Post-2025 ASEAN Roadmap to eliminate child labour progresses

BANGKOK (ILO News) – Representatives of governments, employers and workers from ASEAN member states (AMS) have put the finishing touches to a post-2025 ASEAN Roadmap to eliminate child labour in the region.

Meeting in Bangkok and virtually on 1–2 July 2025, approximately 100 delegates validated and finalized the draft of the post-2025 ASEAN Roadmap on Prevention of Child Labour Including Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour, in preparation for its submission to the ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting (ALMM) for final approval later in 2025.

With the current Roadmap concluding in 2025, ASEAN Member States, technically supported by ILO, are shaping a forward-looking regional framework to collectively accelerate progress toward eliminating child labour by building on past achievements and addressing new challenges.

"Asia and the Pacific has made the fastest global progress, reducing child labour by 43 per cent since 2020. With 27.7 million children still affected, the ASEAN Post-2025 Roadmap is a key opportunity to sustain momentum and eliminate child labour,” said Bharati Pflug, ILO Senior pecialist on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work.

The workshop emphasized the importance of coordination and commitment among ASEAN Member States and relevant partners, and outlined priority actions focused on prohibition, prevention and protection, with particular attention paid to emerging challenges such as supply chains, the digital economy and climate change.

The growing complexity of addressing child labour in hard-to-reach sectors, including online exploitation and child domestic labour was highlighted. The participants - guided by ILO’s technical inputs - also reviewed and revised the proposed Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) framework in order to strengthen the capacity of ASEAN Member State representatives in implementing, monitoring and evaluating the new Roadmap.

Observers from Timor-Leste also attended the meeting. According to ASEAN, Timor-Leste is anticipated to become the 11th full member of ASEAN in October 2025.

Based on the latest global estimates on child labour by the ILO and UNICEF, the prevalence of child labour in the Asia-Pacific and ASEAN regions remains notably lower than the global average. Nevertheless, in ASEAN countries there are still an estimated 5.6 million children- equivalent to about 4 out of every 100 - are trapped in child labour.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Labour of Thailand, in collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat, with technical support from the ILO’s Trade, Labour and FPRW in Southeast Asia project, funded by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

© ILO

© ILO