Progress of Uzbekistan in the field of the elimination of forced labor discussed in the national press club in the United States
04/05/2019 16:58
Progress of Uzbekistan in the field of the elimination of forced labor discussed in the national press club in the United States
04/05/2019 16:58
Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 29 April 2019, the US National Embassy in Washington held a briefing at the National Press Club on the measures taken in Uzbekistan to end forced labor and the results achieved, which were reflected in the thematic reports of the State Department and Labor Department of the United States, as well as the report of the International Labor Organization (ILO) on the results of third party monitoring in 2018 announced in early April.
The event was attended by representatives of relevant US departments, expert-analytical and business circles, as well as leading American media - Diplomat, Bloomberg, Textile Insight Magazine, International Trade Today and others.
During the briefing, detailed information was presented on the ongoing reforms and transformations in the sphere of human rights in Uzbekistan, the progress achieved in the issue of the total eradication of child labor and systematic forced labor. Large-scale structural transformations in agriculture, measures to mechanize the entire cotton harvesting process are noted. Separately marked are the processes of privatization and the introduction of a market model of cluster development in the textile industry, which excludes the possibility and economic profitability of using any form of forced labor in the country.
Pointing to the successful participation of American companies such as Silverleafe Capital Partners, CNH Industrial, John Deere, and others, in investment projects in the agriculture of Uzbekistan, there were broad prospects for the US to place manufacturing facilities in the country and expand, thereby , geography of supply chains in the region of Central Asia and beyond.
The project coordinator and ILO technical adviser, Oksana Lipkanu, who spoke at the briefing, outlined the “total eradication of systematic or systemic child and forced labor” as the organization’s main conclusion on the results of cotton harvest monitoring in 2018.
In general, recognizing some progress in improving the situation in the field of protecting the rights of workers in Uzbekistan, Director of Legal and Political Affairs of the International Forum for the Rights of Workers, Eric Gotwald, said: “An analysis of the overall picture shows that the country’s top leadership has a real commitment and energy to reform the cotton industry and eliminate forced labor. ”
At the same time, referring to the cases of forced labor identified by the ILO, it was noted that significant work still needs to be done to fully solve this problem.
Steve Sverdlov, a spokesman for Human Rights Watch, who spoke through a conference call, also confirmed a significant reduction in the number of cases of forced labor and acknowledged the established practice of open dialogue with civil society.
“Over the past two years, we have seen a complete change in attitudes towards civil society observers, human rights defenders and civil society activists. In the past, they faced many problems, the risk of their prosecution was high. Now in Uzbekistan a more dynamic environment - conditions for independent monitoring are provided, officials are held accountable for the revealed facts of corruption and forced labor. The dismissal of the Deputy Prime Minister for offenses against agricultural workers is an example of how the country’s leadership reacted to public outrage in the media space,” said Steve Sverdlov in his remarks.
Indicating the negative impact of the so-called “cotton boycott” of the “Cotton Campaign” coalition for the employment processes of Uzbek citizens, civil society representative Azam Farmonov presented to the briefing participants an appeal on behalf of 10 Uzbek human rights activists calling for the abolition of this boycott.
In his interview, the head of Fontheim International LLC, Claude Fonfeym, who advises global brands on corporate responsibility issues, said: “Today’s briefing provided an excellent opportunity for all interested parties and the media to gain a deeper understanding of the reforms and transformations taking place in Uzbekistan, The country’s communities create employment opportunities not only in the cotton sector, but also in the textile industry as a whole. We are witnessing this process and are convinced that such trends will create a better future for people, industry and, in general, bilateral relations with the United States. ”
Jonas Astrup, ILO chief technical adviser in Uzbekistan, said: “I live in Uzbekistan with my family, I work daily in Tashkent, in regions and regions of Uzbekistan. Today we are in Washington, where a very meaningful meeting was held with the participation of representatives of civil society, the textile industry and the Government of Uzbekistan, which spoke about the reform processes in Uzbekistan and positive changes in the country. The main goal was to bring the necessary information so that the US business community could decide to invest in Uzbekistan in order to create jobs - this is the main task of the government of the country to create the necessary conditions for employment through the development of the textile industry, expanding exports to the US and European markets ".
The results of the briefing received wide coverage in leading US publications. In particular, “The Diplomat” in the article “Uzbekistan strives to abolish the cotton boycott” indicates the processes of privatization, technological modernization and mechanization of the entire production cycle, as the main directions for the further development of the agro-industrial complex. The material also speaks about the country’s priorities in promoting exports and attracting investments as important factors for ensuring employment of the population.
The article separately emphasized that the observance of human interests is the main principle of all reforms carried out in Uzbekistan and a decisive signal from the leadership of the country to every official, employer and any person - forced labor is unacceptable and will be stopped to the fullest extent of the law.
The author also cites the earliest possible abolition of the "cotton boycott", which has completely lost its relevance and does not meet the interests of the citizens of Uzbekistan.
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