Minister of Development Cooperation Kari Nordheim-Larsen

Statement at Ministerial level meeting on child labor

International Labour Conference, 12 june 1996 -

Mr Chairman, Honourable Ministers, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The paper that is the basis for our discussions today clearly reflects the complexity of the issue before us. It takes into account the many facets of the exploitation of child labour. It gives us a thorough overview of the challenges ahead.

This report is thus also a manifest of the strong commitment of the ILO to deal with this sensitive issue. The ILO has a special mandate and responsibility in this field. The ongoing process of examining its role and priorities will certainly contribute to the elaboration of an efficient strategy. I am convinced that the tripartite structure of the Organization allows for an approach that is particularly fruitful. This approach brings a broad vision and multi-faceted dimension to the problem that is absolutely necessary if we are to succeed in our combat. It is my hope that increased resources from ILO's regular budget will now be invested in the important work against child labour, both at the national and international levels.

UNICEF does have a special responsibility in the field of child labour. I am delighted to see extensive co-operation developing in this field between the ILO and UNICEF on the issue of child labour. I encourage both organisations to continue and further strengthen this co-operation.

The main responsibility for dealing with the issue of child labour rests with the countries affected by this problem. The combat against child labour will not succeed without their active participation.

The ILO constituents have made the decision to start elaborating a new convention on child labour. This is an important task, but also a very difficult one. As always in the process of elaborating new international standards, a word of caution is necessary. The new instrument will aim at reducing the most extreme forms of exploitation of child labour. This does not mean that sectors or forms of child labour not explicitly covered become acceptable. We should not allow for already existing international instruments to be weakened. Both the existing ILO conventions and the Convention of the Right of the Child continue to be basic instruments for the defence of the rights of children to be protected against abuse and exploitation. We are all aware of these dangers and of the necessity to safeguard existing standards. I am therefore confident that we will work together for the development of an efficient instrument that will be of true benefit to the children.

International standard setting is a long process. We will be very close to a new century before we have a new instrument on child labour. In the meantime there is a lot that we can do; intensification of technical co-operation activities is one of them. Norway strongly supports the activities of the ILO in the field of child labour and is pleased with the efforts made within the framework of the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, the IPEC. Norway is already supporting this programme. We will give it increased attention in the future. I would like to express the hope that the IPEC in the future will continue its fruitful co-operation with national authorities, trade unions and employer's organizations in developing tailor-made strategies adapted to the specific context of the countries themselves.

On behalf of my Government, I again reiterate our commitment to the abolishment of the exploitation of child labour. A White Paper on development co-operation, discussed in the Norwegian Parliament on Monday of this week, stresses this commitment. It also highlights the close connection between the fight against child labour and the efforts to reduce poverty. We will actively pursue the objective of eliminating child labour both in our bilateral and our multilateral efforts to promote development and economic growth.

I will not use the limited time at my disposal to go into details about what my country has done so far. Let me only briefly underline that we see the development of primary education as an instrument of paramount importance. Education will be a main priority in our development co-operation programmes in the future, not least in our co-operation with UNICEF, UNESCO, UNDP, the World Bank and the regional development banks.

Child labour does not only jeopardise the future of children, it also is a threat to the development of the countries where it is widespread. This is clearly shown in a recent study by the OECD. In this connection, I would like to mention that Norway takes an active part in the ongoing work of the OECD in reviewing the relation between international trade and social standards.

Norway recently hosted a meeting in Oslo on the follow-up of the 20/20 initiative from the Social Summit in Copenhagen. During this meeting participants from both developed and developing countries discussed mechanisms for increasing support to basic social services in line with this initiative. I am glad to tell you that the outcome of the Oslo meeting was very positive. If we are successful in our efforts to put this principle into practice, education is one sector that will be granted larger national and international support.

I have taken the initiative to convene an international conference on the most intolerable forms of child labour to be held in Oslo in 1997. Norway will work closely with the ILO to make this a successful conference. Both UNICEF and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will be active in the preparations. It is my hope is that this conference, together with the other events that will be on the international agenda during the coming year, will contribute to developing a common ground for concrete action. We must avoid duplication of efforts. These different conferences must be seen as parts of a process, each step bringing us closer towards consensus on how to proceed in concrete terms. I also hope that this process will prove useful to the ILO in its work towards a new convention.

In conclusion, please allow me to repeat what the document in front of us states so well; "none of the actors in the fight against child labour is able to solve this problem alone." Neither is there a single front on which to combat child labour. It is in co-operation that we can make progress, it is in fighting on several fronts at the same time that we will succeed. Together we have a challenge and obligation to act. Let us not disappoint those who rely on us to make this common effort.

Thank you for your attention