Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is gearing up for the upcoming COP30 climate summit by holding a strategic retreat for its focal persons and affiliate unions.
This preparatory event, tagged: “The Pre-COP30 Retreat and Regional Strategy Visioning Meeting”, is part of the Congress’s broader effort to ensure that Nigerian and West African workers have a unified voice at the global climate talks.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) is scheduled to take place from November 10 to 21 in Belém, Brazil. The summit will focus on new national action plans and intensified efforts to curb global temperature rise.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, Mlthe NLC’s National Coordinator for Climate Change, Eche Asuzu, explained that the retreat aims to consolidate regional positions ahead of the international climate negotiations.
“This meeting will help us refine Nigeria’s and West Africa’s collective stance for COP30. It’s also an opportunity to align our strategies with those of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Africa Climate Network,” Asuzu said.
He added that the retreat would culminate in a comprehensive report, a harmonized position paper for both the Global South Just Transition Conference and COP30, as well as a strategic roadmap guiding climate advocacy efforts through 2026 across Anglophone West Africa.
According to Asuzu, the NLC is committed to embedding climate justice and a just transition at the heart of Nigeria’s climate framework. “Workers must be active participants in shaping fair and inclusive solutions to climate change,” he emphasized.
Looking ahead, Asuzu highlighted the significance of the year 2025 in global climate policy, with countries expected to submit final versions of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
He noted that Nigeria has played a proactive role in crafting two vital global climate instruments—the NDCs and the Just Transition Guidelines.
“Our focus has been on ensuring that workers’ perspectives are embedded in climate policy discussions and national commitments,” he stated.
Backed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the NLC has rolled out a comprehensive advocacy strategy to integrate workers’ voices into Nigeria’s forthcoming NDC 3.0 and Just Transition Guideline.
The Congress has also formulated a Nigerian Workers’ Charter of Demands for a Just Transition, anchored on the principles of the Decent Work Agenda.
(NAN)
