Alliance 8.7 Pathfinder Country Annual Workshop
At the annual Pathfinder Country workshop, held for the first time in-person in December 2024, Pathfinder Countries and candidate countries exchanged experiences, challenges and progress on the implementation of their national SDG 8.7 Roadmaps. It was also an opportunity for exchange on thematic topics including on supply chains, migration and child labour in agriculture. A meeting of the Alliance's governance body - the Global Coordinating Group (GCG) - took place after the workshop and Pathfinder Country focal points had an opportunity to exchange with GCG members at a joint meeting session focusing on an in-depth analysis of the Pathfinder Country progress reports. See the wrap up video of the Pathfinder Annual Workshop , and the video of the Global Coordinating Group meeting.
Creation of the Alliance 8.7 Action Group on Agriculture
The new Alliance 8.7 Action Group on Agriculture (AGA) was established during the 19th meeting of the Global Coordinating Group in December 2024. Aligning with the Durban Call to Action, it aims to accelerate progress towards the elimination of child labour in agriculture, where 70% of child labour persists, particularly on family farms and small-scale operations. The AGA will aim to strengthen Pathfinder Countries’ capacity to address root causes of child labour in agriculture, to enhance engagement of agricultural stakeholders, and generate evidence on agricultural sub-sectors, complementing the Alliance 8.7’s work of the Action Groups on Supply of Chains and on Migration. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will serve as the Secretariat of this Action Group in coordination with the International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture (IPCCLA) members. More information about the newly created AGA will be shared in the coming weeks.
Upcoming event! Understanding the new European Union regulation on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the EU market: Implications and guidance for businesses
The ILO' Global Business Network on Forced Labour is organizing this webinar to provide comprehensive information about the recently adopted EU regulation prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market, its implications for business, and the subsequent steps for implementation. Speakers include: Javier Martín Cerracín, Policy Officer on Trade and Human Rights / Forced Labour at DG TRADE (Unit on Multilateral Trade and Sustainable Development) – European Commission; and Carmen Raluca Ipate, Team Leader – Forced labour in DG Grow D3. Market surveillance – European Commission
Date: 21 January 2025 Time: 14:00-15:30 CET
Language: The webinar will be conducted in English, with interpretation available in French and Spanish.
For more information and to register click here
Seeking Champions in the Fight Against Child Labour: The 2025 Iqbal Masih Award Nomination Period is Open!
Iqbal Masih was sold into slavery as a carpet weaver at age four. At 10, he escaped and became a powerful voice against child exploitation. Though he was tragically killed in his native Pakistan at age 12, his courage lives on through the U.S. Department of Labor's prestigious award bearing his name. Each June, the Secretary of Labor honors those who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in combating child labor globally. From grassroots activists to pioneering organizations, our past recipients share Iqbal's unwavering commitment to protecting children's rights. We invite you to nominate a person, company, organization, or national government for this year's Iqbal Masih Award. Information on the criteria for this non-monetary award and on the nomination process and submission guidelines are available here. Nominations are due 21 February 2025.
International Forum of Prosecutors Countering Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling
UNODC convened the first-ever International Forum of Prosecutors Countering Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling (4-6 December). The Prosecutors Forum, funded by the European Union, was aimed to establish a robust network of prosecutors, fostering cross-border cooperation to dismantle criminal networks while ensuring that the rights of smuggled migrants and victims of trafficking are upheld.
ICAT Principals call for sustained efforts to counter child trafficking
The Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT) met at the level of Principals of the member organizations on 13 December. The Principals, among others, confirmed UNODC and the Organization of American States (OAS) as the co-chairs of ICAT in 2025, taking over from the 2023-2024 co-chairs – the International Organization for Migration and Office of the Special Representative to the Secretary-General on Violence of Children – and issued a Joint Statement calling on States to implement sustained and coordinated efforts to prevent child trafficking, support and protect children, realize their rights, and ensure their safety and well-being. Read the Joint Statement in Spanish here.
