The American Apparel & Footwear Association, alongside various US industry associations, non-governmental organisations, and labour unions, has called upon Secretary of Labor Chave-DeRemer to reconsider the cancellation of a key Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) initiative aimed at enhancing labour conditions within Uzbekistan's cotton sector.
This coalition also comprises US Fashion Industry Association (USFIA), Responsible Sourcing Network, Anti-Slavery International, Uzbek Forum for Human Rights, Child Labor Coalition, and National Consumers League.
In a letter directed to Secretary Chavez-DeReemer, the signatory bodies have expressed deep concern over the termination of the ILAB endeavour known as “Enhancing Transparency and Accountability of Uzbekistan’s Cotton Industry.”
These organisations are part of the Cotton Campaign, an alliance that unites business interests and labour representatives in an effort to eradicate forced labour and other exploitative practices within the cotton industries of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.