Ending Forced Labor in Uzbekistan Cotton Fields
In 2023, the Solidarity Center launched a new program “Enhancing Transparency and Accountability in Uzbekistan’s Cotton Industry.” Through this joint initiative with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), the Solidarity Center aims to strengthen workers’ voices, increase compliance with international labor standards, and support more effective dialogue among stakeholders in Uzbekistan’s cotton cluster supply chains. This work is only possible because the Cotton Campaign – a global coalition of human rights, labor, responsible investors, and business organizations, including the Solidarity Center – won reforms in Uzbekistan that brought an end to the country’s state-organized system of forced labor in cotton production.
Learn more about this initiative in Solidarity Center’s 2023 Annual Report.