Zambian leader to champion ratification of forced labor protocol in Africa

Zambian President Edgar Lungu has agreed to champion a campaign for the ratification of the forced labor protocol in Africa and take the issue to the level of the African Union (AU) Summit, the Times of Zambia newspaper reported on Friday.

The Zambian leader expressed the agreement after the government received a request from the International Labor Organization (ILO) asking him to be the champion for the "50 For Freedom" campaign, according to Labor and Social Security Minister Fackson Shamenda.

The Zambian minister said Lungu's commitment towards the campaign demonstrated the kind of leadership that should be generated across the region.

Zambia will next week host a two-day sub-regional conference on the ratification and implementation of the new ILO Protocol on Forced Labor.

The conference will bring together high-level government representatives, social partners and representatives of civil society and the United Nations system from across Africa.

The aim of the conference is to review current knowledge and data on the scope of forced labor and human trafficking in Africa, as well as assess the current action and challenges to prevent and combat forced labor and human trafficking.

ILO estimates that about 21 million people worldwide are victims of forced labor, including 3.7 million in Africa. Endi