Each autumn, upwards of two million children are forced to labor in Uzbekistan’s cotton fields, under direct order of the Uzbek government. A network of NGOs, investors, companies, trade unions and trade associations has been working together over the past 2 years to end this egregious practice. European brands including Tesco, Asda, Marks & Spencer and Benetton have implemented banning Uzbek cotton from their supply chains, which is no small feat considering Uzbekistan is the world’s third largest exporter of cotton. Additionally, over 25 of the United States’ largest apparel brands and retailers have taken similar action.

On 19 November 2009, As You Sow and partner organisations will host a webinar highlighting environmental and social risks associated with cotton production in Uzbekistan. The webinar, titled Investor Briefing on Forced Child Labor in Uzbekistan’s Cotton Sector, will discuss steps that socially responsible and faith-based investors, retailers and brands can take to help eliminate the mass-mobilisation of forced child labour in Uzbekistan’s cotton sector. It will introduce new stakeholders to the issue while seeking to foster dialogue between European stakeholders and their US-based counterparts.

The government of Uzbekistan has recently sold all of the cotton from its 2009 harvest, much of which was purchased by major European cotton merchants, mills and manufacturers. The purpose of this webinar is to help European investors better understand the situation, and provide them with a list of actions they can take to help bring about positive change in Uzbekistan’s cotton sector. In the United States, investors have played a seminal role in encouraging companies not to source cotton that is grown and harvested in Uzbekistan. Similar action is needed in Europe to ensure that children in Uzbekistan are not again forced to labour in the cotton fields for months at a time.

The Investor Briefing on Forced Child Labor in Uzbekistan’s Cotton Sector will commence at 9:00 AM EST on November 19th, and will last 75 minutes.

The webinar will feature three presenters, each discussing the issue from different stakeholder perspectives. 

Company Perspective: Philip Chamberlain – Head of Sustainability – C&A
Investor Perspective: Lauren Compere – Senior Vice President – Boston Common Asset Mgmt.
NGO Perspective: Patricia Jurewicz – Associate Director – As You Sow
Each presentation will last approximately 10-15 minutes, and will be followed by a brief question and answer session. We have allocated an additional 15 minutes so presenters and participants can discuss next steps and immediate actions to follow the webinar.
To participate in this webinar, please contact Dan Fibiger at dan@asyousow.org or by phone at +1 (415) 391 3212 x 45.