Annually on June 12, the ILO leads the World Day Against Child Labour. This year, events to mark World Day are taking place in more than 50 countries, from policy discussions involving government Ministries and UN agencies, to community level activities involving children and their families.

The theme for the 2015 World Day is “No to child labour - Yes to quality education”. It will draw attention to the fact that lack of access to quality education is a key driver of child labour, and that child labour itself prevents children accessing or fully benefitting from schooling.

The ILO’s key messages for the 2015 World Day highlight the importance of education in preventing and eradicating child labour, in particular through action aimed at:

• providing free and compulsory education;
• ensuring that all girls and boys have a safe and quality learning environment;
• having a properly trained and professional teaching force;
• targeting root causes of child labour through coordinated education and social protection interventions and policy responses.

In Geneva, on the occasion of the World Day 2015, you are invited to join an interactive discussion on the theme of “No to child labour - Yes to quality education”, with the following guests:

• Mr. Kailash Satyarthi, co-winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for his work on children’s rights
• Ms. Lorena Castillo de Varela, First Lady of Panama
• Mr. Alfonso Navarrete Prida, Secretary of Labour and Social Welfare, Mexico
• Ms. Jacqueline Mugo, member of the ILO Governing Body and Executive Director of the Federation of Kenyan Employers
• Ms. Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation

In the latter part of the event, Mr. Salissou Ada, Minister of Employment, Labour and Social Security, Niger, will join the launch of a campaign for ratification of the ILO Forced Labour Protocol, 2014.

The discussion will be moderated by Ms. Conny Czymoch, an international moderator and journalist.

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