Representatives from six countries have met to share experiences and develop practical solutions for advancing occupational safety and heath in the coffee supply chain.
The week-long South-South Cooperation (SSC) event aimed to promote social dialogue and advance respect for workers’ fundamental principles and rights at work across coffee-producing countries, focusing on promoting the right to a safe and healthy working environment through interactive panels, design sprints, and field visits to coffee farms and processing centres.
The event, organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and held in Brazil, brought together tripartite delegations representing governments and employers’ and workers’ organsiations.
By the conclusion of SSC, each country delegation presented its prototype action plan and committed to piloting it, outlining concrete next steps to improve working conditions in the coffee sector.
“Governments, employers, and workers may have differences, but the discussions showed that progress is only possible when we move together toward a common purpose, when we advance in the same direction,” says Dr Rodrigo Hugueney de Amaral Melo, Labour Affairs Coordinator, National Coffee Commission (CNA).
The ILO says it will continue to support participating countries in implementing and monitoring their pilot initiatives, facilitating the exchange of lessons learned, and building collective momentum towards safer and fairer workplaces across the global coffee supply chain.
