CHINA EMPLOYMENT FORUM

China Employment Forum (CEF) to be organized by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MOLSS) and the ILO, originally sheduled for 7-9 April 2003 in Beijing, has been postponed.

The Forum will address the dual challenges of unemployment caused by the restructuring of state-owned enterprises (SOE), largely in the Eastern Provinces and the overwhelmingly larger problem of rural surplus labour in Central and Western Provinces as well as the inadequate functioning of labour markets.
The Forum is intended to reach a common understanding on elements of an Employment Agenda for China, identifying work areas for follow-up. The ILO will address the challenges and issues identified in the Global Employment Agenda, as they affect China; it will promote the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and it will present ILO-China cooperation strategies under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in May 2001.

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ILO ANNOUNCES THE FIRST ANNUAL WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR

On June 12, 2002, ILO launched the first annual World Day Against Child Labour at the ILO Headquarters in Geneva. ILO began the initiative to highlight the worldwide movement to eliminate child labour, particularly its worst forms. It was also designed to promote the ratification of Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labour and Convention No. 138 on minimum age.

The theme for this year's event was A Future Without Child Labour and was highlighted by the recent ILO Report on Global Child Labour. The report, one of the most comprehensive looks ever at child labour, detailed the massive global problem of child labour. According to the Report, there are still 246 million child laborers ages 5 to 17 worldwide, nearly three-quarters of whom are trapped in the worst forms - that is, those that pose a serious risk to their health and development. The Report found that, despite some progress over the past decade in raising worldwide awareness and removing some children from work they should not be doing, child labour remains a problem, particularly in its worst forms. World Day Against Child Labour can be a vehicle for publicizing the need for the world community to join together in its determination to stop this practice and provide a healthier, safer world for children everywhere. ILO urges the global community to get involved in combating this growing problem.

Learn More: Background Information on Child Labour