Uzbekistan Roundtable Discussion
Summary
CAO hosted an event in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in September 2023, which brought together civil society, private sector, and government participants for a roundtable discussion entitled "Unlocking Private Sector and Civil Society Cooperation: Improving Labor Conditions in the Cotton Fields." The event, which took place on September 14, comprised two panels featuring human rights activists, Indorama and HamkorBank, which are clients of IFC, and PeaceNexus Foundation. IFC staff and CAO mediators also participated in the event. The participants shared their experiences and insights from a CAO dispute resolution process which has been addressing concerns about forced and child labor in the cotton supply chain in Uzbekistan since 2016.
The event featured opening remarks from Janine Ferretti, CAO’s Director General, Dilbar Mukhamedova, Advisor to the Chairman of the Uzbekistan Textile and Garment Industry Association, and Wiebke Schloemer, IFC Regional Director for Türkiye and Central Asia.