ILO is a specialized agency of the United Nations
ILO-en-strap
Governing Body

GB.271/TC/2
271st Session
Geneva, March 1998

Committee on Technical Cooperation

TC

SECOND ITEM ON THE AGENDA

Operational aspects of the International Programme
on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)

Contents

I. Introduction

II. Overview of the performance of the IPEC programme

III. Operational aspects: How does IPEC work?

IV. Issues of special interest

V. Critical issues and challenges

VI. Conclusions

Charts

Boxes

  I. Introduction

1. The Governing Body has on various occasions expressed interest in the approach and operational aspects of the IPEC programme. The present paper is intended as a basis for discussion.

2. Launched in 1992, IPEC has developed into a truly global programme, expanding its operations significantly in some 50 countries in different regions and implementing a total of nearly 1,000 action programmes worldwide. The financial support that IPEC has received, the considerable media coverage it has generated for the ILO, and the satisfaction expressed by receiving countries with the way it works, are signs confirming IPEC's unique and significant role in the fight against child labour. The policies and strategies pioneered by IPEC have been widely accepted, and its approach and operational methodology have been referred to as an example of how a focused programme framework can be developed and resources can be attracted for other priority areas of ILO concern. This also explains why there has been increased interest in the IPEC programme approach and its operational aspects. How does it really work?

3. Donors and recipients are also becoming increasingly interested in the impact, sustainability and replicability of the programme. It is argued that IPEC has evolved into a mature programme that needs to identify and consolidate its major strengths to ensure that it will have the greatest possible impact on the child labour problem. The focus is now shifting to such questions as the extent to which target groups have benefited from the IPEC programmes, and the effectiveness and efficiency of ongoing IPEC projects. These questions underscore the importance of proper monitoring and evaluation procedures. In addition, other areas of special interest raised include the links between the programme and international labour standards and the contribution it makes to their promotion; the attention paid by the programme to extreme forms of child labour; the involvement of ILO constituents in the programme; and collaboration between the programme and relevant UN and other international agencies.

4. This paper offers an overview of the operational aspects of IPEC and answers some of the above questions. Section II gives an overview of IPEC's performance, and highlights the size and rapid expansion of the programme and its achievements. Section III describes the programme's approach and operational strategy, illustrating the distinctive characteristics of the way IPEC works. Section IV then touches on some issues of special interest related to the programme that have been raised in various ILO forums. Finally, section V reviews the critical issues and challenges that are important to sustain the programme's momentum and to carry it forward to fulfil its mandate.

II. Overview of the performance of the IPEC programme

Facts and figures

5. By the early 1990s the ILO had acquired long-standing experience in standard setting and research in the area of child labour, and had implemented a number of small technical cooperation projects in this field. In 1992-93 the ILO set aside a substantial regular budget allocation to finance an interdepartmental project on the elimination of child labour with the immediate objective of facilitating and promoting the ratification and wider observance of international labour standards on child labour, especially the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138). However, the Organization did not have the means to launch a major operational programme in this field. This was made possible in 1992 with the donation of DM50 million by the Government of Germany to finance IPEC.

Rapid expansion

6. Activities were initially started in six countries. IPEC extended operations to five more countries during 1994-95, and in 1996-97 started close cooperation with an additional 18 countries; IPEC also initiated preparatory activities with more than 20 other countries in a less formal manner on various aspects of child labour. Started with support from a single country, IPEC now receives contributions from 18 donors. As box 1 illustrates, the majority of new donors joined the programme after it had been operational for three years or so. The extra-budgetary resources already paid and officially pledged up to the year 2001 by the governments and social partners of several donor countries amount to some $100 million.

2.

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Signatory countries

Since

1992

Brazil, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Thailand, Turkey

1994

Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, United Republic of Tanzania

1996

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Egypt, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Sri Lanka, Venezuela

1997

Benin, Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Senegal

In preparation

Africa:

Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Arab States:

Jordan, Lebanon, Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen

Asia:

China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Viet Nam

Central/ Eastern Europe:

Romania

Latin America:

Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay

Other areas:

West Bank and Gaza

Programme activities

7. Action programmes at the country level, providing custom-made and concrete responses to the problem, have always been and remain the trademark of IPEC. Over the period 1992-97, IPEC implemented 927 action programmes in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The programme has also been active at the global and regional levels, organizing and participating in important meetings and conferences on the subject and undertaking ground-breaking work in the area of research and statistical information. Programmes are increasingly focusing on hazardous and extreme forms of child labour. In 1996-97, some two-thirds of all IPEC action programmes were related to working children engaged in hazardous work and working conditions, 20 per cent to forced labour and some 15 per cent to other forms of child labour. Children under 12 years of age and in the 12-14 age group accounted for 37 and 38 per cent respectively, while the share of programmes devoted to children above 14 years of age was 25 per cent. Boys and girls were equally covered in the overall programme, although in certain countries a bias in favour of boys remains noticeable. By economic sector, expenditure was shared between programmes in the service sector (37 per cent), manufacturing (33 per cent) and agriculture (39 per cent). By types of intervention there has been a significant shift from direct action with children in the early 1990s, towards a broader balance between direct action (32 per cent), awareness-raising (30 per cent), institutional and policy development (21 per cent), and programme development, research and evaluation (17 per cent).

Expenditure

8. Total expenditure under the programme by the end of 1997 amounted to some $38.5 million. This figure has to be seen against the total amount of $43 million already paid by donors during the period 1992-97, a considerable part of which was received only towards the end of 1997. Chart 1 below illustrates that expenditure doubled in the 1994-95 biennium over the 1992-93 levels, and rose with close to another 50 per cent in the 1996-97 biennium. ILO regular budget resources for activities aimed at combating child labour have augmented in tandem with the sharp increase in the extra-budgetary resources received for this field. Although it is difficult to give a precise estimate, the 1998-99 regular budget includes approximately some $6.2 million for child labour activities in regional and headquarters departments. This represents an increase of $2.7 million over the 1996-97 level, mostly as a result of departments deploying more of their staff towards activities relating to the elimination of child labour. In the 1996-97 biennium the ILO's Working Conditions and Environment Department directed considerable resources to regional activities and seminars requested by constituents, and actively participated in the organization of several international conferences on child labour.

9. Placed in its proper context, the budget that IPEC has been able to secure, although substantial, is not adequate. The problem of child labour remains a daunting one, and considerable effort is still needed, both at the national and international levels, if progress is to be made towards its solution. This is also reflected in the fact that more countries have requested to participate in the programme than can be accommodated with the funds available. When broken down by the number of participating countries and period of time over which the resources have been pledged, the yearly allocation for each participating country is modest.

