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REGIONAL MEETING PREPARATIONS FOR THE IV GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON THE SUSTAINED ERADICATION OF CHILD LABOUR

REPRESENTED BY GERARDO MARTINEZ, FOREIGN AFFAIRS SECRETARY

Meeting of the Americas, Preparations for the IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour held in Buenos Aires on 22 and 23 February with active participation of Argentine General Confederation of Labour (CGT RA), represented by Gerardo Martinez, Foreign Affairs Secretary.

The tripartite meeting, attended by Government representatives, workers and employers from throughout the region, as well as representatives of ILO, ECLAC, UNICEF, OAS, CAF and IOM. Its objective was to identify and define the common challenges faced by the countries of the region in relation to the themes that will address the IV World Conference, to be held on November 2017 in Buenos Aires.

The activity was organised in panels and workshops where delegates and trade union delegates expressed perspectives and proposals of the Union movement of the Americas on the themes to be discussed at the next Conference. Besides the CGT RA, Union Representatives from Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, United States, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Santa Lucía, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela in addition to Global Union Federations representatives that also took part.

The opening speech was conducted by Laerte Teixeira da Costa, TUCA Secretary of Social Policies, who talked about the importance of tackling child labour issues comprehensively from a political perspective at global, regional and national levels.

Gerardo Martinez, during his speech, underlined the need that IV World Conference may bring about specific measures and actions related to the eradication of this problem both at regional and global levels: "It is necessary concrete actions to fight this problem apart from statements and formal agreements," said Foreign Affairs Secretary of the Republic of Argentina CGT. In this regard, Martinez said that: ensure policies that guarantee a fair distribution of wealth and fight against poverty, inclusion and protection of labour and trade union rights, social protection and access to health care and universal, free and public education, are just some of the aspects on which progress should be made in a concrete way to eradicate this problem."

Some of the common issues that trade unions agreed to promote and debate were:
- The importance of not going back on what progress has been made taking as rules of gold the promotion of decent work for adults, the respect of union rights and free, intercultural public education of good quality at all levels.
- Issues included in the World Conference agenda should be in line with the central objective of discussing policies to prevent and eliminate child labour
- The need of an integral approach linked to the promotion of sustainable development, social justice, redistribution of wealth and the rights approach.
- Primary responsibility of States and the need for multisectoral public policies with budgets.
- The importance of ratifying and implement ILO international standards, both specific conventions on child labour and all those core Conventions related to good governance and technical application which contribute to eliminate child labour.
- Incorporate in the debate the use of child labour in the global chain of supply and the responsibility of multinational companies, migrant workers status, forced child labour, taking into account the resolutions adopted at the ILO.
- Active participation in the Alliance 8.7 and strengthening of Latin America Free of Child Labour Regional Initiative.

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