ILO: Morocco to Host 6th Global Conference on Elimination of Child Labor

Morocco thus becomes the first Arab country to host this global event, a designation that results from efforts by Morocco’s Permanent Mission to the UN Office in Geneva, in coordination with the Ministry of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment, and Skills.

The conference, expected to take place in the second quarter of 2026, will shape a collective response to the non-attainment of Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on eliminating child labor by 2025. It will also provide an opportunity for follow-up to the outcomes of the Second World Summit for Social Development, to be held in November 2025, in relation to child labor and its root causes.

The sixth Global Conference will take stock of progress achieved and challenges encountered since the Fifth Global Conference held in Durban in May 2022. It will promote peer learning, information-sharing, cooperation, and policy coherence both within and among member states at the regional and international levels.

This conference is expected to reinforce the commitment of all stakeholders to accelerate the fight against child labor and foster coherent national, regional, and global efforts.

Moreover, the 6th Global Conference will highlight links between the elimination of child labor and other fundamental principles and rights at work. It will provide further impetus to efforts in favor of these principles and rights, encourage new commitments through the Global Coalition for Social Justice, and leverage advocacy and cooperation activities through partnerships such as Alliance 8.7, global business initiatives, and the Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection for Just Transitions.

Since 1997, the Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labor has provided countries with a forum at which to discuss, share good practices, advance policies, and commit to the elimination of child labor. These global conferences have resulted in a series of declarations aimed at setting strategic priorities and mobilizing political support for eliminating child labor.

Since the fifth Global Conference, progress has been made by ILO constituents in some countries and regions, both in law and practice. However, the colloctive commitment to ending all forms of child labor by 2025, as stated in SDG Target 8.7, will not be achieved.

Although the Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labor has achieved universal ratification in 2020, only three new ratifications of the Minimum Age Convention have been received since 2022 (Australia, Bangladesh, and Liberia). To achieve universal ratification, 11 more member states still need to ratify it.

According to the latest global estimates on child labor, published in 2021, the global fight against child labor is at a critical stage. Global progress had ground to a halt between 2016 and 2020 after having already slowed considerably in the four years prior to that. The COVID-19 pandemic and other global, regional, and/or national crises threatened to further erode past gains.