Joint Statement on the Occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour

The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States (LAS), the Arab Labour Organization (ALO) and the Arab Council for Childhood and Development (ACCD) have issued a joint statement on the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour that is adopted by the United Nations to be celebrated on the 12th of June. This statement is a continuation of the regional efforts exerted for realizing and safeguarding the rights of children who are engaged in the labour market, and it reads as follows:

We, the Partners – LAS, ALO and ACCD - continue to affirm that the issue of child labour must be given special priority in development plans, programs and policies, as an issue that represents a flagrant violation of children's rights, and a direct reason for depriving those children of their childhood, education and healthy development, in addition to exposing them to serious dangers, diseases, violence and exploitation.

The issue of child labour has witnessed a steady increase in numbers, as international estimations indicate that more than 160 million children worldwide are involved in child labour, half of whom are working in hazardous works, with the emergence of new patterns of the worst forms of child labour. This is due to the crises and developments witnessed by the world, especially during the last decade, and that have a serious impact on children who are the first victims of crises and emergencies. These crises include the continued state of conflicts and disputes in the region, which caused an increase in cases of asylum and displacement, especially among children, as well as the current Russian-Ukrainian war, which caused a global economic crisis and an increase in the number of the families who are suffering, in addition to the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, whose impact will extend to future generations. Also, the international reports have recently confirmed that the issues of climate deterioration have caused a crisis in the rights of children due to its direct and indirect impact on them, especially children who are working under harsh climatic conditions that have made them lose many of the basic requirements of life.

In 2019, we launched a Study on “Child Labour in the Arab Region” that has been adopted by the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs at its 38th Session, and the Arab Economic and Social Development Summit at its 4th Session held in Beirut in January of the same year; to be a guiding document to support the efforts of Member States to eradicate the phenomenon of child labour. Since then, we dedicate a growing attention towards highlighting violations related to the phenomenon of child labour in the Arab region, as well as exerting more efforts and partnerships in order to protect the rights of working children, based on international and regional conventions and charters, in addition to what is included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Recognizing the seriousness of child labour, especially its worst forms, and as an extension of the exerted efforts to eliminate child labour in the Arab region, we (LAS, ALO and ACCD) organized an Arab Seminar on “Child Labour in the Arab Countries and the COVID-19 Pandemic” in the year 2021, in collaboration with partners at the national, regional and international levels, as well as a Regional Workshop entitled "Child Labour in the Arab Region and Climate Change" that was held in 2022. In addition, we will organize a Workshop on "Child Labour in Crises and Emergencies" during this year 2023, in an effort to strengthen the joint Arab action to eliminate child labour in the Arab region and providing proposals that can contribute to building a path towards a more sustainable world and preserving the rights of our children, who are our future.