Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour
Argentina to host the IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour
The international meeting will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 14-16 November and will address the consolidation of the global commitment to the eradication of child labour. Governments, employers’ and workers’ representatives from 193 countries will be attending.
BUENOS AIRES (ILO News) – The IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour1, organized by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security2 of Argentina with the support of the International Labour Organization (ILO)3, will be held in Buenos Aires on November 14, 15 and 16.
The global estimates presented at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2017 show that 152 million children are currently victims of child labour and 25 million people are in forced labour, including 5.7 million children.
The Conference is held in line with Target 8.7 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, which calls for the eradication of child labour by 2025. Under the Target, leaders also committed to “take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking…”
The Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security of Argentina, Jorge Triaca, explained: "With this Conference, Argentina reaffirms its commitment to efforts, here and in the rest of the world, to eradicate child labour. Children have the right to attend school, to play and to grow in a protected environment. It is for them that we have to keep working together, in order to ensure their right to a happy childhood.”
With this Conference, Argentina reaffirms its commitment to efforts, here and in the rest of the world, to eradicate child labour."
Jorge Triaca, Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security of Argentina
A high-level panel will discuss the changes that will define future working conditions, and proposals to develop policies and responsibilities to ensure education for all children and a seamless transition to the labour market.
ILO Director-General Guy Ryder, stated: "In 2015, we agreed to reach the Sustainable Development Goals for the eradication of child labour and modern slavery. Today we have to increase our efforts to fight these scourges. There is no doubt that the Conference in Buenos Aires will be a significant step towards our goal.”
The international event will be attended by over 1,500 representatives of governments, employers and workers from all over the world. Over three days, the delegates will discuss ways of consolidating joint efforts to accelerate the eradication of child labour worldwide. They will participate in technical discussions and exchange experiences and good practices around nine central topics.
The Conference is intended to focus on child labour from different perspectives: public policies, legal framework and tools available to disseminate and manage the information, as well as the children’s schooling, the school-to-work transition for youth, and how to ensure healthy working conditions for them.
Other topics include child labour in rural economies and in crisis situations – such as natural disasters and conflicts–, and how to prevent child labour in the supply chains.
1 IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour Organized by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security with the technical assistance of the ILO Country Office for Argentina, the Conference will be held in Buenos Aires from 14 to 16 November 2017. The goal of the Conference is to contribute to the consolidation of the global commitment to join efforts to achieve child labour eradication by 2025, in line with Target 8.7 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations.
2 Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security The Ministry is responsible for drafting, administering and supervising policies and actions to improve working conditions, training, labour insertion and social security coverage for all citizens.
3 International Labour Organization (ILO) The only tripartite UN agency, the ILO brings together government, employers’ and workers’ representatives of 187 member States to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.
