Media Advisory

General Assembly to convene high-level event to mobilize efforts to end child labour
 

New York, 9 May 2025 – The President of the UN General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Philemon Yang, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), will convene an informal interactive dialogue on Tuesday, 13 May 2025, aimed at raising awareness and accelerating efforts to eliminate child labour in all its forms, including the forced recruitment and use of children in armed conflict.

The high-level dialogue will serve as a platform for Member States, UN agencies, civil society, and other key stakeholders to explore courses of action to end the ongoing crisis faced by approximately 160 million children worldwide who are still engaged in child labour. While progress has been made— with 86 million fewer children in child labour since 2000—recent data shows that efforts are falling short of the international community’s goal to end child labour by 2025, as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals.

The dialogue, a key priority of the President of the General Assembly, comes at a critical moment, ahead of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July 2025, which will include an in-depth review of Sustainable Development Goal 8, and the Second World Summit on Social Development in November 2025, where progress toward global social development goals will be evaluated.

What:     Signature Event: Informal Interactive Dialogue on Childhood with dignity: Eliminating
                  child labour in all its forms, including forced recruitment and use of children in
armed conflict

When:     Tuesday, 13 May 2025, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. EDT

Where:   Trusteeship Council Chamber, UN Headquarters

Live-streaming coverage of the meeting in all 6 languages as well as on-demand coverage in English and original language through
 UN WebTV

Format:   An opening segment will be followed by an interactive panel discussion

Speakers
(Opening Segment)

  • H.E. Mr. Philemon Yang, President of the UN General Assembly
  • Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO)
  • Ms. Cristina Isabel Lopes da Silva Monteiro Duarte, Under-Secretary-General and Special Advisor on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General
  • H.E. Ms. Claudia Fuentes Julio, Chair of Alliance 8.7 and Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations Office and other International Organizations at Geneva (pre-recorded video message)
  • Ms. Molly Namirembe, testimony from a former child labourer (pre-recorded video message)

Media Contacts
Sharon Birch, Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, M: +1 646 342 5873, Email: birchs@un.org
Dr. Mariam Shaikh, Adviser/ Social and Digital Media/Media Relations, M: +1 917 361 4990, Email: mariam.shaikh@un.org

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