The BWI is the Global Union Federation grouping free and democratic unions with members in the Building, Building Materials, Wood, Forestry and Allied sectors.

The BWI groups together around 328 trade unions representing around 12 million members in 130 countries. The Headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland. Regional Offices and Project Offices are located in Panama and Malaysia, South Africa, India, Burkina Faso, Bosnia Herzegovina, Curaçao, Chile, Kenya, South Korea, Russia, Peru, Brazil and Thailand.

Our mission is to promote the development of trade unions in our sectors throughout the world and to promote and enforce workers rights in the context of sustainable development.

The BWI works closely with the European Federation of Building and Wood Workers (EFBWW), the Nordic Federation of Building and Wood Workers (NFBWW), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Global Union Federations (GUFs). The BWI has a Special Consultative Status to the Economic and Social Committee of the United Nations and is engaged with international organizations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the international employers’ organizations, such as the Confederation of International Contractors’ Associations (CICA) and the regional and international financial institutions such as the World Bank and World Trade Organization (WTO).

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