A landmark Founding Declaration aimed at promoting safer, healthier, and more sustainable workplaces worldwide was signed as part of Expo 2025 in Osaka-Kansai, Japan this month.
The Declaration marks the launch of the World Assembly of Occupational Safety, Health, and Wellbeing Professionals and Stakeholders, a global network committed to driving collaboration, promoting safety and wellbeing, empowering future leaders, and developing a roadmap of concrete actions leading up to 2030.
The announcement took place during the four-day “Days on safety, health and wellbeing” programme, organised by the Global Initiative for Safety, Health and Wellbeing at the EXPO2025 and Beyond (GISHW).
It is the first time in more than 170 years that workplace safety and health has been spotlighted at a World Expo, underscoring how essential good work is to the Expo’s wider theme: “Designing future society for our lives.” The signing of the Declaration marks the beginning of a five-year collaboration to improve working conditions and protect lives and livelihoods around the globe.
Endorsed by global leaders in the occupational safety and health (OSH) field, the Declaration serves as both a foundation for action and a global call to prioritise health, safety and wellbeing in the world of work. It affirms that these principles are central to building equitable, inclusive, and resilient societies.
The World Assembly provides a unified platform to elevate these priorities, ensuring they remain central to global development conversations.
The signatories have pledged to promote workplace safety and wellbeing by integrating proactive risk management, inclusive design, and ethical technology.
They also aim to enhance international collaboration in response to major challenges such as digital transformation, climate change, and demographic shifts.
Future OSH leaders will be empowered through diverse representation and innovation, while a shared roadmap will guide collective actions through 2030 based on insights from Expo 2025 workshops.
The Declaration sets a clear intention to measure and share progress, with signatories committing to revisit these goals during the GISHW Days in Riyadh in 2030. The World Assembly will remain an active platform for dialogue, learning, and leadership, supporting a sustained global movement to place safety, health, and wellbeing at the heart of working life.
Founding signatories include companies and organisations such as ACWA Power, Siemens AG, GalaxyEDGE Safety Inc, Global Solutions Inc., IOSH, NEBOSH, RoSPA, Lloyd’s Register Foundation and others.
Marijana Zivkovic Mtegha, member of IOSH and chair of the World Assembly Working Group and vice-chair, GISHW Executive Committee, said, “In a rapidly changing world, driven by geopolitical and economic volatility, digital transformation, climate change and shifting demographics, the need for safe and healthy workplaces is more urgent than ever. This Declaration acknowledges that safety, health, and wellbeing are not only critical to the workplace but are fundamental to the broader societal agenda, including the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, and beyond.”
