ILC114 - EU Statement - Committee on Application of Standards - Lao PDR C.138
International Labour Conference
114th session
Geneva, 9 June 2026
Committee on Application of Standards
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138)
Thank you Chair.
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Republic of Moldova as well as the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.
The EU and its Member States are committed to the promotion, protection, respect and fulfilment of human rights, including labour rights, children’s rights and the fight against child labour, as enshrined in Convention No.138. We promote universal ratification and effective implementation of fundamental ILO Conventions and support the ILO in developing and promoting international labour standards and supervising their application.
The EU and its Member States have been committed development partners of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), including through the "Everything But Arms" arrangement under the EU’s General Scheme of Preferences. The trade benefits granted under the EBA arrangement are subject to the condition that Lao PDR respects core international principles, enshrined in core UN and ILO Conventions.
We note with concern that the number of children engaged in child labour in the country remains high, despite the decrease observed since 2017. We request the Government to intensify its efforts to ensure the progressive and complete elimination of child labour, including in hazardous work and rural areas and to step up the provision of detailed information to the Committee on the measures taken and results achieved, including disaggregated statistical data.
We also take note of the written information provided by the Government related to the actions undertaken to eliminate child labour and strengthen legislation on minimum age and hazardous work, including the development of a new National Action Plan on Prevention and Elimination of Child Labour. We note with interest the Government’s commitment to further strengthening its efforts and encourage the Government to proceed swiftly to the adoption of the updated National Action Plan. Upon adoption it should be shared with the Committee.
In order to effectively monitor and detect cases of child labour, the capacities of the labour inspection services should be adapted and reinforced. We request the Government to strengthen its efforts in this regard, both in the formal and informal economy. We note the Government’s indication that the new Decree on Labour Inspection is now in force and actively implemented to strengthen the monitoring of child labour, particularly in rural and high-risk areas, and encourage the Government to provide additional information on the activities of the labour inspectorate, including on the number and nature of violations detected and the penalties imposed.
We note with concern that the age of admission to hazardous work is still not aligned with the provisions of Convention n°138. We request the Government to take the necessary measures without delay to bring its legislation into conformity, to ensure that children under 16 may not, under any circumstances, be authorised to perform hazardous work.
We are further concerned by the reported increase in trafficking of women and children, the low prosecutions rates and the insufficient resources to combat this serious issue. We reiterate the Committee’s call to the Government to take all necessary measures to prevent and combat the worst forms of child labour, in particular the trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children under 18 and to ensure thorough investigations and prosecutions, as well as the imposition of effective and dissuasive penalties for all perpetrators.
We recall the importance of the fundamental ILO conventions not yet ratified by Lao PDR, namely Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Right to Organise, No. 98 on Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining and No. C105 on Abolition of Forced Labour, along with the governance convention on labour inspection No. 81.
The ratification and effective implementation of these conventions together with other conventions on human rights, environment and good governance will constitute a prerequisite for Lao PDR to apply for becoming a beneficiary of the Generalised System of Preferences Plus trade scheme with the EU once the country graduates from its LDC status.
The EU and its Member States remain committed to a joint constructive engagement with Lao PDR with the aim to strengthen the Government’s capacity to address the issues raised in the Committee of Experts’ report.
Thank you, Chair.
- ^ North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.