International Day against Child Labor event, Geneva

NGOs, business and trade union representatives will gather on June 11 in Geneva, the day before the International Day against Child Labor, to talk about ways to halt Uzbekistan's massive annual exploitation of its children.  See the program below (with RSVP contact for all those who can attend).  

The session will come at the beginning of the International Labor Conference, the ILO's annual gathering, where Uzbekistan was supposed to be selected as a special case for consideration...but foiled that attempt by not registering.  Even Burma registers!  More on this later.

Forced Labor and Child Labor in Central Asia :

The Way Forward and the Role of the International Community




 

June 11, 2009

 

Palais des Nations

Geneva

Room XXV

 

9:00-11:30 am

(8:00 am arrival for those needing UN badges)

Please RSVP to Ellen Walker at adv_ig3@hrw.org

 

 

Program

 

8:00-9:00 am

8:00 Arrival and pick up badges at the Pregny Gate of the Palais des Nations - IMPORTANT NOTE - bring your passport

8:30 Coffee and croissants by Room XXV

     

9:00-9:15 am

Welcome and introduction     

Welcome by Chair, Aryeh Neier, OSI

Introductory remarks by coalition representatives

 

9:15-11:00 am

Panelists

     

1.    Perspectives from the region (60 min.)

 

Bakhtier Abdujaborov ( Tajikistan ), Youth for Civilization

Nadejda Atayeva ( Uzbekistan ), Human Rights in Central Asia 

Umida Niyazova ( Uzbekistan ), human rights advocate

Elaine Fultz, independent expert

 

2.    Responses from trade union & employer representatives (30 min)

 

Svetlana Boincean, International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Associations (IUF), regional representative, Moscow  

Lakshmi Bhatia, Director of Global Partnerships, Gap Inc.

Neil Kearney, General Secretary, International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers Federation (ITGLWF)

Chris McCann, Country Manager ( UK ), Asda Wal-Mart

Antonia Cortese Secretary Treasurer, American Federation of Teachers/AFL-CIO; Co-Chair, US Child Labor Coalition

 

3.    Responses from international human rights perspectives (15 min.)

 

Kailash Satyarthi, Global March Against Child Labour 

Simon Steyne, International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC), ILO

Representative, Committee on the Rights of the Child (TBA)

 

11:00-11:30 am

Open Discussion: The way forward and the role of the international community

     

Participants’ comments invited

Conclusions and recommendations, call to action