The Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction hosted a meeting with members of the delegation led by the U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

Ms. Katherine Tai noted that significant transformations have been taking place in Uzbekistan’s labor market since 2017.

During the dialogue in 2019, the United States excluded Uzbek cotton from the list of products grown using forced and child labor, in 2020, the 12-year GCP monitoring applied by the United States to Uzbekistan was discontinued, and in 2022, the boycott of Uzbek cotton products announced by Cotton Campaign. This was an event that was received with great satisfaction.

The guests stressed that such achievements resulted from the efforts and political will of Uzbekistan’s President, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The U.S. Trade Representative also emphasized that her government fully supports Uzbekistan’s early accession to the World Trade Organization.

During the conversation, it was noted that Uzbekistan actively cooperates with the United States Department of Labor, the Center for International Private Enterprise, and the U.S. Solidarity Center to create decent working conditions in various fields and ensure and improve legislation, thereby introducing international labor standards.

Ms. Katherine Tai underlined that the U.S. Government is developing a new trade policy prioritizing workers’ rights. Based on this, she expressed her willingness to cooperate in such areas as early detection of the danger of forced labor in the future, support for trade union activities, and expanding the rights of labor inspectors.

Sh. Mamaturopova, UzA