UN Global Compact Leaders learn more about the ILO-Global Compact Child Labour Platform
On September 19, 2013, a special event took place during the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in New York offered to companies and other stakeholders the opportunity to learn more about the Child Labour Platform (CLP).
23 September 2013
A special event during the UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit filled the venue to capacity, bringing together UN Global Compact (UNGC) member companies, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other stakeholders to discuss the common challenges in fighting child labour in value chains, available tools and interventions, and partnership mechanisms.
The event was an opportunity for companies and other stakeholders to learn more about the Child Labour Platform (CLP) and sparked the interest of several prospective member companies. The CLP is a joint initiative by the ILO, the International Organization of Employers (IOE), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and the UNGC, as an engagement platform for Global Compact companies on the elimination of child labour (UNGC Principle 5, based on principles of the ILO’s core Conventions on child labour). The CLP aims to identify obstacles to the effective elimination of child labour in supply chains and the surrounding communities, as well as solutions to these obstacles and ways to catalyze collective action.
Brent Wilton, Secretary General of the International Organization of Employers (IOE), welcomed the participants and encouraged them to take advantage of the CLP as a platform for sharing experiences and ideas about what works and what doesn’t work to combat child labour.
Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of the IndustriALL global union and ITUC representative in the meeting, echoed the growing conviction that labour relations systems could deliver more than social auditing. He said that by bringing together companies and trade unions, the CLP can help to uncover the hidden depths of subcontracting, where child labour is most prevalent.
ILO Assistant Director General, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, urged more companies to join the CLP. He said the CLP not only offers cross-sectoral knowledge on child labour issues from other companies, but also provides direct access to the 20 years of technical expertise, field work and policy advice from the ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour – the Platform's secretariat.
During the event, three member companies of the CLP – The Coca Cola Company, Mars, Inc. and Telefónica – presented the experiences and challenges they faced. The Coca Cola Company described its contribution, as a major buyer of sugar, to efforts involving the Government of El Salvador, local employers’ organizations, cooperatives and the ILO to tackle child labour in sugar cane harvesting in El Salvador. Awareness raising on child labour and increased child labour monitoring, bolstered by expanded public education facilities, contributed to a more than 50% reduction in child labour in sugar cane harvesting over a four-year period. More information on this experience can be found at http://www.ihrb.org/pdf/BLIHR_Human_Rights_and_MDGs.pdf
Mars, Inc. presented its efforts to improve productivity and combat child labour in its cocoa supply chain in the Soubré region of Cote d’Ivoire. Its “Vision For Change” initiative seeks to boost productivity on cocoa farms and improve livelihoods of small-holder farmers, critical to achieving sustainable progress against child labour. Mars is also partnering with ILO-IPEC to support the expansion and strengthening of the Government of Cote d’Ivoire’s Child Labour Monitoring System, integrating children’s rights into its wider efforts to promote sustainability.
Telefonica Foundation presented its extensive programme to tackle child labour in Latin America, implemented over the past 13 years with the participation of hundreds of thousands of children. Telefonica also engages with the UN Global Compact Network in Colombia in the “Here I am Taking Action” initiative, which harnesses communications technology to raise awareness and promote attitudes and activities against child labour, as well as promoting business due diligence with regard to child labour. More information can be found here http://yodigoaquiestoy.co/index.php/page/index/1#.
UNICEF highlighted the ILO’s role in developing and adopting international labour standards, including the Conventions and policies on child labour, as well as the General Comment of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on business and children’s rights. While dealing with states’ obligations to protect against human rights abuses by third parties, the General Comment is highly relevant for business in meeting its human rights responsibilities. The Children’s Rights and Business Principles were signalled as a valuable tool for business covering children’s rights broadly. UNICEF looks forward to continuing collaboration with ILO and the Child Labour Platform.
Several participants also referred to the importance of developing community-based child labour monitoring systems, and the central role that the ILO could play in helping governments, companies, employers’ organizations and trade unions strengthen their monitoring capacity of child labour, right down to the village level. They also mentioned the links that the CLP provides to local and national governments.
