The Political Declaration for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) does not assert its commitment to combat and eradicate forced labour, human trafficking and the worst forms of child labour universally by 2030, as outlined in Target 8.7.

As stated by the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Tomoya Obokata “I am disappointed that the SDG Political Declaration does not reaffirm the commitment to eliminate contemporary slavery as per SDG 8, Target 8.7. We are running out of time and need stronger leadership by the international community now.”

As the SDG Summit draws to a close and Member States have a chance to reaffirm their commitments to the 2030 Agenda, Terre des Hommes International Federation, together with more than 70 civil society organisations across the world, critisises this lack of engagement and urges Member States to:

• Reaffirm their commitment, in the strongest terms possible, to the full, effective, and meaningful implementation of SDG 8.7.

• Recognise that SDG 8.7 is deeply interconnected with achieving most of the SDGs, and significantly increase political efforts to address the root causes of forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking, and the worst forms of child labour, inter alia, poverty, discrimination, gender inequality, climate change, and conflict.

• Ensure that all efforts and deliberative decision-making processes are survivor-led, centred, and informed, and commit to adopting multi-stakeholder and intergenerational partnerships to support these prevention, protection, and prosecution efforts.

Read the open letter sent to UN Ambassadors by civil society organisations here.