Achievements

10. In assessing the achievements of IPEC one should be aware of the magnitude of the problem the programme is intended to address.(1)  Child labour is the major cause of child exploitation and abuse in the world today. The ILO estimates that the number of working children worldwide aged between 5 and 14 years is around 250 million, of which at least 120 million are working full time. Although child labour is most rampant in developing countries, it still exists in industrialized countries: there are still pockets of child labour in southern European countries, and the problem has increased in countries with economies in transition in Central and Eastern Europe. Poverty remains the single most important factor pushing children into work and exploitative conditions at an early age, thereby excluding simplistic and overnight solutions. Particularly alarming is the fact that many millions of child workers still toil in dangerous occupations, industries and sectors, exposed to serious health and safety hazards. Hidden and concealed from the public eye, they remain the most difficult ones to reach.

11. Looking back at the initial programme documents, the indicators identified to measure the success of the programme were rather broad. The extent to which IPEC had initiated a process of change in the behaviour and work of local communities, governments, and the international community at large was to be the primary measure of its impact. More specific criteria included:

12. Gauged against the above criteria, IPEC has performed remarkably well:

III. Operational aspects: How does IPEC work?

13. There are two elements involved in the operation of the IPEC programme: its programme approach and the delivery mechanism. Both go together and cannot be seen in isolation. The past experience of the ILO and its extensive knowledge of the causes and complexity of the problem were instrumental to IPEC in developing a suitable programme approach to the problem. The delivery of the programme, however, required innovation and experimentation with the ILO's traditional ways of implementing technical cooperation projects.

The approach

14. Convention No. 138 and its accompanying Recommendation No. 146 provide the policy framework for the implementation of IPEC. Although these instruments also call for a national policy aimed at the abolition of child labour and comprehensive measures to be taken accordingly, most attention focused on the minimum age limits set by them. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, ILO reports on the subject underscored the flexibility of these instruments and the need for innovation in their practical application.(2)  Broadly speaking, there are four areas of intervention in which the ILO promotes and facilitates action:

15. Within this broad policy framework IPEC developed a phased, long-term and multi-sectoral approach with the following aims: (i) to strengthen national capacity to deal with and progressively eliminate child labour; and (ii) to contribute to a worldwide movement against child labour.

16. The premises on which the IPEC strategy was founded were: the need to concentrate on selected countries and target groups to achieve a critical mass of activities in each participating country; a long-term commitment in those countries to address the root causes of the problem; a flexible but holistic approach with broad multi-partner participation; and country ownership by involving national partners in shaping a response to the problem.

17. Considering the long history of denial and neglect from which the problem of child labour has suffered, a two-track approach to the problem was considered necessary: providing support where the political will to act existed, and helping to mobilize and initiate action within countries where this was not the case. It was recognized that there was a compelling need to promote a worldwide movement that could support and, if need be, stimulate government policy and action.

18. These premises are well reflected in IPEC's core approach, which consists of a number of steps:

19. The above steps in IPEC's programme approach are considered vital to achieve a sustainable long-term impact on the elimination of child labour in participating countries. They must be seen in conjunction with a number of strategic considerations that play an important role in guiding the implementation of the programme, as follows:

20. At the country level, these guidelines are adapted with a certain flexibility to meet specific national needs and requirements. To this effect, IPEC has provided support ranging from data collection and research to technical advice and capacity building.

21. At the international level the worldwide movement against child labour is an important aspect of IPEC's approach. Recognizing the important role played by civil society, IPEC disseminates information based on practical experience and shares its experience with other international and UN agencies. IPEC also actively participates in meetings and conferences at the regional and international level on child labour. Regional and subregional activities that deal with child labour problems common in many countries have become more important in IPEC in recent years.

22. The IPEC approach has been widely endorsed by the international community.(3)  In summary, its strength hinges on:

23. IPEC now faces the challenge of concentrating on consolidating the existing experience in order to maximize its impact. Experimentation will remain necessary, especially in countries where the programme is new or has only just begun, and especially in relation to the uncharted aspects of the problem. The focus on the extreme forms of child labour will become even more important in the years to come. There are a number of constraints in dealing with this target group that will need to be further refined in IPEC's approach. As for the long-term measures aimed at the ultimate elimination of child labour, more work will be required to validate the phase-out strategy of the IPEC approach (see paragraph 78). At this stage only preliminary observations concerning the success or failure of mainstreaming are possible.

Delivery mechanisms

24. Traditional ILO technical cooperation projects have some or all of the following characteristics: they are short-term, are financed by only one donor, involve one or a limited number or type of partners, operate in one recipient country or region, and are heavily depending on international expertise. The IPEC programme, by contrast, is long term, is active in many countries, has a global dimension, has many partners and donors, and relies to a large extent on national expertise. IPEC represents a new approach to technical cooperation in the ILO, which has drawn increased attention in recent years. The programme provides a broad approach to a social problem, but allows for diversity at the national level.

25. The operational structure of IPEC is based on a Memorandum of Understanding between the ILO and the participating countries and ILO rules and procedures. IPEC was conceived as an international programme with national programme components. For this purpose national steering committees, an international programme steering committee and a programme management unit in Geneva were set up.

National implementation

26. Memorandum of Understanding: At the country level the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) represents a crucial moment in the start of the programme. The signing underscores the commitment of the government -- usually the Ministry of Labour, in collaboration with the social partners -- to fight child labour and is in many cases the result of intensive discussions and preparatory work. The MOU allows IPEC to promote and support activities aimed at the progressive elimination of child labour. The activities are to be implemented by national or local government institutions, employers' and workers' organizations and other non-governmental organizations. The clear advantage of the MOU is that, unlike traditional technical cooperation projects, individual action programmes do not require separate approval procedures. This cuts down lengthy administrative clearance formalities and allows for the implementation of large numbers of action programmes in a highly decentralized manner.

27. National Steering Committee: A National Programme Steering Committee (NSC) is established in every partner country, composed of representatives of government, employers' and workers' organizations and other non-governmental organizations. ILO, UNICEF and other relevant international organizations have a technical advisory service role in the NSC. In some countries extensions of the NSC have been formed at the provincial and even community level. The NSC has a coordinating function and is responsible for the selection of action programme proposals. It ensures that action programmes correspond to priorities and the national child labour policy and agreed plan of action. The NSC also fosters cooperation between participating organizations and coordination between activities, including sometimes those that are not funded by IPEC.