The event was an opportunity for companies and other stakeholders to learn more about the Child Labour Platform (CLP) and sparked the interest of several prospective member companies. The CLP is a joint initiative by the ILO, the International Organization of Employers (IOE), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and the UNGC, as an engagement platform for Global Compact companies on the elimination of child labour (UNGC Principle 5, based on principles of the ILO’s core Conventions on child labour). The CLP aims to identify obstacles to the effective elimination of child labour in supply chains and the surrounding communities, as well as solutions to these obstacles and ways to catalyze collective action.
Brent Wilton, Secretary General of the International Organization of Employers (IOE), welcomed the participants and encouraged them to take advantage of the CLP as a platform for sharing experiences and ideas about what works and what doesn’t work to combat child labour.
Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of the IndustriALL global union and ITUC representative in the meeting, echoed the growing conviction that labour relations systems could deliver more than social auditing. He said that by bringing together companies and trade unions, the CLP can help to uncover the hidden depths of subcontracting, where child labour is most prevalent.
ILO Assistant Director General, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, urged more companies to join the CLP. He said the CLP not only offers cross-sectoral knowledge on child labour issues from other companies, but also provides direct access to the 20 years of technical expertise, field work and policy advice from the ILO International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour – the Platform's secretariat.
During the event, three member companies of the CLP – The Coca Cola Company, Mars, Inc. and Telefónica – presented the experiences and challenges they faced. The Coca Cola Company described its contribution, as a major buyer of sugar, to efforts involving the Government of El Salvador, local employers’ organizations, cooperatives and the ILO to tackle child labour in sugar cane harvesting in El Salvador. Awareness raising on child labour and increased child labour monitoring, bolstered by expanded public education facilities, contributed to a more than 50% reduction in child labour in sugar cane harvesting over a four-year period. More information on this experience can be found at http://www.ihrb.org/pdf/BLIHR_Human_Rights_and_MDGs.pdf
Mars, Inc. presented its efforts to improve productivity and combat child labour in its cocoa supply chain in the Soubré region of Cote d’Ivoire. Its “Vision For Change” initiative seeks to boost productivity on cocoa farms and improve livelihoods of small-holder farmers, critical to achieving sustainable progress against child labour. Mars is also partnering with ILO-IPEC to support the expansion and strengthening of the Government of Cote d’Ivoire’s Child Labour Monitoring System, integrating children’s rights into its wider efforts to promote sustainability.
Telefonica Foundation presented its extensive programme to tackle child labour in Latin America, implemented over the past 13 years with the participation of hundreds of thousands of children. Telefonica also engages with the UN Global Compact Network in Colombia in the “Here I am Taking Action” initiative, which harnesses communications technology to raise awareness and promote attitudes and activities against child labour, as well as promoting business due diligence with regard to child labour. More information can be found here http://yodigoaquiestoy.co/index.php/page/index/1#.
UNICEF highlighted the ILO’s role in developing and adopting international labour standards, including the Conventions and policies on child labour, as well as the General Comment of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on business and children’s rights. While dealing with states’ obligations to protect against human rights abuses by third parties, the General Comment is highly relevant for business in meeting its human rights responsibilities. The Children’s Rights and Business Principles were signalled as a valuable tool for business covering children’s rights broadly. UNICEF looks forward to continuing collaboration with ILO and the Child Labour Platform.
Several participants also referred to the importance of developing community-based child labour monitoring systems, and the central role that the ILO could play in helping governments, companies, employers’ organizations and trade unions strengthen their monitoring capacity of child labour, right down to the village level. They also mentioned the links that the CLP provides to local and national governments.
Event programmeWelcome and IntroductionMr. Jose Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs Assistant Director-General of the International Labour Organization Panellists' Remarks Mr. Brent Wilton Secretary-General of the International Organization of Employers Co-chair of the Child Labour Platform Mr. Philip Jennings General Secretary of UNI Global Union Co-Chair of the Child Labour Platform Mr. Kent McVay Director of International Labour Relations, The Coca-Cola Company Mr. Jeff Morgan Director of Global Programs, Mars Inc. Ms. Claudia Aparicio Director of Social Management, Telefonica Mr. Viktor Bo Nyland Senior Advisor – Corporate Social Responsibility UNICEF Panel Discussion Responding to questions from the floor, moderated by the Co-Chairs of the Child Labour Platform Open Discussion Concluding Remarks Mr. Jose Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs Assistant Director-General of the International Labour Organization |