MARRAKECH – Global leaders at the 6th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour adopted the Marrakech Global Framework for Action Against Child Labour, calling for urgent, scaled-up action to protect children, especially the youngest and those in rural areas.
In this context, Alliance 8.7 marked its 10th anniversary with a high-level side event, “Alliance 8.7 – 10 Years of Partnership and Action,” showcasing a decade of collective efforts and outlining how the Alliance will help translate the Framework’s priorities into action at country and community levels.
Marrakech Global Framework: From Commitment to Action
The Marrakech Global Framework recognizes that an estimated 138 million children are still in child labour worldwide, including 54 million in hazardous work. Building on the 2022 Durban Call to Action, it emphasizes stronger implementation of international labour standards, backed by enforcement, social dialogue, and robust institutions—prioritizing action over new declarations.
“The Marrakech Global Framework for Action Against Child Labour will be a central element in our work to end child labour. I invite you all to join forces with us in making this framework a reality.” Ambassador Claudia Fuentes Julio, Chair of Alliance 8.7.
The Framework calls for prevention measures targeting children aged 5–11 and those in rural areas, including free, quality basic education, universal social protection, and better job opportunities for adults and youth. It also highlights high-risk sectors such as agriculture, addresses emerging threats like technology-facilitated commercial sexual exploitation, and stresses improved data, monitoring, and accountability.
Alliance 8.7 Side Event: 10 Years of Partnership
Held on 11 February, the Alliance 8.7 side event brought together Pathfinder Countries, UN agencies, civil society, social partners, people with lived experience, and the private sector. Participants reflected on progress in eliminating child labour, forced labour, modern slavery, and human trafficking, and discussed how Alliance 8.7 can drive implementation of Marrakech priorities through Pathfinder Country roadmaps and global advocacy.
Speakers highlighted that Alliance 8.7 has transformed global commitments into a dynamic multi-stakeholder platform, linking over 36 Pathfinder countries and more than 400 partner organizations. Alliance 8.7’s Pathfinder Country roadmaps and Action Groups on Supply Chains, Agriculture, and Migration, as well as the Survivor Engagement Working Group and recognized business networks, like the Child Labour Platform, were presented as key channels to carry the Framework from words to practice.
📽️ Watch the recording here.
From Framework to Implementation
Effective action, the event emphasized, is multistakeholder, survivor-centred, and context-specific, focused on high-risk areas such as global supply chains, migration routes, and agriculture. Survivors are recognized as partners in governance and implementation, embodying the principle: “nothing about us without us.”
The Alliance also showcased practical pathways for translating commitments into local realities, including aligning corporate due diligence with national responses in countries such as Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, and Uganda. Innovative resourcing efforts, including the newly established Alliance 8.7 Multi Partner Fund, were highlighted as essential to sustain momentum.
Looking Ahead: Accelerating Progress for SDG 8.7
The side event closed with a creative activity marking the Alliance’s 10th anniversary, symbolizing a shared vision of a world free from child labour, forced labour, modern slavery, and human trafficking.
Alliance 8.7 partners left Marrakech with a clear mandate: to use the Alliance’s convening power, knowledge base, and political voice to accelerate implementation of the Marrakech Global Framework, ensuring that conference commitments translate into tangible improvements in the lives of children at risk.
