Ensuring human rights, creating decent working conditions for people are top priorities for New Uzbekistan – Narbaeva

In turn, the lifting of the boycott of Uzbek cotton will serve to the creation of millions of new jobs, especially in rural areas, as well as the attraction of foreign investment in the textile industry of the republic and expand the export potential of Uzbekistan.

“Speaking about the results achieved, I can say that, in 2016, systemic child labor was completely eliminated. Based on this, the European Parliament ratified the inclusion of a textile protocol to the partnership and cooperation agreement between the EU and Uzbekistan. The document provides for the removal of quantitative restrictions and the reduction of customs duties when importing 3,000 items of Uzbek textile goods into the countries of the European Union. As part of the GSP status, customs rates for textile products from Uzbekistan were reduced and ranged from 4 to 12%. In 2019, the export of Uzbek textile products to the EU countries amounted to $56.7 million, in 2020 – $74.1 million (+ 36.4%), and in 2021 – more than $141.8 million,” Narbaeva noted.

In the 2019 US Department of Labor report, Uzbekistan was rated Moderate Progress in Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labor. Later the status was upgraded to the second category.

In October 2020, the US Trade Representative (USTR) decided to complete the work to review Uzbekistan’s compliance with the criteria for ensuring labor rights in accordance with the US Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). As a result, Uzbek cotton was removed from the list called “List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor”.

One of the most effective measures in achieving these results was the toughening of criminal liability for the use of child and forced labor. Thus, Uzbekistan has brought national legislation in line with ILO Convention No. 29 on forced or compulsory labor.

In addition, taking into account international experience and in order to improve national legislation, the Law of Uzbekistan “On Combating Human Trafficking” was adopted in a new edition.

Uzbekistan’s Development Strategy for 2022-2026 includes almost all human rights issues and decent work standards.

The country is also working with international partners on the implementation of international standards in the field of labor relations – “Better Work” and “BCI”. At the end of 2021, Uzbekistan applied to the ILO and the World Bank to consider the possibility of assisting in the adoption of “Better Work” and received positive responses.

“The ongoing concrete measures in the field of ensuring human rights, creating decent working conditions, improving labor relations have laid a solid foundation for building the Third Renaissance in New Uzbekistan,” the Senate Chairperson concludes.