The International Trade Union Confederation - Asia Pacific (ITUC-AP) is a regional federation of 62 trade union centres from 36 countries and territories in Asia and the Pacific region, representing an effective membership of over 60 million.
Building workers’ power and solidarity in the region, the ITUC-Asia Pacific is guided by its profound conviction that democratic and independent trade unions are crucial to upholding the dignity and securing the wellbeing of the working people. It strives for human rights, social justice, gender equality, peace, freedom and democracy.
Founded on 4 September 2007 in Bangalore, India, the ITUC-Asia Pacific arose from the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions - Asia Pacific Regional Organisation and the Brotherhood of Asian Trade Unions. This came about shortly after the creation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in its Founding Congress on 1-3 November 2006 that brought together the former affiliates of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) and the World Confederation of Labour (WCL), as well as other independent trade unions that were not affiliated to any international or regional trade union organisation. Uniting the international trade union movement and strengthening global solidarity were seen as an imperative in tackling the intensifying challenges of globalisation at that time.
At present, forging international solidarity remains paramount as workers are confronted with major changes in the world of work driven by shrinking civic space, digitalisation, climate change, demographic shifts, and recently, global pandemic.
The ITUC-Asia Pacific is committed to building the capacity of its affiliates, helping trade unions strengthen their profile nationally, assisting affiliates in organising the unorganised workers, and advancing the affiliates’ agenda at the regional and global levels through campaigns and advocacy with regional and international institutions.
The Regional Constitution and Standing Orders (hereinafter, Constitution) establish the fundamental principles that guide and govern the operations of the ITUC-Asia Pacific.
The Constitution was adopted at the Founding Conference of the ITUC-Asia Pacific on 5 September 2007 in Bangalore, India, and was amended in subsequent Regional Conferences in Singapore (11-13 May 2011), in Kochi, India (1-3 August 2015), and in Tokyo, Japan (7-9 October 2019). The latest amendments, which took into account the current realities in the region as well as the recent global trends (i.e., the COVID-19 pandemic), were adopted in the recently held 5th Regional Conference in Bangkok, Thailand on 20-22 November 2023.
The Constitution can be downloaded here.
The ITUC-Asia Pacific is independent and democratic. Although the ITUC-Asia Pacific is an organic part of the ITUC, it maintains its autonomy in governance and decision-making.
The ITUC-Asia Pacific is governed by the four-yearly Regional Conference, Regional General Council, and the Regional Executive Bureau.
Recognising the important role and representation of women and youth in the trade union movement, the ITUC-Asia Pacific, through the Regional General Council, established the Women’s Committee and the Youth Committee. The Chairs of the two committees also serve as ex-officio members of the Regional General Council with the right to vote.
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