Prospects for expanding cooperation between Uzbekistan and BCI discussed

On October 14 this year, the Chairperson of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Chairperson of the National Commission on Combating Human Trafficking and Forced Labor Tanzila Narbayeva met with the manager of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) non-governmental non-profit organization Rachel Beckett.

During the meeting, it was emphasized that as a result of the extensive work to counter forced labor in Uzbekistan, the boycott of Uzbek cotton has been lifted. This has further expanded the opportunities for its products to enter the world market.

During the constructive dialogue, prospects for expanding cooperation between Uzbekistan and the Better Cotton Initiative were discussed.

In particular, an agreement was reached on the introduction of international standards for Uzbek cotton clusters, their compliance with licensing and, among the first, the introduction of a system of tracking domestic textiles. In addition, the parties agreed to establish BCI representative office in Tashkent in the near future.

It should be noted that BCI deals with the certification of the entire production process "from cotton field to sale". The organization has more than a thousand members, such as H&M, Gap, IKEA, Levi Strauss, Zara, Hugo Boss, Adidas, Puma, including more than 80 major global brands.