One of the most important emerging issues in recent times is the use of child labour. This is particularly so given that current estimates indicate that up to 140 million children world-wide below the age of 14 are engaged in some form of child labour. Tobacco farming, particularly in developing countries, is one of the agricultural sectors where there is a recognised child labour problem.

In 1989, the United Nations achieved a milestone in the history of children's rights with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child . It proceeded to set a new international standard.

The International Labour Office (ILO) has developed two Conventions that deal specifically with child labour: Convention no. 138 on Minimum Age to Employment and Convention no. 182 on Worst Forms of Child Labour.

In June 1999, the International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA) and the International Union of Food, Agriculture, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Association (IUF) signed a joint statement on the issue, which was witnessed by the ILO. In doing so, the ITGA and the IUF recognised the need to contribute to the elimination of child labour in the tobacco growing sector and to provide children with an upbringing that gives them the best chance to succeed in all aspects of life.

Following this first initiative, British American Tobacco (BAT)  joined the effort and signed a memorandum of co-operation with the IUF and the ITGA in July 2000. Within this new international partnership, the three organisations agreed to work jointly against child labour in tobacco growing and to involve all the stakeholders in the tobacco sector in order that child labour no longer plays a role in production.

This new partnership was officially launched in Nairobi in October 2000 in an international conference, “Eliminate Child Labour: Establishing Best Practice in Tobacco Farming”, whose objective was to establish a permanent infrastructure to address the issue and provide a framework for ongoing action (Conference Report: PDF). The conference was attended by over 120 delegates and speakers representing 14 countries in three continents. Keynote speakers included the Kenyan Minister of Labour, Hon Joseph Ngutu and the ILO Executive Director, Mr Kari Tapiola. The decision was taken to base a central secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland, close to the UN organisations headquarters.

Following the Nairobi conference, new partners from the tobacco corporate sector joined this international initiative: Gallaher Group Plc, Imperial Tobacco Group PLC, Japan Tobacco Inc., Philip Morris International, Philip Morris USA, Scandinavian Tobacco Company as well as the three major tobacco leaf processing companies, Dimon Incorporated, Standard Commercial Corporation and Universal Leaf Tobacco Co.,Inc.

The ECLT Foundation office was opened in October 2001, and the Foundation was officially launched on 5 April 2002.