Kailash Satyarthi seeks high-level meet of UN bodies on child labour

WASHINGTON: Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi has urged UN chief Antonio Guterres to summon a high-level meeting of the organisation's various bodies to achieve the global commitment of eradication of child labour by 2025.

Satyarthi said there is an urgent need to put an end to "the scourge of child labour and forced labour."

"I urge the UN Secretary General Guterres that he should call a high-level meeting of heads of UN agencies like UNICEF, UNESCO, ILO, UNDP and WHO on issue of child labour in the context of sustainable development," Satyarthi told PTI.


During last month's 'Fourth Global Conference on the Eradication of Child Labour', in which more than 100 countries took part, the governments had pledged to take immediate action towards eradicating child labour in all its forms by 2025.

"In that case, the UN secretary general should take a proactive and strong step towards co-ordination and more integrated approach in making various sustainable development growth rates with regard to children towards implementing," 63-year-old Satyarthi said.

"It is essential that the UN leadership should take the lead to protect our children to have a comprehensive, coordinated and aggressive approach in this regard," he said.

"Governments across the world need to give much more attention to early childhood protection and education. Agriculture child labour is a major area of concern," he said.