Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor

With the overall goal of the progressive elimination of child labor, the ILO created the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) in 1992, aimed at strengthening the capacity of countries to deal with the problem and promoting a worldwide movement to combat child labor. In 1998, the ILO Declaration on Principles and Fundamental Rights at Work identified the abolition of child labor as a core labor standard.

IPEC currently operates in 88 countries, with an annual expenditure on technical cooperation projects of $61 million. It is the largest program of its kind globally and the biggest single operational program of the ILO. The 2006 Global Action Plan is a ten-year plan on how Member States can, with ILO support, realize the 2016 target of eliminating all worst forms of child labor. Specific actions highlighted in the ILO Global Report on Child Labor presented at the 2010 ILC include:

• Mainstreaming child labor concerns in national development and policy frameworks;
• The development of knowledge, tools and capacity; and
• Resource mobilization.

The Washington Office supports the IPEC program in coordination with the Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking (OCFT) of the US Department of Labor (DOL). The Washington Office also works with businesses, workers and employee’s organizations, advocacy groups, US government agencies and multilateral institutions to promote the eradication of child labor around the world.