28. National Programme Coordinator: National Programme Coordinators (NPC) are national professionals selected by the programme management after consultation with governments in participating countries. Under the supervision of ILO Area Office Directors, NPCs are responsible for preparing action programmes together with partner organizations, coordinating activities, monitoring and reviewing progress and establishing good relations with governments and NGOs. The role of NPCs is crucial to facilitate alliances, respond to political sensitivities, ensure that sustainable and strategic interventions come forward and are implemented, and assess the capacity and potential of partner organizations. The role of the NPC as a political and technical facilitator is crucial to the programme.

29. Implementation process: Following the situation analysis and the establishment of a national programme or plan of action, individual project proposals are presented by national, governmental and non-governmental organizations. As a first step they screen these to ensure that they fit the national plan of action and ILO priorities, and that they are cost-efficient. In most cases assistance is required in reformulating the proposals. IPEC also plays a pro-active role in searching for organizations with promising potential and convincing them of the need to become active in the field of child labour. Once completed, the proposals are submitted to the NSC, whose task is to choose those that best fit the priorities of the national plan of action within the biennial country budget. As soon as the proposals have been cleared by the NSC, they are transmitted to headquarters for final technical and financial clearance. Once approved, the NPC is responsible for monitoring progress and recommending the disbursement of funds. Subregional coordinators (SRC) who have been involved in the whole programme cycle monitor the work of the NPC in the countries under their responsibility and ensure that they are coherent with IPEC's overall policy and priorities.

International implementation

30. International Programme Steering Committee: An International Programme Steering Committee was established for IPEC which, at the origin, consisted of one representative of the donor and the ILO and three members representing Africa, Asia and Latin America respectively. One Employer member and one Worker member were appointed following consultations with the respective groups of the Governing Body. UNICEF and UNESCO are members with an advisory function. The Committee meets once a year in conjunction with the Governing Body of the ILO. Over the years the number of representatives of donors (including potential ones) and participating countries has greatly increased. The secretariat functions for the Committee are undertaken by the programme management. The Committee reviews overall policy, priorities and programme activities.

31. Programme Manager: Under the general supervision of the ILO management, the IPEC Programme Manager develops the overall strategy of the programme, and coordinates and monitors activities at the national, regional and international levels. The programme management unit is responsible for fund raising, relations with donors and constituents, the preparation of biennial programmes and budgets, and the implementation of the programme. A small team of staff at headquarters and subregional coordinators in the field provide advisory services, technical guidance and administrative support, initiate and oversee programme development, and facilitate the exchange of experience and information.

IPEC within the ILO structures

32. From the outset IPEC was conceived as a highly decentralized and country-driven operation. Support structures available to the programme at the country level include a National Steering Committee and the ILO Area Office (including the NPCs and their support staff). These support structures facilitate a constituent-led approach to the determination of priorities at the country level in the field of child labour. ILO Area Offices play a vital role in the implementation of IPEC at the country level as its objectives are generally well reflected in the ILO country objectives. Collaboration at the regional level (ILO Regional Offices) has been stepped up with the increase in inter-country activities in recent years. In addition the MDTs, which are the main technical resource of the field structure, have become increasingly mobilized.

33. At headquarters IPEC functions under the auspices of the ILO's Working Conditions and Environment Department. Other headquarters departments directly involved with child labour include the International Labour Standards Department, the Bureaux for Employers' and Workers' Activities, the Employment and Training Department, the Industrial Relations and Labour Administration Department, the Bureau of Statistics,(4)  the Bureau of Public Information, the Bureau of Programming and Management, the Finance Department and the Personnel Department. Many activities are conceived and implemented jointly with these departments.

34. The financial and administrative procedures of IPEC have been simplified and streamlined over the years. Although the first donor agreed to provide resources for five years, the biennial programming cycle made it difficult to automatically reschedule resources from one biennium to another, which hindered smooth implementation. In addition, due to complex and highly centralized administrative and financial procedures, funds were not always made available promptly to the partners. Many of these issues have been addressed in the last two biennia. Most action programmes now have a duration of two years. This facilitates smoother implementation of the programme and disbursement of funds. A further streamlining of financial and administrative procedures is envisaged during the 1998-99 biennium, for example by extending the financial reporting obligations from three to six months for implementing agencies that have demonstrated that they can comply with the ILO reporting requirements without difficulty.

35. The strength of IPEC's delivery mechanism rests on its highly decentralized, pragmatic and flexible management approach. Reliance on national expertise and national mechanisms ensures that country programmes reflect national realities and concerns, while keeping costs at a reasonable level. Streamlined procedures and a certain level of flexibility allow the programme to venture out into grass-roots activities and experimentation, while at the same time maintaining tight financial, administrative and quality control.

36. The same factors that constitute the strength of IPEC also have some inherent potential weaknesses. The important role played by national mechanisms in the design and planning of the programme is fully in keeping with the Active Partnership Policy of the ILO. However, in such a highly sensitive subject area as child labour, reconciling the priorities and concerns of partners with the ILO's own principles and standards requires extreme prudence. Highly flexible procedures are vital to the success of IPEC, but they are sometimes difficult to accommodate within the procedures of an international organization that has to ensure unquestionable financial standards and accountability to donors. Continuous adjustments and fine-tuning are therefore necessary. A small and agile team allows the programme to remain flexible and to keep overhead costs low, but in a rapidly expanding programme, the workload may at times exceed the capacity of the staff (see paragraph 87). Substantial progress has been made in addressing these issues in order to enable the programme to continue to meet the expectations of member States through the high quality delivery of technical cooperation.

37. In the light of the high demand for ILO assistance in the field of child labour, it will be important for the Organization to be able to continue to attract substantial contributions from donors. Resource mobilization so far has been very much a concern of headquarters. There is considerable scope for resource mobilization at the country level as a result of decentralized decision-making by a growing number of donors or funding agencies. Local representatives of development banks, UNDP and UNFPA have considerable say in resource allocation in the countries they cover. Tripartite initiatives need to be encouraged, such as that in Italy, where the national tripartite committee, in cooperation with the Italian Committee for UNICEF, established a fund for a joint UNICEF/ILO project on child labour in Asia. There are also promising possibilities of greater resources available through the private sector and major international and national private philanthropy.

IV. Issues of special interest

Focus on the extreme forms of child labour

38. IPEC-supported action programmes in the participating countries are giving increased attention to action against extreme forms of child labour. At the national and regional levels, efforts to deal with the extreme forms of child labour have been accelerated, the number of action programmes being doubled or even tripled. In 1996-97 some two-thirds of all IPEC action programmes in 20 participating countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America were related to working children engaged in hazardous work and working conditions. As illustrated in chart 2, based on information stored in the IPEC database, the proportion of action programmes that deal with hazardous forms of child labour has gradually and consistently increased in every biennium. These figures should be read with caution, but the trends are nevertheless clear.

