I speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

Only a few weeks ago, many of us participated in the launch of the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, where we saw a number of new pledges from a variety of partners as well as an enhanced commitment from so‑called pathfinder countries. We thank the Office for this informative concept paper.

Last year the ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour achieved universal ratification, clearly underlining the world’s commitment to eliminate child labour in all its forms by 2025. However, we recall the need for enhanced implementation of Convention No.182, as well as Convention No.138 on the Minimum Age and promotion of ratification of the ILO Conventions n°29, n°105 and the Forced Labour Protocol.

As the concept paper shows, it is time to move from words to action and further intensify our efforts, bearing in mind that the current crisis disproportionately affects the most vulnerable and, as such, may well reverse years of progress in the elimination of child labour.

We once again would like to express our appreciation to the Government of the Republic of South Africa for coming forward as the host of the V Global Conference on Elimination of Child Labour and Forced Labour.

The EU is committed to guaranteeing the rights of the child in both its internal and external policies and will continue to cooperate with the ILO to stand up for the rights of every child to develop and reach their full potential in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols.

The EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024 highlights the priority to address child labour in actions to reinforce labour rights. The EU Guidelines on the Rights of the Child as well as those on Children in Armed Conflict continue to guide our actions towards promoting, protecting and fulfilling the rights of the child with a focus on the elimination and prevention of child labour. This zero tolerance of child labour is also expressed in EU trade policy in our commitment to promoting human rights in global supply chains, the ratification of ILO fundamental conventions and decent work worldwide. Due diligence in global supply chains marks an important step in the eradication of child labour. It is therefore important to strengthen responsible management and to enable spaces for decent job creation and sustainable development along the global supply chains.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the poverty situation on a global scale - one of the main triggers of child labour - and has imposed challenges to their education, development, safety and wellbeing. We note with sadness the findings of the ILO-UNICEF report flagging a possible increase in child labour. In addition, the pandemic disproportionately affects the youth employment, and by extension, the apprenticeship agenda. 

It is absolutely vital to prevent a reversal or a standstill in the progress already achieved and to accelerate steps by all means in the fight against child labour and forced labour. We encourage the proposed overview of the realization into concrete actions of the pledges made more than three years ago in Buenos Aires.

We encourage multi stakeholder engagement, together with coordinated urgent global action and underline the important role of Alliance 8.7 that combines the efforts of more than 200 partners towards achieving the SDG target 8.7. We welcome the progress made by Alliance 8.7 and its Pathfinder Countries, that was presented in its new digital report and look forward to an update during the High-level Political Forum of ECOSOC in July this year.

We very much welcome today’s tripartite consultations and are looking forward to further in‑depth discussions and regional consultations. With regard to thematic focus, we support the proposed list, but we would also mention the importance of free and accessible high‑quality education, social protection reaching vulnerable groups and of enforcement capacity, as well as the need to further explore ways of eradicating child labour in global supply chains. The EU and its Member States have always encouraged active and meaningful engagement on a tripartite basis on the issue of child labour.

In the run-up to the Conference, we strongly encourage action-oriented engagement of constituents, relevant stakeholders and partners, including the EU, Alliance 8.7., the ILO, FAO and UNICEF. As signalled during the November discussion at the Governing Body, we would like to see a comprehensive “road map” establishing a calendar of events and high-level activities planned for the International Year 2021.

The ILO can count on the support and active engagement of the EU and its Member States on this important matter. We look forward to the Governing body paper on VGC to be prepared by the Office for information at the 341st GB session.