Ouagadougou (ILO News) - CLEAR Cotton project is continuing its actions to combat child and forced labour in the cotton, textile and clothing value chain in Burkina Faso.
CLEAR Cotton has supported UNPCB in the drawing up and validation of its strategic plan to combat child labour within the framework of an implementation agreement for capacity building of cotton producers' cooperative societies on these scourges.

The workshop brought together representatives of the central bodies, the Presidents of the Provincial Unions and technicians, as well as representatives of the Permanent Monitoring Secretariat of the Cotton Sector (SP/SFC) and the Interprofessional Cotton Association of Burkina Faso (AICB).

This UNPCB strategic plan for the elimination of child labour in cotton production was developed by Alassane Traoré, Labour and Social Affairs Inspector and certified child protection expert with technical and financial support from the ILO through the CLEAR Cotton project. It is divided into four areas:

The first axis takes into account "the prevention of child labour in cotton production" which allows for the reduction of the factors of vulnerability of children to child labour in cotton production.

The second axis revolves around "monitoring child labour in cotton production". This involves taking appropriate measures to detect child labourers or situations at risk and seeking endogenous alternatives for child victims.

The third axis is "strengthening UNPCB's capacity to intervene against child labour in cotton production", which consists of taking appropriate measures to ensure that UNPCB members and staff in charge of child labour issues have the necessary skills and tools to make their interventions in the field more effective.

Finally, the fourth axis covers "the coordination of the implementation of the Strategic Plan and the follow-up of interventions to combat child labour in cotton production", which makes it possible to take appropriate measures to ensure the coordination of the implementation of the plan and the follow-up of interventions to combat child labour in cotton production.

The workshop on 2 and 3 december 2021 enabled the key stakeholders to familiarise themselves with the document and to make any necessary additions and corrections. The document was thus validated by the workshop participants who praised its quality. An action plan defining concrete actions for the years 2022 and 2023 was also drawn up.

To finance the action plan, UNPCB will develop initiatives to mobilise internal and external resources.

The representatives of the Permanent Secretariat for the Monitoring of the Cotton Sector (SP/SFC) and the Interprofessional Cotton Association of Burkina (AICB) welcomed the adoption of such a document by UNPCB, which reflects a strong commitment to ensuring greater coherence in the interventions of cotton producers to keep children away from the fields.

Co-funded by the European Union and the ILO, and implemented by the ILO in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CLEAR Cotton project aims to combat child labour and forced labour in the cotton, textile and garment value chains in Burkina Faso, Mali, Pakistan and Peru. In Burkina Faso, the CLEAR Cotton project is financially supported by the project "Towards SDG Target 8.7: supporting efforts to eliminate child labour and forced labour across Africa and in the cotton and garment supply chains in Burkina Faso", funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.