The Africa Regional Symposium on Promoting Area-Based Approach in Pathfinder Countries to Eliminate Child Labour was held on 13th of June in Kampala with participation from CSOs, Unions and ILO from 4 African Pathfinder Countries – DRC, Malawi, Ethiopia and Uganda. Delegates and participants from the Pathfinder countries exchanged key lessons from the Area Based Approach (ABA) interventions and discussed how the interventions could further be strengthened to contribute to generating more diverse and adaptable socio-economic solutions to address the root causes of child labour. WNCB was represented through Juliet Wajega, WNCB country coordinator in Uganda (Hivos), Barbra Apio, programme manager (Nascent RDO) and Filbert Baguma, General Secretary (UNATU).

The convening of this Regional Symposium has created a timely momentum for governments and stakeholders from the Pathfinder countries to come together and explore ways to implement Area-Based Approach interventions to scale up actions to eliminate child labour and live up to their commitments as a Pathfinder country.

We are excited to share the call to action from this symposium:

We, the participants of the Africa Regional Symposium on Promoting Area-Based Approach in Pathfinder Countries to Eliminate Child Labour on 13th June 2023 urge the members of the Alliance 8.7 and Pathfinder Country governments in Africa to commit to “Prioritising Area Based Approach in Planning, Policies and Action to eliminate child labour.”

1. Reaffirm its role and commitment from Kampala Declaration of 19th April 2013 to “pledge to work towards the creation of Child Labour Free Zones”.
2. Translate its pledge from Durban Call to Action 2022 into action by financially supporting the creation of CLFZs.
3. Invest, Integrate and Mobilise pre-existing socio-economic structures and resources to promote decent work for adults and youth above the minimum age for work for a stronger and long-lasting CLFZ, especially in agriculture.
4.  Improve social protection measures to improve access to health, education food security.
5. Promote the ABA within the child labour platforms and develop pilots with the members of this platform.
6. Make the area-based approach central to child labour interventions in sectors such as agriculture and work with farmer (employer) organisations to organise farmers (membership) for a zero child labour tolerance policy, support formalisation of the informal companies and increase opportunities for financial access.
7. Strengthening the role of the private sector by making due diligence a non-negotiable component in their policies, enforcing policies for strengthening CSR of companies, regulating suppliers in the informal sector and working together with CSOs and governments for building capacity of private sector on ABA.
8. Increase inter-country learning sharing, advocacy and resource mobilisation to sustain the momentum on ABA implementation for achieving SDG 8.7