BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 7
By Klavdiya Romakayeva – Trend:
Uzbekistan increased its own reputation while transforming the country’s economy on the basis of generally recognized international norms, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Christopher Wilson said, Trend reports referring to the press service of the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Washington.
The mentioned issues were discussed during the videoconference on the topic “Uzbekistan – a reliable supply market”, which took place on January 29 this year with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade Sardor Umurzakov, heads of MIFT, Ministry of Labor, Uztekstilprom Association, as well as the US Trade Representative to the White House, the US Department of Labor, the Department of Commerce, the US-Uzbek Chamber of Commerce.
According to Wilson, the publication of the first report on the environmental, social and governance aspects of Uzbekistan’s progress (ESG) vividly illustrates Uzbekistan’s significant success in enhancing its own reputation while transforming the country’s economy based on universally recognized international norms, respect for human rights and ensuring the right to intellectual property.
He also noted that the termination of the procedure for reviewing the application of the General System of Preferences (GSP) in relation to Uzbekistan based on the criterion of ensuring workers’ rights is evidence of the unprecedented achievements of the government of Uzbekistan in the elimination of child and forced labor.
“Also, these steps increase the confidence of importers and investors when they make decisions to enter the Uzbek market and choose the country as a reliable partner capable of ensuring the implementation of high social standards, high-quality management, obligations for the protection and protection of the environment,” he said.
At the same time, US First Deputy Secretary of Labor Mark Mittelhauser said that his department strongly supports Uzbekistan’s efforts to promote workers’ rights and ensure sustainable livelihoods, paying particular attention to solving the problem of forced and child labor in the cotton sector, including through the implementation of the “Country Program for Decent Work in the Republic of Uzbekistan” at the expense of technical assistance in the amount of $6 million, provided by the United States.
The spokesman for the US Department of Labor commended Uzbekistan’s transition to a cluster system for growing and producing textile products, which introduced many changes to contractual practice, significantly reduced incentives for forced labor in some areas, which should be equally implemented in all regions.
According to Uzbek diplomatic mission in the US, President of Silverleaf Dan Patterson told the participants of the video conference in detail about the successful experience of implementing an investment project to create a textile cluster in the Jizzakh region for a total of $350 million.
Patterson stressed that the government’s efforts to increase the level of mechanization in agriculture through the provision of tax breaks, financing, and subsidies are commendable. In addition, he called on American and international brands to work together to move their supply chains from China to a reliable US partner in Uzbekistan.
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