GALAB project: Empowering partners in Nigeria and strengthening social protection in Ghana
The ILO's Global Accelerator Lab (GALAB) project, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, recently conducted awareness campaigns in Ondo State, Nigeria, to increase health insurance registration among communities affected by child labour. These campaigns aim to boost registration for health insurance among informal workers and vulnerable households, addressing key challenges of child labour. Also in Nigeria, the GALAB project is launching a Community of Practice to empower informal workers' representatives in Ondo State to eliminate child labour in the cocoa sector. In Ghana, a recent ILO-led workshop in Akosombo gathered Ghanaian government, civil society, and social welfare leaders to enhance the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) social protection programme by adding child labour indicators.
TIP Office Notice of Funding Opportunity
The Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office) International Programs Team announces Stage One of a two stage open competition for grant funding to support the Program to End Modern Slavery (PEMS). The TIP Office is accepting Statements of Interest for projects that aim to build the evidence base around what interventions work effectively to address trafficking in persons through funding the implementation and rigorous evaluation of high-potential and high-impact promising interventions. Applications for this funding opportunity must be submitted via MyGrants (https://mygrants.service-now.com/grants ) by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on February 4, 2025, to be eligible for consideration. Please visit Grants.gov for full details on this funding opportunity and how to apply.
UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, Especally Women and Children
The UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (UNVTF), managed by UNODC, have launched a new Global Call for Proposals (CfP) under Sub-Grant Programme (SGP) 1 of the Fund’s 9th cycle. The Call for Proposals invites applications from NGOs worldwide providing direct assistance to victims of human trafficking. Projects should have a duration of 9 months, with a maximum grant allocation of USD 20,000. The deadline for applications is Friday, 31 January 2025, 23:59 CEST.
UNODC Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024
UNODC launched the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024 in December 2024. It is the eighth edition of this global report and previous editions can be accessed here. The 2024 Report covers 156 countries and provides an overview of the response to trafficking in persons globally. It highlights, among others, the rise in child trafficking, trafficking for forced labour and forced criminality, and the high impact of poverty, conflicts, and climate change in compounding vulnerability to trafficking in persons. In addition, the UNODC Data Portal on Trafficking in Persons, a repository of information on victims of trafficking and their profiles and (suspected) offenders detected worldwide between 2003 and 2023, is also now available online.
Reframing child labour due diligence for businesses and investors in increasingly regulated and resilience challenged supply chains
This year the UK supported FiftyEight, together with the Global Child Forum and Church Investors Group to develop a learning paper on moving towards more impactful approaches to addressing child labour while mitigating material risks to supply chains and investments. The paper summarises learning from an investor and company roundtable series exploring how due diligence, ESG data and analyst requirements can be re-framed in ways which will lead to faster and more sustainable actions for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in supply chains. Access the full report here.
Research on Emerging Market Perspectives on Business and Human Rights Measures and Economic Development
FiftyEight have also recently published an executive summary of UK funded research analysing how the implementation of Business and Human Rights measures are experienced in emerging market and developing economies, taking the perspectives of those across the supply chain, ranging from smallholders to international buyers. The publication includes a high-level summary of the positive outcomes, as well as the challenges and unintended consequences faced by interviewees with existing and emerging regulations. Please see here a link to the Executive Summary of this research, where you can register for the full report.
Trends on child labour in Myanmar 2021-2024, a study of Mon, Kayin, Kayah and Shan states
This study analyses how developments since 2021 have impacted child labour in Myanmar through a qualitative assessment of trends in ethically controlled areas in four states - Mon, Kayin, Kayah and Shan. Based on interviews, focus discussions and case studies of children engaged in child labour, the study explores themes and developments in the incidence, nature and causes of child labour against the backdrop of a severely deteriorated security and socio-economic landscape.
Child labour due diligence training package for the tea and coffee supply chains in Uganda
This ILO training package helps businesses implement the ILO-IOE Child Labour Guidance Tool for Business. It aims to increase understanding of child labour's negative effects, guide implementation in line with international principles and legislation, and propose practices to identify, prevent, and mitigate child labour risks.
Mapping and analysis of the coffee value chain in Uganda and Honduras
The EU-funded project Ending child labour in supply chains: Addressing the root causes of child labour in supply chains through an area-based approach, (CLEAR Supply Chains) produced two reports on Mapping the coffee value chain in Uganda and Mapping the coffee value chain in Honduras (also available in Spanish).