Tackling child labour through education – Fiji and Papua New Guinea

Tackling Child Labour Through Education - Fiji and PNG

The European Union, International Labour Organization, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labour have signed a Partnership Protocol Agreement (PPA) in Fiji to ‘TACKLE’ child labour.

The TACKLE project – Tackling Child Labour Through Education– will support the capacity of national and local authorities to formulate, implement and enforce policies and programmes to fight child labour, an obstacle to poverty alleviation and access to basic education, in coordination with social partners and civil society.

Key result areas for TACKLE include:

1. Improved country level child labour and education legal framework through support to its preparation or strengthening it where it already exists.

2. Strengthened institutional capacity leading to improved ability to formulate and implement child labour strategies.

3. Targeted actions to combat child labour designed and implemented to develop effective demonstration models.

4. Enhanced knowledge base and networks on child labour and education through improved advocacy and dissemination of good practices.

The Partnership Protocol was signed by Mr. Wiepke VAN der Goot, Head of Delegation & Ambassador, Delegation of the European Commission to the Pacific and Mr. Werner Blenk, Director of the ILO Office for Pacific Island Countries, the Minister for Education, Youth, Heritage, Culture and Arts, Mr. Filipe Bole and former Minister of Labour, Mr. Lekh Ram Vayeshnoi.

The ILO, with financial support from the European Union (EU) and in agreement with the Committee of Ambassadors of the ACP Group of States launched the project aimed at tackling child labour through education in 11 countries across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (including Fiji and PNG).

The TACKLE project has been developed within the context of a strategic partnership signed in 2004 between the ILO and the EC aimed at reinforcing their joint efforts to reduce poverty and improve labour conditions in developing countries. The overall goal of the partnership is to accelerate the fight against poverty and work towards the achievement of the MDGs.