BUSINESSMED, represented by its Secretary General, Mrs. Jihen BOUTIBA MRAD, has participated in the Global Deal Forum, which was held in Tunis, on October 31st 2017.

This forum was co-organized by the Swedish Embassy in Tunis and the Swedish-Tunisian Chamber of Commerce, in the framework of the Global Deal, which is a multi-stakeholder partnership with the objective of jointly addressing challenges in the global labour market and enabling all people to benefit from globalisation. It aims to stimulate governments, enterprises, trade unions and other organisations to make concrete commitments, in order to promote social dialogue. Among the participants, were Mr. Mohammed Trabelsi, the Tunisian Minister for Social Affairs, BUSINESSMED, Mr. Noureddine Taboubi, Secretary General of the Tunisian General Labour Union  UGTT, Mr. Sami Silini, representative of the employer organization, the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts UTICA, and Mr. Mustapha Tlili, representative of the Arab Trade Union Confederation ATUC. On the Swedish part of the panel, EU and Trade Minister Mrs. Ann Linde was accompanied by Mr. Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson, chairman of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Mr. Göran Trogen, former CEO of Almega employer organisation.

Remembering that in Tunisia, all main social partners are associated partners to the Global Deal, and have been part of the initiative since its start, namely the Tunisian General Labour Union UGTT, the Tunisian Employer Organisation (UTICA) and the Tunisian government. By becoming part of this initiative, Tunisia has demonstrated its willingness to make real engagements in order to ensure the success of the Social dialogue, which has been primordial for the democratic process. In 2015, the National Dialogue Quartet, in which both UTICA and UGTT are partners, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for its decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011”.

The forum, via a Panel on « How can social dialogue enhance inclusive economic growth and sustainable development», had several objectives: Discussing both the Tunisian and the Swedish experience in depth, as well as talking on the way forward for the Global Deal in Tunisia.

During this forum, BUSINESSMED took part in the discussions concerning the ongoing exchange of experience, as well as the important role of the civil society and social actors in the country’s democratic process and the establishment of good conditions for economic inclusive growth.