Second anniversary of the Regional Initiative Latin America and the Caribbean free of Child Labour

The regional initiative, with its 27 member countries, will help to achieve Target 8.7 of the SDGs

News | 21 October 2016
Two years ago the Regional Initiative Latin America and the Caribbean free of Child Labour was officially launched at the ILO Americas Meeting in Lima as the first intergovernmental cooperation mechanism to combat child labour with active participation from workers’ and employers’ organizations.



In July 2015, the Regional Initiative held the First Roundtable on South-South Cooperation to accelerate the reduction of child labour, which was attended by 22 member countries and resulted in 82 agreements being reached.

In 2016, the Regional Initiative promoted the adoption of a policy acceleration framework aimed at maximising existing public policies and services, especially social protection and education, coordinated by the Ministries of Labour and with a strong focus on prevention efforts.

The Regional Initiative will contribute to the objectives of Alliance 8.7, a global partnership designed to accelerate action at the global, regional and national levels, in order to achieve Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Target 8.7 calls on governments to "take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including the recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.”