Our work

In 1967 we started working with independent trade unions in Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia to improve working conditions for workers in the formal and informal economies. 

Think of wages high enough to live on, a safe workplace for women as well as men, the right to negotiate on behalf of a trade union and a stronger position for young workers. Conditions far from achieved in many  countries in the world.  

CNV International aims to: 

• Strengthen inclusive social dialogue
• Improve labour rights
• Increase youth employability
• Realise equal labour rights for women and empower women at work

We focus on improving labour rights in these supply chains

• Textile (pale green)
• Sugarcane (rose)
• Palm oil (green)
• Mining (polymetals, coal) (black)
• Cashew (blue)

We are the development organisation of the Dutch trade union CNV, and we work closely with international partner unions. We train colleagues from abroad to become strong negotiating partners in their own countries and strengthen the voices of young people and women. 

We do this by providing courses, exchanging knowledge and using our network. In addition, we work together with the Dutch government and the Dutch business community in making their international production chains more sustainable, e.g. by providing advice and laying down commitments for international responsible business conduct in voluntary IRBC agreements.

CNV Internationaal is an independent foundation, closely linked to the National Confederation of Christian Trade Unions (CNV) in the Netherlands. Together with its partner organisations, CNV Internationaal protects and promotes workers' rights based on the principles of international solidarity, personal responsibility, social dialogue and pluralism. In the Netherlands, CNV Internationaal contributes, working with the CNV to improving working conditions through lobbying, policy influencing and awareness building.

Who we are: organisation, board and team

CNV Internationaal it doing its work in cooperation and with the support of a large number of parties:

• Our main programme Dialogue@Work 2021-2030, in which we strengthen the position of workers, is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands through the trade union co-financing programme TUCP).
   
• STITCH: Sustainable Textile Initiative: Together for Change 2021-2025, Thanks to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we are working together with Fair Wear Foundation, Mondiaal FNV, ETI (UK) and other organisations from Asia to improve the position of workers in the textile industry.
   
• CNV Internationaal also participates in agreements on international Responsible Business Conduct and corporate social responsibility, in various economic sectors. Within these IRBC agreements we work on fair work throughout the chain, together with the business community, other trade unions, NGOs, the government and the Dutch Social Economic Counccil.
   
• Through joint projects cofunded by  companies and foundations, we increase the impact of our work.
   
• A number of collective labour agreements concluded by CNV trade unions in the Netherlands include agreements on funding abroad, out of solidarity with colleagues within the same sector there; the hairdressers' and public transport collective labour agreement is a good example.
   
• Last but not least, CNV Internationaal is also grateful for the support of a large group of loyal private donors.

Work in progress - Timeline of our work