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The COVID-19 pandemic is, directly and indirectly, impacting health and well-being around the globe. Illness and containment measures are compounding the social and economic disadvantages of the most vulnerable in society. These social and economic impacts stand to cause devastating setbacks to efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Pervasive inequalities between rural and urban inhabitants, rich and poor, women and men will exacerbate these effects. People in areas impacted by severe climate change, conflict, forced displacement, and migration will be even more vulnerable.Vulnerable groups include rural women, youth and children, indigenous people, the elderly, and people with [...]

Child labour undermines efforts to eradicate hunger, malnutrition and poverty for present and future generations. According to the latest estimates, at the beginning of 2020 there were 160 million children involved in child labour globally, corresponding to almost one in ten of all children worldwide. Of this total, 70 percent were engaged in agriculture, making the sector theprimary source of child labour. Therefore, the progress or failure of SDG 8.7 – “eradicating child labour globally by 2025” – will be decided in agriculture.In accordance with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Framework on Ending Child Labour in [...]

The members of the International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture (IPCCLA), namely FAO, ILO, IFAD, IUF, IFPRI has released a joint statement on the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour 2020, focusing on the Impact of COVID-19 on child labour in agriculture. The statement reflects on the potential impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the prevalence of child labour in agriculture and the potentially lasting deleterious effects on child growth and development, urging for a call for immediate nationally and internationally coordinated responses. Click here for more publications on COVID19

The purpose of the FAO’s framework is to guide the Organization and its personnel in the integration of measures addressing child labour within FAO’s typical work, programmes and initiatives at global, regional and country levels. It aims to enhance compliance with organization’s operational standards, and strengthen coherence and synergies across the Organization and with partners. The FAO framework is primarily targeted at FAO as an organization, including all personnel in all geographic locations. But the framework is also relevant for FAO’s governing bodies and Member States, and provides guidance and a basis for collaboration with development partners. The framework is [...]

Explore our wide variety of free, multilingual courses in the areas of food and nutrition security, social and economic developmentand sustainable management of natural resources, all supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This document summarizes the online discussion How can agricultural policies and strategies help to end child labour in agriculture? held on the FAO Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition (FSN Forum) from 27 April to 25 May 2020. The discussion was facilitated by Jessie Rivera Fagan of FAO in Rome, Italy.The discussion was part of FAO’s activities leading up to the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour in 2021 and of its broader efforts to contribute to the progress in achieving Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2025. A comprehensive multisectoral approach is often needed [...]

This course illustrates how to identify capacity development needs on child labour for agricultural stakeholders. It provides guidance on how to design tailored capacity development activities on child labour in agriculture for a target group. It also explains how to communicate effectively in order to raise awareness on the issue of child labour in agriculture among various types of audiences.  

This course demonstrates how strong monitoring systems of agricultural programmes can incorporate child labour indicators, suggesting useful strategies. It also provides methodologies to consider when evaluating and reporting on evidence that suggests child labour may have been impacted by an agricultural initiative. The course consists of 2 lessons, ranging from approximately 40 to 45 minutes duration each: Lesson 1  Monitoring progress to address child labour in agriculture Lesson 2  Evidence of impact

This course illustrates how agricultural programmes can help to prevent and reduce child labour in agriculture. It provides guidance at each stage of the programme cycle when integrating child labour concerns in agricultural programmes. While the course is tailored to the information needs of these stakeholders, much of the content will also be highly relevant to others such as agricultural workers, employers and their organizations. The course consists of 2 lessons, ranging from approximately 45 to 60 minutes duration each: Lesson 1  Identify entry points in agricultural programmesLesson 2  Integrating child labour concerns in design and implementation

This course explains national and international legislation aimed at preventing and reducing child labour. It provides suggestions on how to assess whether a policy adequately addresses child labour in agriculture in your country. It also suggests opportunities within the development and implementation of a national rural development or agricultural policy where consideration of child labour concerns could make a difference. The course consists of 2 lessons, ranging from approximately 45 to 50 minutes duration each:     Lesson 1  Assessing policy against national child labour obligations Lesson 2  Identifying opportunities in agricultural policies