The International Labour Organization (ILO) brought together public institutions, employers' and workers' organizations, the Association of Chocolate, Biscuits and Confectionery Industries of Europe (CAOBISCO), and companies from the hazelnut sector in Ordu and Giresun on 19-20 August 2026 to discuss how to sustain efforts to prevent and eliminate child labour in seasonal hazelnut agriculture.
The 2026 Multi-Stakeholder Field Visit connected policy, field-level practice and supply-chain action through three linked events: a final consultation on the project's Exit Strategy, a visit to direct intervention activities in Ordu, and the ILO-CAOBISCO Hazelnut Suppliers Roundtable at the Black Sea Exporters' Associations in Giresun.
Since 2013, the ILO Office for Türkiye and CAOBISCO have worked through a public-private partnership to contribute to the elimination of the worst forms of child labour in seasonal hazelnut harvesting. The ILO implements the project in close cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MoLSS) as its principal government counterpart, alongside employers' and workers' organizations, other public institutions and local stakeholders.
With the project's current phase ending in December 2026, participants focused on a central question: how can 13 years of experience, capacity and cooperation be carried forward through strengthened national and local ownership?
Stakeholders discuss sustainability and the exit strategy
The programme opened in Ordu on 19 August with the project's Exit Strategy Consultation Workshop. Participants included representatives of central public institutions, including the MoLSS, Ministry of National Education (MoNE), Ministry of Family and Social Services (MoFSS) and other relevant ministries; workers' and employers' organizations, including TİSK, TÜRK-İŞ and HAK-İŞ; as well as provincial stakeholders, including child labour units from key hazelnut-producing provinces.
The workshop enabled stakeholders to review progress and discuss proposed exit arrangements across three areas: policy and institutional coordination; identification, referral and monitoring of children; and awareness raising and community engagement.
For each area, stakeholders considered four possible pathways: institutionalize the intervention within national structures; continue or expand it; strengthen or adapt it based on lessons learned; or phase it out where its objectives have been achieved or its functions integrated into existing systems.
"The conclusion of a project does not mean the end of the ILO's support. After 13 years of ILO-CAOBISCO partnership, the capacities, coordination mechanisms and awareness we have built together provide a strong foundation for sustained action. These achievements will remain beyond the lifetime of the project and can continue to inform national efforts to prevent and eliminate child labour," said Yasser Hassan, Director of the ILO Office for Türkiye.
© Fatih Atmaca/ ILO
"It is important to distinguish between exit and sustainability. An exit strategy is about how we responsibly phase out direct project support, while sustainability is about ensuring that the impact continues over time through national ownership, institutionalized processes and structures, adequate planning and the active engagement of stakeholders. Our focus now is on embedding the gains of this partnership within national systems and looking ahead to what comes next. The ILO will continue to stand by its constituents, including through technical support for policy development, implementation, monitoring and follow-up," Hassan added.
Highlighting the Ministry's central institutional role in Türkiye's broader efforts to combat child labour, Suat Dede, Deputy Director-General of Labour at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, emphasized the importance of sustaining the institutional and coordination mechanisms developed over the course of the project.
"Over the past 13 years, this project has made an important contribution to Türkiye's efforts to combat child labour, while providing a strong example of public-private cooperation. One of its key achievements has been strengthened coordination - among public institutions, between central and local authorities, and across stakeholders at the local level. As we look to the future, our priority is to build on these gains, identify what needs to evolve and ensure that our efforts are sustained. The fight against child labour is a shared responsibility that requires the continued commitment of us all," Dede said.
Discussions focused on how the knowledge, experience and mechanisms developed through the project can be further integrated into the work of relevant institutions and sustained beyond the current project period.
From policy discussions to field-level implementation
Following the workshop, participants visited project-supported activities at Saraycık Temporary Settlement Area for Seasonal Agricultural Workers (METİP) in Ordu during the hazelnut harvest season.
Participants observed how children identified as being at risk of child labour and referred to the METİP are provided with a safe space during the harvest season, alongside social and educational services. These include preschool education and activities in Turkish, mathematics, science, hygiene, art, music and physical education, as well as activities using the ILO's arts-based SCREAM methodology.
Engaging the hazelnut supply chain
On 20 August, the Black Sea Exporters' Associations (KİB) hosted the ILO-CAOBISCO Hazelnut Suppliers Roundtable at its headquarters in Giresun, bringing together representatives of the ILO, MoLSS and CAOBISCO, as well as hazelnut-producing and exporting companies.
The roundtable provided an opportunity to exchange views on the role of the private sector in preventing child labour among other related decent work risks in the hazelnut supply chains, and the respective roles of government, employers' and workers' organizations and businesses.
Participants also discussed how company-level prevention and human rights due-diligence efforts could be better connected with public systems, collective supply-chain initiatives and field-level mechanisms.
© Fatih Atmaca/ ILO
"Since 2013, this partnership has grown from a pilot initiative into an effort that has reached thousands of children and helped strengthen systems at national and local levels. For CAOBISCO, our shared commitment has always been clear: to prevent child labour in the supply chain by identifying risks and addressing them collectively," said Marco Baldoli, Secretary General of CAOBISCO.
"As we look beyond the current phase, continued human rights due diligence, private sector engagement and collaboration with national and local stakeholders will be essential to ensuring that the progress achieved together is sustained," he added.
Discussions underlined a shared message: child labour risks cannot be addressed by individual companies or projects alone. Lasting progress requires coordinated action by government, workers' and employers' organizations, the private sector and local stakeholders.
The two-day programme reflected the comprehensive approach underpinning the ILO's work on child labour in seasonal agriculture in Türkiye, combining policy support and institutional capacity development with direct interventions, awareness raising and cooperation with public institutions, workers' and employers' organizations, the private sector and local stakeholders.
The project, "An Integrated Model for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Seasonal Agriculture in Hazelnut Harvesting in Türkiye," covers the 2024-2026 period. It is implemented by the ILO through its public-private partnership with CAOBISCO and in close cooperation with MoLSS, social partners, public institutions and local stakeholders.
