Sub-regional consultation workshop on achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 8.7

This sub-regional consultation was designed to follow a schedule of large plenary sessions with expert panels, small multi-stakeholder breakout groups, and live lunch talks. Recognizing that within the SDG 8.7 thematic areas of work there are distinct methodological approaches, policy and programming considerations, each session had a specific focus and allocated time for technical deliberation relating to implementation and policy.


The consultation workshop on SDG Alliance 8.7 took place on the 14-15th of September in Bangkok, Thailand, was convened by the ILO at the United Nations Conference Centre. The consultation was sub-regional, inviting stakeholders in East and South-East Asia and the Pacific to discuss SDG Alliance 8.7. The Alliance will be a partnership led initiative that focuses on achieving Sustainable Development Target 8.7: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.

The sub-regional consultation followed a schedule of large plenary sessions with expert panels, small multi-stakeholder breakout groups, and live lunch talks. Participants considered several key questions:
  • What policy measures, programmes, and good practices are currently being implemented or planned to strengthen and better coordinate efforts and pool resources towards achieving this target?
  • What institutional and policy frameworks need to be put in place to encourage effective partnership of the public sector with the private sector and civil society in managing development and cooperation?
  • What technical systems and tools are required to implement, track, monitor, and report on progress towards SDG 8.7?
  • How to best ensure that wider actions taken by NGO’s, development partners and others are conducive to achieving target 8.7
  • How has the development finance and cooperation landscape changed since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals?
The Sub-Regional Consultation Workshop was an opportunity for key stakeholders to put forward clear recommendations and prioritization of action to support the achievement of SDG target 8.7 in East and South-East Asia and the Pacific. These will feed into the launch of the Global SDG Alliance in New York in September 2016, as well as the 4th Global Conference on Child Labour in Buenos Aires in 2017. Most importantly, they will feed into country level initiatives to accelerate the actualization of Target 8.7.