For Immediate Release
24 October 2017 - Geneva - The Tobacco Association of Malawi (TAMA) and the National Smallholder Farmers' Association of Malawi (NASFAM) have released an open letter to the ILO Governing Body and in joint response to the recently published letter from TOAWUM.
As “major tobacco grower associations with a combined membership of over 175,000 farmers, representing over 50% of total tobacco growers” in Malawi, TAMA and NASFAM call on the “ILO to continue providing a multi-stakeholder platform to dialogue and promote principles partnerships for continued cooperation, coordination and collaboration on child labour issues and more.”
In the letter, the Associations affirm that “capacity for grower bodies to replicate dialogue and enhance child labour awareness has been enhanced with ECLT support” and “commend the work that ECLT has been doing in bringing various stakeholders, especially farmers, to create more awareness and join the cause to eliminating all forms of child labour.(sic)”
The ECLT Foundation affirms the strong commitment to farmers and their families in Malawi, shown by TAMA and NASFAM, who continue to seek collaborative and sustainable solutions. ECLT continues to follow the discussion closely in anticipation of the upcoming ILO Governing Body session because of the potential for significant impact that the decision will have on tobacco farmers in Malawi and the over 40 million tobacco farmers in more than 120 countries where tobacco is grown around the world.
Enquiries: media@eclt.org
