Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - On 4 February 2020, the Chairman of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan Tanzila Narbaeva met with a delegation of the Cotton Campaign international coalition.

During the meeting, an exchange of views took place on the work carried out in Uzbekistan to eradicate forced labor, as well as on the vectors of interaction in this direction.

It was noted that the goal of the current mission of the Cotton Campaign delegation was to establish further dialogue with the government and civil society, intensify cooperation in ensuring the labor rights of citizens and eradicating all forms of forced labor.

Members of the delegation were given detailed information on the activities, tasks and structure of the National Commission on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and Forced Labor. At the same time, special emphasis is placed on the work carried out on the timely implementation of all the recommendations of the Cotton Campaign international coalition.

In turn, members of the delegation noted that in recent years significant progress has been achieved in Uzbekistan to eradicate forced labor, the introduction of market mechanisms in the agricultural sector, the main area where forced labor was previously recorded.

It was noted that the international coalition welcomed the determination of the government of Uzbekistan to put an end to forced labor. It was emphasized that the international community also noted significant progress in openly recognizing and covering the issue of forced labor in the media.

Speaking about the elimination of the main factors leading to the emergence of various forms of forced labor, Senate Chairperson T. Narbaeva emphasized the work being done in the country to develop entrepreneurship and the rural farming movement, in particular, the establishment of cotton clusters. It was emphasized that the developed Strategy for the Development of Agriculture, designed until 2030, provides for a phased and complete implementation of market mechanisms in the agricultural sector, which will eliminate the prerequisites for the emergence of various forms of forced labor. It was also noted that the eradication and prevention of forced labor are among the main priorities of Uzbekistan and all appropriate measures are being taken.

At the end of the meeting, participants expressed their willingness to intensify dialogue to achieve further progress in preventing forced labor and continuing to work with all interested parties.