To the leaders gathering at the United Nations General Assembly,
In 2015, the world made a commitment. Through Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7, governments committed to take immediate and effective measures to end child labour in all its forms by 2025. That deadline has now passed. Approximately 138 million children remain in child labour worldwide. 54 million of them are engaged in hazardous work.
There has been progress. Between 2020 and 2024, the number of children in child labour fell by more than 22 million. It was not enough to meet the commitment the world made. As leaders gather for the 81st United Nations General Assembly General Debate, the question now is what comes next. We believe the next commitment must learn from what the past decade has taught us.
Commit to addressing the conditions that make child labour possible. Poverty, limited social protection, lack of decent work for adults, barriers to quality education, conflict and displacement all shape children's vulnerability. Prevention requires sustained investment in the systems surrounding children and their families.
Commit to looking beyond individual sectors. Child labour intersects with agriculture, education, climate resilience, social protection, labour markets and global supply chains. Policies designed in isolation will struggle to address risks that are deeply interconnected.
Commit to protecting those facing the greatest risks. Progress has been uneven. Children living in fragile and conflict-affected settings, rural communities and households facing severe economic insecurity continue to experience disproportionate vulnerability.
Commit to turning global ambition into local capacity. Lasting progress depends on governments, communities, workers, employers, businesses and civil society having the knowledge, resources and institutions to identify risks and respond to them effectively.
And commit to measuring what happens next. A missed deadline cannot become an indefinite one. The latest global estimates show that, at the current pace, eliminating child labour remains decades away. Renewed commitments need measurable targets, accountability and the political determination to accelerate progress.
The deadline set by Target 8.7 gave the world a destination. Missing it should give us greater clarity about the journey ahead. As governments define their priorities for the years to come, 138 million children are a reminder that the next commitment cannot simply be another date. It must be a clearer understanding of what needs to change — and the resolve to change it.
