At the Ministry of Employment and Labor Relations of Uzbekistan, a meeting with the delegation of the US Trade Office was held to discuss bilateral cooperation.
The event was attended by the Deputy Assistant USTR for South and Central Asian Affairs Zeba Reyazuddin, Deputy Chief of Mission in the US Embassy in Tashkent Alan Meltzer, Director for Labor Affairs at USTR Michael O’Donovan, International Relations Officer at US Department of Labor Emma Laury, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Sherzod Kudbiyev.
During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the ongoing efforts to combat forced labor in Uzbekistan. The achieved results and planned activities in this direction were discussed.
In particular, it was stressed that in order to further strengthen efforts to fight forced labor, the number of labor inspectors should be doubled. In order to ensure transparency in the case of forced labor during the cotton harvest and the measures taken against them, relevant international organizations should have direct access to the Ministry’s database. Also, the Ministry should work with the civil society on the principle of openness.
The US Delegation underlined that Uzbekistan has made significant efforts to eliminate child labor. According to the Ministry, the reforms that have been carried out in the country over the past two years have signaled significant progress in Uzbekistan to prevent any form of forced labor.
