The work in Lebanon on child labour elimination in agriculture hs yielded results thanks to the solid partnerships built between FAO, ILO and UNICEF and fostering collaboration across inter-agendcy coordiantion mechanisms (ex. Food Security cluster, Interagency Child Labour Task Force, National Action Plan to Combat Child Labout in Lebanon) as well as inter-ministerial collaboration (joint activities implementation on raising awareness, studies, and techncial support between Ministry of agriculture, Ministry of social affairs and the Ministry of Labour).Child labour is a complex issue and partnerships are key for a holistic approach addressing its multifaceted dimensions. FAO played an important role also in child protection work (ex. Protecting children from pesticides material).
Joint FAO/ILO support was designed for both MoA extension staff and MoL inspection unit through the development of a Guide for practitioners in both Arabic and English languages (based on the Turin course on CL) as well as other educational material. FAO further supported Ministry of social affairs in developping training material to promote decent work for rural youth and financial inclusion.
FAO and UNICEF commisioned a research on the demand for child labour in the agricultural sector and a report was prepared. The study sheds light on the nature and the extent of young people's work in agricultuere, and the institutional framework to address the phenomenon. The joint study also evaluates how the labour market has been impacted by the Syrian crisis and highlights CL trends over the last decade.Qualitative assesemt on the supply of CL in agriculture by Syrian refugees was undertaken by the American University of Beirut with support from FAO, ILO and UNICEF in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour.
The partnership with ILOROAS was extended to the NENA region and a further study on trends in child labour across the region was developed in collaboration the League for Arab States in Cairo. The study was endorsed and launched in March 2019. Further continuation of the elimination of child labour and social protection is needed there.
I learned much on Child Labour combating work not only from FAO techncial perspective abut also gained more on the regulatory, social and institutional perspective through the partnership with ILO.
Г-жа Faten Adada