 39. In Asia, some of the target groups that have received more attention are children in prostitution, victims of trafficking, child domestic workers, children in agriculture and children in fishing operations. The number of activities dealing with child bondage remains relatively low, but is expected to increase substantially in the 1998-99 biennium.(5)  In Latin America, IPEC action projects are under way in mining, sugar-cane plantations, charcoal production, fireworks, brick works, salt-mines, and sisal processing. In Africa the focus has been on children in agriculture (plantations), domestic service, mining and construction.

40. The experience so far gained in dealing with the extreme forms of child labour has underscored the tremendous challenge it presents. There have been some difficulties in identifying and locating the children in such situations: often they are deliberately held captive, isolated and with no access to information or services. In addition, there remain ambiguities of definition: although from a purely technical perspective the situation may be straightforward, there are however ambiguities in defining hazardous and exploitative work, as these can be perceived differently in different societies where the problem prevails. Initial attempts at the national level to classify the work undertaken by children according to its hazardous nature indicate that there is a continuum of situations, which may range from mildly hazardous to life-threatening.

41. A common problem faced by such action programmes points to the difficulty that arises with the establishment of partner organizations in the targeted locations. The activities in which such children are involved are almost exclusively on the periphery of the economy. ILO constituents rarely cover these segments of the economy, and there are few specialized NGOs that deal with extreme forms of work performed by children. IPEC must develop a package of measures to bring about a real change in the situation of this section of the population. Efforts to develop methodologies and institutional capacity to come to grips with invisible forms of child labour will continue to be an important aspect of IPEC in the 1998-99 biennium.

International labour standards and IPEC

42. Convention No. 138 has not only provided the broad framework of action for the implementation of IPEC, but its ratification and implementation has also served as one of the ultimate indicators of success of the programme in participating countries. For some of the more extreme forms of child labour, the widely ratified Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), has served as a reference instrument. The basic principles on which Convention No. 138 is based have been the cornerstones of the IPEC programme. It is also important to note that to a certain extent the practical activities of the programme have stimulated and inspired the standard setting and policy development of the Organization.

43. Convention No. 138 and its accompanying Recommendation No. 146 have provided policy guidance for the implementation of the programme and have played a crucial role in the identification of its specific target groups for action. These instruments first require and provide guidance for national policy designed to ensure the effective abolition of child labour. One of the principal measures to be taken for this purpose is the prohibition of employment or work for children under the duly fixed minimum ages. There are, however, several aspects of flexibility incorporated in these instruments: in addition to the general minimum age for admission to employment or work, hazardous work must be prohibited up to a higher age, while light work may be allowed from a lower age, and specific sectors or categories of work or employment may be excluded after tripartite consultation.

44. In advocating a multidimensional and integrated approach to the progressive elimination of child labour, with a particular focus on its more extreme forms, IPEC has worked within the parameters, and according to the spirit of these instruments. Given the enormity of the child labour problem, on the one hand, and the limited resources available, on the other, the programme had to make strategic choices in terms of priorities. Two broad categories were identified as a priority for action: children in hazardous work or exploitative employment relationships (including forced child labour), and those under 12 or 13 years of age, with special attention to girls. The special emphasis on children below 12 or 13 years of age has to be seen in light of the fact that Convention No. 138 prohibits any form of work or employment below that age. Initially, the programme applied a cut-off age of 15 for its beneficiaries, but this was later revised upwards on a selective basis to accommodate children at risk of extreme forms of child labour exploitation. This was fully in keeping with Convention No. 138, which establishes an age threshold of 18 for hazardous forms of work.

45. In the area of national policy and legislation, IPEC has joined with ILO specialists on standards in promoting the ratification and observance of Convention No. 138, promulgating the work on the proposed new instruments on the extreme forms of child labour and generating wider understanding of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. A dozen countries are now considering or pursuing ratification of Convention No. 138. Promotional activities on standards and legislation with government officials and legislators have begun with training and briefing for those concerned with enforcement: labour inspectors, social workers, the judiciary and the police.

46. As at 31 January 1998, 59 countries had ratified Convention No. 138. The campaign for the ratification and promotion of the ILO's fundamental Conventions has resulted in the ratification procedure being initiated for Convention No. 138 in a number of countries.(6) 

47. More than one-third of the ratifications of Convention No. 138 have been made in the present decade. Of the 29 countries that have signed an IPEC MOU, ten have ratified the Convention (Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Nepal, Nicaragua and Venezuela) and one is in the process of ratifying it (the Philippines);(7)  another 13 are considering ratification (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Thailand in Asia; Brazil, Chile and Colombia in Latin America; Egypt, Mali, Senegal and South Africa in Africa).

48. For the operational activities of IPEC, ratification, and the process leading up to it, has a number of obvious advantages. It is a concrete manifestation of the country's commitment to take affirmative action on child labour by enforcing national legislation to this effect. The process of ratification may provide a rallying point for the IPEC partners, and creates a climate of confidence for advocacy and collaborative action. Naturally, work does not cease with ratification: the more important test lies in how the country meets its commitments and responsibilities under the Convention. The globalization of the economy has given rise to concern that the ensuing pressure may have harmful repercussions on the observance of internationally recognized core labour standards. Discussions on this subject in the ILO have taken place in the Working Party on the Social Dimensions of the Liberalization of International Trade, established by the Governing Body in 1994, and have focused on the appropriate means of ensuring that the economic progress made possible by the liberalization of trade is reflected in an improvement in the situation of workers. Discussions will take place during the 86th Session (1998) of the International Labour Conference on a possible ILO Declaration of principles concerning workers' fundamental rights, including, amongst others, the effective abolition of child labour.

49. The ultimate goal of Convention No. 138 is the abolition of all forms of child labour. This is a long-term goal that requires the implementation of a wide range of social and economic policies. Recognizing the need for immediate eradication of the extreme forms of child labour, the Governing Body decided in 1996 to place child labour on the agenda of the 1998 International Labour Conference with a view to the adoption of new instruments at the Conference in 1999. The new instruments would not duplicate, but complement the existing standards, focusing on the most hazardous and exploitative types of child labour, and would provide clear guidelines for national, regional and international action, including IPEC assistance in this field.

The partners of IPEC: the role of ILO constituents

50. Combating child labour is something that concerns everybody. Certain forms of child labour are such an affront to the dignity of children, and to society as a whole, that nobody can afford to ignore them. Child labour is so pervasive, and its causes so deep-rooted and diverse, that only through the participation of all groups of society can progress be achieved towards its solution.

