Cotton Campaign at Tashkent Textile Week, Uzbekistan
On May 30, Raluca Dumitrescu, the Cotton Campaign coordinator, participated in a panel discussion hosted in Tashkent by Uztextileprom, the Textile Association of Uzbekistan, as part of the Tashkent Textile Week (May 29 - June 2, 2023). She was invited by Uztextileprom to address an important and timely topic for the Uzbek cotton sector, following the end of state-imposed forced labor in cotton – Social Responsibility: The Key to Entering Global Supply Chains.
The other speakers at the event included Tanzila Narbaeva, Chairwoman of Senate of Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, Bekzod Musayev, Minister of Employment and Poverty Reduction, lkhom Khaydarov, Chairman of Uztextileprom, Olga Kulaeva, Director of the Technical Support Unit for Decent Work and the ILO Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Dr. Christian Schindler, General Director of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), Rachel Beckett, Senior Programme Manager at Better Cotton, and Maria Theresa Pisani, Economic Policy Officer at UNECE.
Raluca Dumitrescu’s speaking remarks and presentation addressed the following points:
The Cotton Campaign’s been working for over 15 years to end forced labor and promote decent work in Uzbekistan’s cotton sector.
Following the end of state-imposed forced labor, Uzbekistan presents important opportunities for responsible sourcing of cotton products, including an opportunity for full traceability of the supply chain.
Human rights risks remain in Uzbek cotton, including constraints on freedom of association and collective bargaining, and a lack of awareness among workers about their rights.
Under national laws governing supply chains, human rights due diligence, and imports, global brands and retailers are required to ensure there is no forced labor and other labor rights abuses in their supply chains.
Supply chain agreements are international best practice for human rights due diligence, as they bring brands, suppliers, and workers together to improve working conditions and maintain international labor standards.
The Dindigul Agreement, signed between global brands H&M, Gap, and PVH, a clothing and textile supplier in India, and labor organizations, which addresses gender based violence, was provided as a case study showing how these type of agreements benefit all supply chain actors: brands, suppliers, and workers.
Forced labor exists along a spectrum and it is not static. Uzbekistan indeed eliminated state-imposed forced labor in the harvest of cotton, but forced labor can take different forms, including abusive working and living conditions, intimidation and threats, physical and sexual violence, and excessive overtime.
Working conditions can quickly deteriorate if there are no mechanisms in place for monitoring, capacity building, grievance and remedy, to allow workers to enforce their rights.
Agreements that involve workers and protect freedom of association changed working conditions where other initiatives, like social audits, failed.
Following the lifting of the Cotton Pledge, the Cotton Campaign coalition members are working to help turn Uzbekistan into a key sourcing country for sustainable cotton and textiles. We are bringing our global expertise on supply chains, through engagement with Uzbek government and industry, and are engaging brands towards a pilot program bringing brands and suppliers together, to build capacity for labor rights and due diligence.
We thank Uztextileprom for their invitation to participate in the Tashkent Textile Week and we look forward to our continued engagement.
During her stay in Uzbekistan in the week of May 29, the Cotton Campaign coordinator also met with two cotton companies (clusters), the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction, international stakeholders with a presence in Uzbekistan, and civil society partners.
