The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) Africa and Middle East region convened a landmark Climate Justice Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, this month, uniting 137 trade union leaders, including 56 women and 37 youth from 27 countries, alongside civil society partners and government representatives. With the theme “Building Strong Unions for a Sustainable Future: Uniting for Climate Justice,” the conference addressed workers’ vulnerability to climate change, encompassing extreme heat, wildfires, floods, and displacement. Kenya Building Union General Secretary Julius Maina stressed that while unions are concerned about job security in the shift to green economies, they are equally worried about the immediate risks posed by climate change, thanking BWI for its “Too Hot To Work” campaign on heat stress.

BWI President Per-Olof Sjöo warned that “climate change is no longer a distant concern but a daily reality for millions of construction, wood, forestry, and informal sector workers.” He emphasised that rising temperatures, droughts, floods, and erratic weather are already disrupting livelihoods and endangering safety, particularly for women, young people, and vulnerable workers. He urged unions to go beyond advocacy by organising around climate risks, negotiating safer standards, pushing for just transition frameworks, and demanding governments and employers treat climate adaptation as a core labour right.

The conference drew strong commitments from BWI leaders, ITUC-Africa, and allied partners to build worker power for climate justice. As Sjöo declared, “the climate crisis demands unity across unions, countries, sectors, and generations.” BWI General Secretary Ambet Yuson closed with the reminder that “action without solidarity is futile, and justice without worker safety is no justice at all.” The Nairobi meeting set a clear marker, BWI Africa and the Middle East will lead not only with words but with sustained action, mobilization, and concrete protections to secure workers’ rights, dignity, and livelihoods in the face of the climate emergency.