"Yes to employment, but with dignity!" Central American maquila workers approving a new labour rights agenda for the sector. (CoDev, 2016 recipient.)
International Solidarity Fund
As our attention is drawn increasingly to human problems that are international in scope and nature – problems like global poverty and hunger, a global education deficit that sees more than 120 million children without basic schooling, climate change and resource depletion, and a rise in energy and resource-related warfare – unions have become increasingly active in working toward a new, global understanding of human rights and a new solidarity paradigm. Like many other labour organizations in BC and across Canada, we seek to engage in global solidarity causes. To that end, 2006 AGM delegates voted to establish an international solidarity fund.
The fund rests on the belief that we share experiences, needs, and values with all members of the global community. We affirm that what we desire for ourselves, we wish for all others around the world.
International solidarity partnerships should be a two-way street. This means that while we can assist others in their local struggles for a decent life, respect and dignity, they can help us to better understand both our own situation and the consequences elsewhere of institutions and policies rooted in our own society.
International solidarity partnerships, as distinct from traditional charity efforts, stress linking to and supporting popular organizations working to advance human rights.
Understanding the human rights initiatives of others can place our own experiences and struggles in a broader perspective, one that allows us to see what our struggles have in common with others.
The right to an education is a gateway right, a right fundamental to the promotion of other human rights and to the promotion of well-being and dignity.
An International Solidarity Fund Committee (ISFC), comprising the Secretary-Treasurer, two members elected by HRISC, and two Presidents' Council members, make decisions on fund disbursements. International Solidarity Fund Committee members are annually appointed by HRISC and Presidents' Council.
Funding proposals may be initiated by any member local or Presidents’ Council, Executive Committee or ISFC member. There will be a 45 day period between the call for proposals and the deadline for their receipt. The proposals will be reviewed against the established criteria.