51. From the outset, IPEC has worked on the premise that child labour must be addressed through a broad-based partnership of the ILO's constituents and civil society at large. Governments, especially ministries of labour, have been steady partners over the years, accounting for 25 to 30 per cent of all action programmes. Since child labour is predominantly found in the informal sector, NGOs used to be the principal partner during the early years of the programme, but their share in implementing IPEC action programmes dropped to one-third in the 1996-97 biennium.

52. One main reason for this has been the increasing commitment of employers' and workers' organizations to the cause of working children and a commensurate increase in IPEC action programmes implemented with them. From small beginnings in the early 1990s, employers' and workers' organizations have developed their capacity to design and implement child labour programmes, which together accounted for nearly 20 per cent of all IPEC action programmes in 1996-97. These figures do not include the considerable funds IPEC has allocated to various meetings and workshops aimed at enhancing the involvement of workers' and employers' organizations in the programme.

53. Workers' organizations have a special role in discovering and denouncing child labour abuses. Experience suggests that in places where there is a high level of organization among workers, the incidence of child labour tends to be low. Strengthening workers' organizations, in particular in the area of child labour, is therefore likely to be one of the more sustainable responses to the problem. During the past few years, the significance of child labour as a major issue for trade union organizations has been increasing both nationally and internationally. The major part of trade union activities against child labour has remained awareness raising and direct assistance to working children. However, an expansion has also been noticeable in other fields, such as company codes of conduct and collective agreements covering child labour. A handbook on workers' activities in the field of child labour which has recently been published is expected to further enhance trade union activities in this field.(8) 

54. Employers' organizations and their members have also made a considerable contribution to this emerging movement against child labour. Some high-profile and concrete examples of industry initiatives against child labour are the agreements concluded by the ILO with manufacturers' associations in Bangladesh and Pakistan. In Bangladesh, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers' and Exporters' Association (BGMEA), the ILO and UNICEF to withdraw all child workers below 14 years of age from more than 2,000 garment factories and to provide them with education and a monthly stipend. The programme, which includes a verification and monitoring system to ensure compliance, is largely supported by the ILO and UNICEF, and also by the BGMEA, which has pledged a major financial contribution. The same model is now being applied in Pakistan, where an agreement was signed with the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry aimed at the elimination of child labour in the production of footballs. A handbook on the role employers can play in combating child labour is forthcoming.

55. The steady growth in action programmes implemented by workers' and employers' organizations is expected to continue during the 1998-99 biennium. It is also important to note that, at the country level, the involvement of workers' and employers' organizations in setting IPEC priorities and allocating funds is secured through their involvement in the National Steering Committees.

56. Although NGOs may be good at developing and testing ideas, they cannot achieve the scale or coverage possible through the involvement of governments. Neither the government nor NGOs can achieve the penetration to the workplace that is possible through workers' and employers' organizations. The objective is to maximize the strength and contribution of all involved, ensuring that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

The design, monitoring and evaluation of operational activities

57. From the outset it was clearly understood that monitoring and evaluation procedures for the programme were to be developed within established ILO procedures: workplans, progress reviews, self-evaluation and independent evaluation. Although the conceptual framework for these procedures was clear, IPEC needed to develop an elaborate set of monitoring and evaluation tools to accommodate the new features of the programme and to ensure tight financial and managerial control.

58. Over the years these procedures have been streamlined and simplified, but the basic principles have remained unchanged. In line with regular ILO procedures, agreements are concluded between the implementing agency and the ILO, including an Action Programme Summary Outline (APSO, a project document in the logical framework format accompanied by an overall workplan) and a detailed budget drawn up by the implementing agencies in consultation with the IPEC field staff. On signature of the agreement between the implementing agencies and the ILO, the former submit a detailed workplan and an expenditure forecast for the first three months, and disbursement follows. Progress and financial reports and expenditure forecasts are then prepared by the implementing agencies on a three-monthly basis. Depending on the size and duration of the action programmes, more detailed interim self-evaluation reports need to be completed. All the action programmes are required to submit a final report on output and financial expenditure. To improve the quality of the design of action programmes and understanding of monitoring and evaluation procedures, a prototype training package on the subject was developed by IPEC and national training courses organized.

59. Desk reviews of these reports, field missions, consultation workshops with partners, and selected evaluations of action programmes have served as the means whereby the programme has learnt from its experience and monitored and evaluated its performance. The results of these reviews are well reflected in the implementation reports, synthesis reports on lessons learned and other comparable reports prepared by IPEC. These reports have been highly praised for their quality and comprehensiveness both inside and outside the ILO.

60. In recent years, in order to help staff in the field and at headquarters to keep track of the increasing number of action programmes and to monitor them more effectively, a computerized management system has been developed in Geneva. The database has been finalized, and IPEC is now able to store and retrieve information related to the nature and implementation of action programmes and smaller programmes. The database stores information about individual action programmes, including technical information (target group, field of intervention, type of partner, etc.), an overview of achievements and failures, and financial information.(9) 

61. Already during the early stages of the programme it was realized that, as part of a more coherent management system, thought had to be given to independent evaluations(10)  in addition to the existing internal evaluation systems. At its fourth meeting in 1994, the IPEC Programme Steering Committee agreed on a tripartite evaluation in Thailand and Turkey, conducted by representatives from the participating countries, the donor(11)  and the ILO. This evaluation took place in autumn 1994.
 

3.  Evaluation of IPEC country programmes in
Thailand and Turkey, 1994

The summary report on the evaluation concluded that, overall, the evaluation did not give any grounds for making any fundamental changes in the project concept. It was affirmed that, without any doubt, the ILO was the right organization to coordinate this kind of project, logistically, conceptually and in terms of personnel. However, a host of minor inconsistencies, gaps and shortcomings were found at the level of objectives, as well as planning and implementation, which could hamper project success in the long run. It was also recognized that many of the shortcomings had already been recognized by the management and that corrections had been initiated. The results of this evaluation significantly contributed to the subsequent streamlining of the IPEC approach and procedures.

62. As the programme has been operational for several years in the initial 11 participating countries, and as many more countries wish to address their child labour problems, performance and impact assessments of IPEC programmes and interventions have become more and more important. This was reiterated during the IPEC Programme Steering Committee meetings in 1995 and 1996. In response IPEC has increased its evaluation efforts.

63. Recent independent evaluations undertaken include: tripartite evaluation in 1995 of the Child Labour Action Support Programme in India (CLASP, a national programme supported by the Government of Germany, implemented independently from but within the overall framework of IPEC); and the tripartite evaluation of IPEC in India in 1997 (see box 4 below).

