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US Funded Technical Cooperation Projects
In 2010 the ILO implemented technical cooperation projects and programs in 100 countries worldwide, including work on combating child labor, creating employment and livelihoods, and developing policies on occupational safety and health.
The US is the single-largest donor of ILO extra budgetary technical cooperation projects, with contributions by the United States of a total of $218 million during 2006-2010.
Approvals by major donor, total, 2006-2010
The launching of the ILO Project “Moving towards a Child Labor Free Jordan”, funded by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL), is a key element of the new Decent Work Country Programme being signed by the ILO tripartite partners on 11 March 2012. It is built on the premise that the twin goals of eradicating child labor and enforcing the right to education for all are achievable in Jordan within a relatively short time frame. This project will help design and develop action to address child labor in Jordan based on relevant policy and legislative frameworks and build the requisite capacities to underpin and sustain this action. The project engages various stakeholders at different levels in designing and implementing its work plan through the participation of relevant government ministries, national and international organisations, UN agencies, civil society organizations and social partners in the National Child Labor Committee and its Technical Committee both chaired and administered by the Ministry of Labor.
In Brazil, the ILO has been working with our social partners on the issue of forced labor in global supply chains. The abolition of “slave labor” and the worst forms of child labor are a key priority in Brazil’s “National Decent Work Agenda”. With grant support from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) of the State Department, the project “Eradicating Forced Labor from Global Supply Chains through Social Dialogue” (2005-2011) has promoted new understanding and strategies for engagement. The key objective is to strengthen the Global Alliance Against Forced Labor by reducing risks of trafficking and forced labor facing Brazilian suppliers and international buyers. The public and private sector efforts in Brazil have helped to raise awareness about forced labor, mobilize companies, rescue thousands of forced laborers, and map complex supply chains in a range of industries.
The US is the single-largest donor of ILO extra budgetary technical cooperation projects, with contributions by the United States of a total of $218 million during 2006-2010.
Approvals by major donor, total, 2006-2010
Selected US Funded Technical Cooperation Projects
Arab States: Moving Towards a Child Labor Free Jordan (2010-2014)
The launching of the ILO Project “Moving towards a Child Labor Free Jordan”, funded by the United States Department of Labor (USDOL), is a key element of the new Decent Work Country Programme being signed by the ILO tripartite partners on 11 March 2012. It is built on the premise that the twin goals of eradicating child labor and enforcing the right to education for all are achievable in Jordan within a relatively short time frame. This project will help design and develop action to address child labor in Jordan based on relevant policy and legislative frameworks and build the requisite capacities to underpin and sustain this action. The project engages various stakeholders at different levels in designing and implementing its work plan through the participation of relevant government ministries, national and international organisations, UN agencies, civil society organizations and social partners in the National Child Labor Committee and its Technical Committee both chaired and administered by the Ministry of Labor.
Americas: Eradicating Forced Labor from Global Supply Chains through Social Dialogue (2005-2011)
In Brazil, the ILO has been working with our social partners on the issue of forced labor in global supply chains. The abolition of “slave labor” and the worst forms of child labor are a key priority in Brazil’s “National Decent Work Agenda”. With grant support from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) of the State Department, the project “Eradicating Forced Labor from Global Supply Chains through Social Dialogue” (2005-2011) has promoted new understanding and strategies for engagement. The key objective is to strengthen the Global Alliance Against Forced Labor by reducing risks of trafficking and forced labor facing Brazilian suppliers and international buyers. The public and private sector efforts in Brazil have helped to raise awareness about forced labor, mobilize companies, rescue thousands of forced laborers, and map complex supply chains in a range of industries.
Africa: Child Labor in Cocoa Fields/ Harkin-Engel Protocol
On September 13, 2010, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, the Labor Ministers of Ghana and the Ivory Coast and Lawrence Graham, President of the National Confectioners Association signed a Declaration of Joint Action to Support Implementation of the Harkin-Engel Protocol that aims to reduce the worst forms of child labor by 70 percent across the cocoa sectors of Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire by 2020. The Declaration was witnessed by U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, Congressman Elliot Engel and ILO Washington Director Nancy Donaldson. Secretary Solis announced a commitment of $10 million to the initiative on behalf of the U.S. Department of Labor to help remediate children caught in the worst forms of child labor. This public-private partnership also includes a $7 million commitment from the international chocolate and cocoa industry, with an additional $3 million in potential increases to existing projects meeting the goals of the Harkin-Engel Protocol.
This Declaration of Joint Action builds on an initial protocol formally entitled "Protocol for the Growing and Processing of Cocoa Beans and Their Derivative Products In a Manner that Complies With ILO Convention 182 Concerning The Prohibition and Immediate Action For The Elimination Of The Worst Forms Of Child Labor". The protocol was established in 2001 by Senator Tom Harkin and Congressman Eliot Engel to address the use of child labor in the cocoa sector. The World Cocoa Foundation, the Chocolate Manufacturers Association, and its members committed to address the worst forms of child labor in the growing and processing of cocoa beans and derivative products in West Africa. The protocol laid out an Action Plan and steps to eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor. Since its inception, Ghana and the Ivory Coast have implemented child-labor-free certification programs, conducted surveys about the practice and publicly posted the results. Moreover, these countries have committed to address issues identified through the data collection and reporting process.
Learn more at: http://harkin.senate.gov/issue/protection/Stop_Exploitation.cfm
This Declaration of Joint Action builds on an initial protocol formally entitled "Protocol for the Growing and Processing of Cocoa Beans and Their Derivative Products In a Manner that Complies With ILO Convention 182 Concerning The Prohibition and Immediate Action For The Elimination Of The Worst Forms Of Child Labor". The protocol was established in 2001 by Senator Tom Harkin and Congressman Eliot Engel to address the use of child labor in the cocoa sector. The World Cocoa Foundation, the Chocolate Manufacturers Association, and its members committed to address the worst forms of child labor in the growing and processing of cocoa beans and derivative products in West Africa. The protocol laid out an Action Plan and steps to eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labor. Since its inception, Ghana and the Ivory Coast have implemented child-labor-free certification programs, conducted surveys about the practice and publicly posted the results. Moreover, these countries have committed to address issues identified through the data collection and reporting process.
Learn more at: http://harkin.senate.gov/issue/protection/Stop_Exploitation.cfm