Governments of Argentina, Australia, Cameroon, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Switzerland, Uganda, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the European Union, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), International Organisation of Employers, Cambodian Federation of Employers and Business Associations (CAMFEBA), Fasken, International Trade Union Confederation, International Federation of Building and Wood Workers (BWI), Autonomous Confederation of Workers of Peru (CATP), Free the Slaves, Global March Against Child Labour, and, the Secretariat of Alliance 8.7 Secretariat, held by the International Labour Organization
Geneva, 27 May 2024
Dear Alliance 8.7 Global Coordinating Group (GCG) members and observers,
In March 2024, I addressed a message to you all with regards to the 2024 SDG Summit of the Future and the Pact for the Future, which is expected to be endorsed by UN member States during the Summit in September 2024. As you will recall, the UK had proposed in the compilation document at the time the inclusion in the Pact of language on SDG Target 8.7, and I called upon you all to protect the inclusion of such critically important language.
For your reference, the language that was proposed by the UK, with my suggestion to replace “worst forms of child labour” by “all forms of child labour” was as follows:
We commit to intensifying international, regional, and national efforts to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and eliminate all forms of child labour. We will build and mobilise the evidence and knowledge base and strengthen cooperation and partnerships.
Despite efforts to protect this language, I regret to inform you that the current draft of the Pact, “Rev 1,” which I enclose with this letter for reference, does not include any language related to SDG Target 8.7.
The Pact for the Future will be the key outcome document of the Summit for the Future, orienting priorities for action going forward. It will set a framework leading up to the Second World Summit for Social Development in 2025, one of the aims of the Summit being to give momentum towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
It is thus critical that we join forces now to call for the insertion of language on SDG Target 8.7 in the Pact.
I thus call upon government members and observers on the Alliance’s Global Coordinating Group to mobilise action in this regard together with your missions in New York and to all other members to advocate through your respective networks.
I also invite you all to let me know as soon as possible whether you endorse the inclusion of the abovementioned language. I invite the Pathfinder Countries on the Global Coordinating Group to share this letter with the Pathfinder Countries in their respective regions, to also take action and add their endorsement.
This letter, with the endorsements, will be submitted to the co-facilitators of the Pact, the Governments of Germany and Namibia. The next round of negotiations on REV1 of the Pact will take place on 3-4 June 2024. I thus kindly ask for your reply by Thursday, 30 May 2024.
