GENEVA, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- A three-day global conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labor has ended with a declaration pledging concrete steps to eradicate forced work and child labor, the International Labor Organization said Thursday.
The ILO said in a statement released in Geneva that the adoption of the Buenos Aires Declaration spells out principles and actions to be taken against child and forced labor.
It has a call to action to accelerate efforts to end child labor by 2025 and forced labor by 2030, and to generate more decent employment opportunities for young people around the world.
"We know what to do, and there are no excuses not to do so," said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder, who participated in a high-level panel discussion.
He told delegates that "we have the duty to ensure a future of work in which there is no child labor or forced labor."
During the meeting, delegates presented almost 100 pledges for concrete steps towards the eradication of child labor and forced labor, and the generation of quality employment for young people.
The Buenos Aires Declaration was delivered on the last day of the three-day conference that convened delegations from around the world in the Argentine capital.
More than 3,000 people signed up to attend plenary sessions, panel discussions on specific topics and special events in which some 250 speakers participated.
The conference was organized by the Argentine government with the support of the ILO and brought together representatives of governments, employers and workers, as well as civil society, and regional and international organizations.
