ILO child labour standards in international trade regulation

The contribution develops a legal analysis of the interaction between the ILO Convention on the worst forms of child labour (1999) and the international legal regime governing trade relations. The purpose is firstly to scrutinize if and to what extent ILO members are allowed to apply trade sanctions against States responsible of unlawful conduct under the 1999 Convention. Then particular attention is dedicated to the scope of the social clauses contained in US and EU agreements concerning international trade relations. A final argument considers the possibility to infer simalar clauses from the WTO legal regime, thus allowing WTO memebrs to resort to the suspension of trade concessions against States responsible of human rights violation. Specific reference is made to the WTO jurisdprudence concerning the application of GATT 1994 art. XX on general exceptions.