64. In 1997 IPEC commenced with a more systematic approach to independent evaluations. Seven country reviews are currently being implemented to assess the progress made by countries in combating child labour. The studies look at the impact of action against child labour, including overall IPEC support to these countries, measured by the extent of changes in social attitudes, the reform of public and corporate policies, the impact of programmes for the prevention of child labour, the withdrawal of children from hazardous and exploitative work and the building of social alliances between all the actors involved. These reviews are country-owned and are currently being finalized by independent national research and evaluation teams in Brazil, Indonesia, Kenya, the Philippines, the United Republic of Tanzania, Thailand and Turkey. The lessons drawn from these evaluations will facilitate further in-country policy and programme development and form the basis for the development of a guide to best practices for policy-makers for use by national authorities, employers' and workers' organizations, other NGOs and partners in early 1998.
 

4. Evaluation of the IPEC country programme in India, May 1997

In the section concerning performance and impact assessment, the report stressed that the programme had been successful in developing projects in selected locations which provided an opportunity for children to enter the education system and to provide a ray of hope for others still outside. The evaluation team pointed out that the impact of the programme at the micro-project level in removing children from the labour force had been evident, while progress was being made at the macro level. The evaluation team stressed that a single component strategy involving education inputs alone was not effective or sustainable or likely to attain long-term impact. The team recommended that the integrated approach should be further enhanced, involving education inputs combined with the sensitization of parents, community leaders, employers and -- most important -- with the provision of supplementary income activities and alternative opportunities for the parents of the child. The results of this evaluation underscored the significance of a multi-sectoral integrated approach. These lessons will be taken into account in future programme development.

65. Thematic evaluations of key interventions had been planned for in 1996-97. However, due to the increasing demand for IPEC services and support in the field of programme development, the large portfolio of ongoing programmes and the need to provide input to a large number of meetings and conferences, these evaluations had to be postponed, except for a review of pre-vocational training of IPEC-supported programmes in five Asian countries, which has just been completed.
 

5. Comprehensive evaluation of skills training activities
within the framework of IPEC
(Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Thailand),
November 1997

Apart from providing valuable lessons for the improvement of this type of action programme, the study also concluded that most of the action programmes evaluated were successful in offering child workers a new lease on life by providing them with more knowledge and information, vocational skills, and career options. The study noted that whether in terms of human resources development, economic considerations, or ethical aspects, overall the action programmes and what the children got out of them were well worth the budget provided by IPEC, although some improvements in the design and implementation of the action programmes could increase and enhance the benefits for the participating children and their families.

66. The independent evaluations undertaken so far have generally been positive. They have confirmed that the IPEC strategy provides a credible and workable approach to the problem. Where weaknesses were identified in programme implementation they were limited to individual action programmes, or could be attributed to misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the IPEC approach. These findings underscore the importance of the efforts IPEC has embarked on to further strengthen its monitoring and evaluation procedures.

67. The evaluations have confirmed that it is hard to assess the "quantitative" impact of the programme. These obstacles are inherent in the nature of the problem the programme intends to address. There might be a temptation to use the number of children withdrawn from work situations as an indicator of the achievements of the programme. This, however, may not necessarily be the most appropriate approach. Prevention has turned out to be the most cost-efficient response to the problem, which makes it harder to assess progress in terms of numbers. It cannot be sufficiently stressed that the goal of IPEC is not in itself the removal of individual children from work. This would be a relatively easy task if sufficient funding was available. Success therefore cannot be measured in terms of numbers of children withdrawn from work, but rather by the development of the capacity of the national mechanisms and processes to deal efficiently with the problem of child labour in a sustainable manner. This dimension, which may be termed the "qualitative" dimension of the programme's impact, should also be reflected in the benefits that the children, their families and the communities in which they live derive from it (see box 6 below).

68. The broad indicators of success established at the beginning of the programme made it possible to measure the success of IPEC during its early stages. Now that the programme has matured, it is important for IPEC to take a further step forward and refine the indicator of success against which further progress can be measured. The seven-country review mentioned above includes as one of its objectives the refinement of measurable indicators of success in action to address child labour.

6. Summary of benefits identified by the thematic evaluation
of action programmes in Asia (1997)

Impact on children
 

  • Removal from hazardous working conditions
  • Safer working environments
  • Reduced working hours
  • Education (literacy/ numeracy skills)
  • Vocational skills
  • Non-formal education certificates
  • Better job prospects
  • More discipline
  • More rest and recreation
  • Good communication skills
  • Good concentration
  • Better health and hygiene
  • Greater self-confidence and self-esteem
  • Aspirations for the future
  • Wider perspectives

Impact on family
 

  • Parents learn literacy and/or vocational skills, benefit from counselling and medical check-ups
  • Parents/family benefit from a credit scheme by taking loans to establish small businesses
  • Formation of parents self-help groups
  • Siblings benefit from attending programme activities with target children
  • Childrens stipends used to buy what family needs, pay off debts
  • Childrens stipends saved to buy sewing machines and other equipment so children can be self-employed and earn income to help family

Impact on community
and society

  • Greater awareness and understanding of child labour problems, the rights of the child, the value of education for children
  • Village/community committees and vigilance groups working on child labour issues and the prevention of child labour exploitation in their communities
  • Policy adoption and replication of models of child labour inter- ventions in schools, provincial plans and strategies on womens and child labour issues, and expansion of primary education

69. The sustainability of activities initiated within the framework of IPEC is another important measure of success. Again, sustainability should not be measured merely as a simple count of action programmes that are able to continue their activities in exactly the same format once IPEC has withdrawn support. There are some good examples of action programmes that have obtained support to sustain their activities from local governments, the community in which they work and the business sector. Equally important as a measure of success is that the strong elements of the experience accumulated in IPEC action programmes are incorporated into larger programmes whose sustainability is guaranteed through regular government or other budget resources. Nevertheless, it is clear that expensive models of interventions that are not sustainable and cannot be replicated are not recommendable. IPEC will promote the development of modest models of how to take basic measures for as many child workers as possible, which will be more affordable and replicable by the developing countries in question.

70. In the interest of increasing the sustainability of action programmes and to facilitate monitoring and impact assessments, indicators of success will become an integral part of all action programmes, as well as in the country programmes as a whole in the 1998-99 biennium. In the future, IPEC will also strengthen the institutional capacity of participating countries to undertake independent evaluations, in addition to the internal evaluation systems currently in place.

Relations with other international organizations

71. The expansion and deepening of IPEC activities has led to much greater interaction with UN agencies and international organizations. Relations with the various players in the field of child labour are largely uncharted, and often dependent on a local initiative, willingness and cooperative attitudes.

72. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted by the General Assembly, provides a policy framework for the UN system as a whole and the international community. To explore the relevance of the CRC for IPEC's work, there have been consultations in Geneva with the Committee on the Rights of the Child. At the country level, promotion of the CRC by the ILO together with ILO Conventions on child labour form a good basis for suitable joint initiatives.

73. A letter of intent was signed by the Director-General of the ILO and the Executive Director of UNICEF on 8 October 1996 in order to guide the joint efforts of both organizations. In addition to the close cooperation which already exists between the two agencies in many participating countries, this agreement will allow for the coordination of policies and programmes and permit more joint field programmes. In some countries, child labour issues are already jointly reviewed and addressed in single national coordination committees. At the regional level UNICEF and the ILO have signed a framework for future collaboration in the development of national policies and the implementation of direct action programmes for the elimination of child labour for Latin American countries. Admittedly, there are also still some ambiguities, especially in the definition of areas of comparative advantage. Both agencies need to learn more about each other's technical competence and programmes, and put such knowledge to good use to their mutual benefit. Progress is being made in this direction.

74. In recent years the World Bank has shown interest in efforts aimed at combating child labour. The World Bank has expressed its commitment to helping reduce child labour through its ongoing poverty reduction efforts and through new initiatives aimed specifically at combating the most harmful and exploitative forms of child labour. The natural complementarity between the World Bank's support for long-term developmental programmes and the ILO's current technical cooperation and standard-setting activities aimed at combating child labour, provides scope for a collaborative effort.

75. Collaboration is also sought with other international partners. A recent example of this is the agreement signed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 19 January 1998 with the aim of developing a joint programme of action to promote social justice and human dignity worldwide. A particular focus of this initiative will be the development and welfare of disadvantaged children in the world.

V. Critical issues and challenges

76. IPEC now faces the crucial challenge of sustaining momentum and taking the programme forward to fulfil its mandate. The programme has undergone rapid expansion, and expectations remain high. In order to meet these expectations, it will be important for IPEC to capitalize on the strategic elements of its approach and its delivery mechanism that are vital to success.

IPEC's operational approach: A strategic second phase

77. The very high visibility and global reach of IPEC have resulted in much greater demand for its services and increased pressure on resources. The rapid expansion of IPEC has allowed the programme to extend its support to a considerable number of countries, and some of the geographical regions that were previously underrepresented in the programme are now better covered. This is certainly a necessary and positive development. There is however a risk that resources will be spread too thinly. To be effective, a critical mass of activities is required in each participating country. If expansion is too rapid, this may also affect the quality of the programme.

78. At the country level the IPEC approach includes a phase-in and phase-out strategy. In the six initial countries where IPEC has been operational for about six years, preparations for phasing-out have started. Countries in this category are being asked gradually to take on more financial and administrative responsibilities. This is not an easy task, and caution is necessary in the face of possible pressure from beneficiaries to continue support at previous levels and in areas that may no longer be regarded as priorities. There are, however, already some good examples of countries where co-financing and counterpart requirements are gradually increasing. As this process continues, more resources are expected to become available for new countries. The process of mainstreaming, whereby countries assume greater responsibilities and accountability for a country-owned and sustainable programme on child labour, is a complex one. An early reading of experience suggests that it is very important that IPEC-supported initiatives fit into the overall national development policies and plans of action, and that effective coordination mechanisms exist to implement these policies and plans. Institutional development and capacity building of IPEC partners therefore becomes increasingly important in countries that are preparing for this strategic second phase.

79. Priorities in the IPEC approach that will remain high on the agenda for all participating countries and newcomers joining the programme are action against extreme forms of child labour and the Statistical Information and Monitoring Programme on Child Labour (SIMPOC).

80. As stated above, some fine-tuning is still required of IPEC's approach to addressing extreme forms of child labour. There are problems of accessibility, problems concerning the partners' ability and willingness to deal with the problem, and problems surrounding the effectiveness of measures aimed at removing children from such work. Prevention remains the most cost-effective way to deal with the problem, but needs to be supplemented with vigorous action that effectively removes children from hazardous work and exploitation and provides them with concrete alternatives. IPEC will continue to seek firm political commitment from the ILO's partners to fight against extreme forms of child labour and push for time-bound programmes of action to eradicate the practice. IPEC will also take a more proactive role, searching for and strengthening the capacity of partners that can make a difference. There are already some positive signs of increased interest and commitment in issues such as child bondage, child prostitution and the trafficking of children for commercial purposes. The new instruments on the extreme forms of child labour, once adopted, will provide fresh impetus and a rallying point for the fight against such forms of child labour. IPEC will pursue an active role in the promotion and implementation of the new instruments.

81. There have been increased calls for better and more reliable data on child labour. A number of donors have already expressed interest in supporting SIMPOC, and more are expected to come forward. SIMPOC will provide countries with tools and mechanisms to collect and analyse data on child labour that can serve as a basis for setting priorities and monitoring programmes. This will be important not only for countries where the problem is currently acute, but also for countries where the authorities are determined to ensure it does not re-emerge, and may therefore want to monitor the situation.

Resource mobilization and communication:
A broad-based strategy

82. For IPEC to be able to continue to meet the growing demand for its services, resource mobilization will become increasingly important. Within the parameters of the Office's resource mobilization strategy and in cooperation with the responsible units, IPEC needs to chalk out a strategy to attract the financial support required for further expansion of the programme.

83. Related to the above is the need for a sound public relations and communications strategy. The image of IPEC as a programme able to deliver quality outputs is crucial to the success of its resource mobilization strategy. IPEC should improve its visibility, in particular among non-traditional partners. Appropriate documentation and audiovisual materials on best practices need to be readily available, both at headquarters and at the field level. It is important to bear in mind the value of a communications strategy not only in generating public, political and financial support for the programme, but also in making the lessons learned known to our partners. Regular budget resources have been allocated in the next biennium for additional support to IPEC in this field. The IPEC newsletter and IPEC's homepage on the Internet(12)  are steps in the right direction that will be further reinforced as part of a broad-based communications strategy.

Monitoring and evaluation: High emphasis on impact

84. IPEC will continue to improve and strengthen its capacity to assess impact and sustainability. The systematic approach to country evaluations started with the seven country reviews will be extended to other countries. IPEC will also undertake more thematic evaluations, which will make it possible to pinpoint the strong and weaker points of certain types of intervention. Impact and sustainability indicators will be refined and will become an integral part of all action programmes. Some possible indicators are the adoption of key legislation; major policies or programmes in the fields of labour; investment in the provision of education and socio-economic development programmes for disadvantaged groups likely to resort to child labour; a decrease in the incidence of child labour; and an increase in the number of child labour cases reported and succesfully prosecuted. IPEC will also strengthen institutional capacity in participating countries in undertaking independent evaluations in addition to the internal evaluation systems currently in place.

