Stora Enso and ILO partner to combat child labor

ILO is the UN agency devoted to advancing opportunities for women and men to obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. Its main aims are to promote rights at work, encourage decent employment opportunities, enhance social protection and strengthen dialog in handling work-related issues.

The agreement will focus on aligning policy and practice with international labor standards and increasing the company’s knowledge of child labor and other labor rights. It will also promote decent work and combat child labor in the value chain of Bulleh Shah Packaging, Stora Enso’s joint venture in Pakistan.

The global component of the partnership will start with ILO providing Stora Enso technical support to strengthen its policies and due diligence processes on child labor and other labor rights. This partnership will also complement actions to address the findings of Stora Enso’s human rights assessments published earlier this year.

The Pakistani component will start by participatory planning with Stora Enso, Bulleh Shah Packaging, ILO and other relevant stakeholders to design a project that will include research, training of Bulleh Shah Packaging employees, pilot community interventions and technical support to mainstreaming decent work in the value chain.

Karl-Henrik Sundström, Stora Enso chief executive officer, said: ‘For Stora Enso, this partnership is an important step in enhancing human and labor rights in our operations and supply chains.

‘Cooperation with ILO will help us increase our knowledge, build up local networks and work together with the government and other local stakeholders to bring about positive change.’

Moussa Oumarou, director of ILO’s governance and tripartism department, added: ‘ILO is very pleased to enter into this partnership which will make an important contribution to the realization of decent work and the elimination of child labor in Pakistan, and support Stora Enso in its efforts to demonstrate its respect for fundamental labor rights throughout its value chain.’