Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-06-13-Speech-4-178"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20020613.6.4-178"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
". – Mr President, the Commission shares the concerns expressed about the use of child labour in the football industry. It condemns all forms of child exploitation, as well as the worst forms of child labour. It supports the calls on FIFA and the sporting goods companies to make sure that no children are employed in the production of FIFA licensed sportswear and footballs.
The Commission has not had any contact so far with FIFA on this issue. It is ready to support NGOs which work with local partners for the elimination of child labour. It has already financed several initiatives to combat child labour, especially in Africa.
The Commission considers that assistance for and protection of vulnerable children should be seen in the wider context of poverty eradication and therefore in the framework of the Community framework development cooperation. Children are an important focal group in the Community's external aid, particularly in sectoral policies such as education and health.
The Community is committed to applying the ILO core labour standards and has agreed to implement those standards in the framework of bilateral and multilateral agreements with developing countries. A good example is Article 50 of the Cotonou Convention. In that article the Community and the ACP countries have reaffirmed their commitment to ILO core labour standards, including the fight against the worst forms of child labour.
The Community is increasing its support to universal and compulsory primary education in all developing countries as part of its commitments to the "education for all" framework and the millennium development goals for education and gender equality. It sees this as one of the most efficient means currently at its disposal for rescuing children from the vicious circle of exploitation.
Assistance for, and protection of, children is channelled through a number of Commission programmes, including the European initiative for human rights and democracy. The promotion of children's rights was one of the priorities for funding in 2001 and will be mainstreamed in funding for the period 2002 to 2004. Furthermore, the Commission has also made children a cross-cutting priority for humanitarian assistance. In its communication on the promotion of core labour standards and social governance, the Commission presented a comprehensive strategy proposing actions at European and international level. This should, in the medium term, ensure better implementation of the ILO core labour standards through institutional support and capacity building and trading in developing countries.
As regards trade, in December 2001 the Council adopted a revised GSP scheme by which additional trade preferences are granted to countries that respect core labour standards. This includes an improved social incentive scheme and extends the base for withdrawal of GSPs to cover serious infringements of all ILO core conventions.
Finally, the Commission played an active role in the UN General Assembly special session on children. In this context, the EU considers a rights-based approach as fundamental to the promotion of the interest of children, given that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most ratified international treaty in the world and provides an already agreed normative framework. The plan of action agreed at this special session contains strong elements aimed at combating child labour."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples