Association to run projects in Ghana and Kenya to improve working and living conditions for women in marginalised, hard-to-reach communities, with the ultimate aim of saving lives.

Vanessa added: “We work with partners and have this trickle-down effect that ultimately means something different or change happens on the ground and we think that’s how we can bring social justice.”