Regional Trade Union Programme

Through the regional trade union project, FES pursues the following objectives:

  • Consolidating the regional trade union structures in the MENA region and providing support for women's and youth structures.
  • Promoting regional cooperation between unions
  • Elaborating strategies and trade union position on the socio-economic themes such as social security, migration, informal sector and climate change.
  • Developing e-learning methods to strengthen the knowledge about workers right.

To implement our projects, the regional trade union project works together with:

  • Member of the executive and with young trade unionist. As well as officials and members of the national and sub-regional trade unions.
  • Independent civil society organizations representing the interests of citizens and workers.
  • Policy makers who have influence on the relevant issues;
  • Workers, progressive scientific and intellectual elite dealing with social and trade unions rights.

The planned activities are for instance conferences, seminars, workshops, publications and information visits as well as dialogue. Additionally, more recent instruments such as animated videos and infographics can be used as learning material.

FES is working with varied partners including ATUC (Arab Trade Union Confederation) and the GUFs (Global Union Federation). The GUFs describe eight global trade federations representing national sector trade unions at the international level, along with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC).


Our Regional Projects

Project

E-learning (e-learning) platform for training and education of workers

The Friedrich Ebert Foundation launched with the Arab Trade Unions confederation the e-learning project which is related to various causes of workers and unions.

This project is essential to educate an audience of unionists, workers and professionals and to build their capacities and awareness about their rights, especially those in countries affected by conflicts or prohibiting union work.

This program includes a group of videos that summarize and simplify the most important conventions of the International Labor Organization. But in the infographics, there are comparisons between the local legislation in Arab countries in matters of workers' rights. For example: equal pay and social security.

E-Learning Videos for Trade Unionists on Youtube

Get more videos from our Youtube-Playlist on the FES Channel.

Videos

Video 01 TUP
Video 02 TUP
Video 03 TUP

Unions and Youth

Unions and Gender

Just Transition

Unions and migration

Publications

Kritik der politischen Ökonomie Katars

Beck, Martin

Kritik der politischen Ökonomie Katars

Zur Debatte über soziale Menschenrechtsverletzungen im Vorfeld der Fußballweltmeisterschaft 2022
Tunis, 2022

Download publication (230 KB, PDF-File)


[Coronavirus and its social repercussions for women]

Slaiby, Ghassan; Ezzat, Mouna; BenMousa, Iqbal

[Coronavirus and its social repercussions for women]

[managing the crisis in Egypt, Tunesia and Lebanon]
Tunis, 2020

Download publication (9,5 MB PDF-File)


[Effects of the COVID-19 health crisis]

[Effects of the COVID-19 health crisis]

Tunis, 2020

Download publication (12 MB, PDF-File)


Events

Tuesday, 25.02.2025 - Thursday, 26.06.2025 | Trade Union Program | Events

A training course on strengthening the analytical capacities of trade unions in public finance was organized by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung MENA (FES…


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Monday, 01.12.2025 - Monday, 02.06.2025 | Trade Union Program | Events

On December 1-2, young trade unionists from Bahrain, Algeria, Palestine, Lebanon, Morocco, Jordan, and Tunisia gathered in Istanbul for a workshop…


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Friday, 29.11.2024 | Trade Union Program | Events

On November 29, the Arab Women Trade Union Seminar kicked off under the theme “Towards an Arab Trade Union Agenda to Strengthen the Care Economy”,…


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Press

15.05.2025 | Economic Policies for Social Justice | Press

With the participation of our colleague Dr Salam Said


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| Youth Study | Press

"In this time of interlocking crises, young people in the MENA region are systematically deprived of fair opportunities in life. This book explores…


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| Youth Study | Press

What do young people expect from the future? On behalf of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, researchers conducted individual interviews with more than…


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Helmut Elischer

Project Director

+216 71 775 343
Helmut.Elischer(at)fes.de

Yassine Hannachi

Regional Program Manager

yassine.hannachi@fes.de

Samira Ghazouani

Program Assistant

Samira.Ghazouani(at)fes.de