A year ago, the member countries of the United Nations set new challenges to achieve integral, sustainable and sustainable development as the next step to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and signed the  2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , made up of 17 goals and 169 ambitious and inspiring goals that prioritize working for the person, the planet and prosperity.

Along these lines, the  Latin America and the Caribbean Free of Child Labor Regional Initiative incorporates  target 8.7   into its framework to accelerate the eradication of child labor in the region.

For 20 years, the region has been implementing various actions for the prevention and eradication of child labor and, within the framework of this new global goal, the commitment is updated; The member countries of the Regional Initiative and their Focal Points reinforce their interventions to comply with target 8.7 and declare Latin America and the Caribbean the first region in the world free of child labor.

It should be noted that the fulfillment of this goal will also have an impact on 35 goals of other Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which, according to their degree of interdependence are: Quality education (SDG 4), Gender equality (SDG 5), End Poverty (SDG 1), Reduction of Inequalities (SDG 10), Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Peace, Justify and Strong Institutions (SDG 16), Greetings and Well-being (SDG 3) and Climate Action (SDG 13).

The International Labor Organization, as Technical Secretariat of the Regional Initiative, proposes to take into account  five key general aspects  in making political decisions for development, which are: policies for the prevention and elimination of child labor and protection of permitted adolescent work , the strengthening of institutional capacities and the regulatory framework, an effective and sustainable model of direct attention to child labor, social awareness and mobilization, and the implementation of sector policies and programs to eradicate child labor.

In addition, the Regional Initiative has designed an accelerating policy framework that promotes synergies and prioritizes the preventive approach, emphasizing issues such as migration, indigenous peoples, decentralization, access and quality of education, youth employment, use of new technologies, focus value chain and agriculture; that will contribute to reaching the 8.7 target in 2025.

In order to achieve target 8.7 and all its interlinked and interdependent targets, both governments, the private sector, employers 'and workers' organizations, as well as civil society must take action. In this sense, the Regional Initiative is a great ally of the new  Alliance 8.7 , created as a global tool to achieve goal 8.7 worldwide and that will collaborate in the generation of a just and equitable society through the promotion of joint, articulated and immediate work between all.        

For this reason, following the consensus of goal 8.7 and, in general, of the 2030 Agenda, it is time to renew our commitment from our sectors and as actors of change, capable of ending child labor in 2025, protecting adolescent labor allowed and ensure respect for the rights of children and adolescents in the region and the world.