85. The monitoring tools available to IPEC, both in terms of progress and financial reporting, have enabled IPEC to maintain strict financial and administrative control over the programme's activities. Additional tools to facilitate the work of the field staff in monitoring action programmes will be considered. Partners will continue to be trained in accounting and reporting procedures to make compliance easier. Recent initiatives such as the computerized management system will be further expanded and strengthened. A further streamlining of monitoring procedures is envisaged, for example, by extending the financial reporting obligations from three to six months for implementing agencies that have demonstrated that they can comply with the ILO reporting requirements without difficulty.

Management and coordination: Increased absorption capacity

86. The ILO structures at headquarters and at the regional and country levels continue to be heavily involved in IPEC. Their support is crucial to the management and coordination of the programme. The initial challenges that an innovative programme such as IPEC posed to existing ILO procedures have been addressed over the years. Significant initiatives in streamlining financial and administrative approval procedures at headquarters have minimized the time between the formulation of a project idea and its final approval. However, there is still room for improvement. It is vital to the success of the programme that it maintain its flexibility and capacity to respond quickly to recipients' needs. The decentralization process, intensified during the 1994-95 biennium, has yielded good results and is likely to be expanded in the years to come.

87. The absorption capacity of the programme to meet the increasing demand by member States for services has been dramatically increased. The programme has always had a strong field structure (NPCs, SRCs, the ILO field structure), but the situation at headquarters was not always ideal, especially during the years of rapid expansion of the programme. Efforts to improve and rationalize the staffing mechanism of IPEC are now at an unprecedented level. From a small nucleus during the period 1992-97, the number of IPEC staff at headquarters will substantially increase during the 1998-99 biennium. Part of the staff expansion will be financed from ILO resources. In addition, personnel training and development will be expanded.

88. Extensive reporting requirements from donors and recipients and from within the ILO structure remain a heavy burden on the programme. As an example, reporting for the International Programme Steering Committee at the end of last year had only just been completed when the present paper had to be prepared. With only a single donor at its inception, IPEC now receives contributions from 18 donors, with different levels of contribution. When IPEC was conceived, the initial idea was that donors would provide core contributions to the programme and that there would be one and the same report on a regular basis for all of them. A shift in that policy -- proposing that donors fund specific and clearly defined segments of the programme -- resulted in an increase in donor commitments. However, this shift in policy came in some cases with an additional liability, namely increased reporting requirements and reduced flexibility in programme development. Without any doubt, accountability to donors, documenting the experience of IPEC and reporting to the responsible authorities within the Organization are all extremely important matters. IPEC should however not lose sight of the real mandate of the programme, which is to help Members address the problem. A further streamlining of reporting procedures may therefore be called for to ensure that the programme is not distracted from its primary mission.

The IPEC partners: A broad social alliance

89. IPEC will continue to rely on a broad social alliance of partners, both at the national and the international levels. Given the magnitude and complexity of child labour, action needs to be taken on several fronts. This is only possible through a broad-based partnership of ILO constituents, other private- and public-sector agencies, and civil society at large. As the programme progresses, the role of ILO constituents will become even more important. The important role NGOs can play in promoting attitudinal change and providing services to children and communities, however, should not be underestimated. Their role will remain vital as powerful agents of change. The interest of the donor community in child labour is currently at an unprecedented level, clearly illustrated by the international conferences on child labour in Amsterdam and Oslo. They will remain important allies in the emerging worldwide movement against child labour. Collaboration with international organizations has also increased significantly in recent years, and this process will continue. During recent consultations between senior officials of UNICEF and the ILO, agreement was reached on the joint execution of a number of programmes and a common research agenda.

VI. Conclusions

90. What started six years ago as a bold and ambitious initiative by the ILO, thanks to a contribution by the Government of Germany, has now become a programme that enjoys worldwide acclaim. IPEC is recognized as the foremost operational instrument in the campaign against child labour and has placed it at the top of the international agenda. This is a good beginning, but much remains to be done. The campaign for the elimination of child labour is a long-term undertaking. The coming years will be crucial, as IPEC must prove that it can run the distance and meet the demands of member States.

91. IPEC is facing critical choices. Its future strategic direction must be built around the new proposed ILO instruments on child labour. IPEC's chief focus must be on the extreme forms of child labour. This means that governments and other partners also must assume greater responsibility for action in other areas.

92. IPEC will continue to seek firm political commitment from governments worldwide in the fight against extreme forms of child labour and push for the development of time-bound programmes of action. In participating countries action programmes should focus on a selected number of sectors, occupations and exploitative employment relationships, as prioritized in the time-bound programmes.

93. As the programme expands, it must give sufficient attention to quality and impact. Now that the programme has matured, it is important for IPEC to refine the indicators of success against which further progress can be measured.

94. The absorptive capacity of the programme has received a considerable boost with the recent measures to strengthen and restructure staffing. This should allow the programme to respond adequately to the results of resource mobilization efforts, and will enable it to accommodate the requests of member States and fulfil its mandate.

Geneva, 17 February 1998.

1. It is not within the scope of this paper to give a detailed overview of the nature and magnitude of the problem. Various other ILO/IPEC reports are available on this subject.

2. See in particular Report of the Director-General, Part 1: Child Labour. International Labour Conference, 69th Session, Geneva, 1983.

3. Notably in the Conclusions of the Amsterdam Child Labour Conference, the Conference on Child Labour in Oslo, the Arusha and Cartagena Declarations, and Recommendations of the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Commission of MERCOSUR.

4. As a result of this collaboration, a major programme on statistical information and monitoring programmes on child labour (SIMPOC) has been launched.

5. For example, a project that will focus solely on child bondage issues in Pakistan was recently approved with financial support from the European Commission.

6. GB.270/LILS/5; GB.271/LILS/6.

7. Ratification still in process of registration.

8. Protecting children in the world of work, ILO: Labour Education Series, 1997/3, No. 108.

9. For more details see "Profiles of IPEC programmes, 1992-97", ILO/IPEC, Oct. 1997, Geneva.

10. Independent evaluations are undertaken by individuals who have not been directly involved in the implementation of the programme or project under review. They may involve government, donor and ILO representatives, but can also be undertaken by independent consultants.

11. This evaluation was commissioned by the Government of Germany.

12. ../../../english/90ipec/index.htm


Updated by VC. Approved by NdW. Last update: 26 January 2000.

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