RAMALLAH, September 9, 2025 (WAFA) – Global trade federations on Monday urged all member states of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to recognize the State of Palestine.
“On the eve of the upcoming UN General Assembly in New York the undersigned global unions, representing over 200 million workers worldwide through the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the Global Union Federations (GUFs), and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC), fully support the growing commitment of governments to recognize the State of Palestine,” the global trade federations said in a press statement.
They called on all countries to “take this vital step towards achieving a democratic and sovereign
Palestine, living in just and lasting peace alongside a secure Israel.”
“Recognition of the State of Palestine must not be treated as a reward at the end of negotiations. It is an essential element of a just and durable peace,” they added.
They recalled that already, 147 of the 193 United Nations member states have formally recognized Palestine and commended those governments preparing to move forward with recognition during the 2025 UN General Assembly.
“Recognition affirms the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, strengthens international law, and helps create the conditions for genuine negotiations between two equal parties. Recognition is also a step towards redressing the imbalance of power, which prolongs the illegal occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and instability while it continues,” they stressed.
They also stressed that “Recognition now would send a powerful signal that the international community will no longer accept endless deferral of Palestinian rights. It is the foundation on which a real peace process can be built.”
They urged all governments to commit to this step at the United Nations, explaining that “Recognition is a concrete expression of the international community’s will to uphold human rights, ensure compliance with UN Security Council resolutions, and advance the path to a free, independent, and viable Palestine. Only on that basis can a secure Israel and a sovereign Palestine live side by side in peace.”
The signatories included Luc Triangle, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation; Atle Høie, General Secretary, IndustriALL Global Union; Anthony Bellanger, General Secretary, International Federation of Journalists; in addition to representatives of the trade unions of education, transportation, construction, public services, building and wood workers, and the UNI Global Union.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Union, Shaher Saad, hailed this “historic” position and considered that international action to halt the unrelenting Israeli genocidal aggression and declare the independence of the State of Palestine has become a pressing necessity.
K.F.
