Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2024, published 113rd ILC session (2025)

Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105) - Uzbekistan (Ratification: 1997)

The Committee notes the observations of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF), received on 8 October 2020, and of the Government’s reply to these observations, received on 8 February 2021. The Committee also takes note of the observations of the IUF of 31 August 2023.

Article 1(b) of the Convention. Mobilization and use of labour for purposes of economic development in agriculture (cotton production). The Committee previously took due note of the measures taken by the Government and their impact on reducing the number of cases of forced labour in cotton harvesting. It noted however that while a vast majority of pickers were not in forced labour, there were still a considerable number of cases of forced labour (6.8 per cent or 170,000 people) mainly because the legacy of the centrally planned agriculture and economy (centrally set quotas) was still conducive to the exaction of forced labour and because the uneven implementation of national policies, especially at the local level, remained a challenge.

The Committee notes the Government’s statement, in its report, that over recent years, wide-ranging reforms have been enacted in Uzbekistan and measures have continued to be implemented to eradicate forced labour, including improvements to the national legislation and its implementation in practice, creating greater public awareness of the negative impacts of forced labour through various seminars and training sessions, and increased active collaboration with international organizations. In March 2020, the President of Uzbekistan signed Decree No. PP-4633 to abolish the state order for cotton and committed to abandoning state regulation of the cotton production quota, pricing and the compulsory purchase of cotton to take effect as of the 2020 harvest.

The Government indicates, in its report, that joint efforts with the ILO since 2013, including through third-party monitoring of the prohibition on child labour and forced labour in the cotton industry, have led to the development of substantive measures in all key areas, with the result that Uzbekistan has succeeded in ridding itself of systemic child and forced labour. The Government further states that, in light of the measures taken, on 10 March 2022 the Cotton Campaign coalition announced the end of the cotton boycott of Uzbekistan.

The Government further indicates that monitoring of the cotton harvest has continued with the intention of preventing forced labour in the cotton growing industry, as well as other sectors of the economy. In 2021, the last ILO third-party monitoring of child and forced labour during the cotton harvest took place, which found that Uzbek cotton was free from systematic forced labour and that all provinces and districts had very few or no forced labour cases, with about 1 per cent of cotton pickers being subjected to direct or perceived forms of coercion.

According to the Government, systematic monitoring was conducted in 2022 in all regions of the country to preserve labour relations and counter forced labour and child labour, through four distinct mechanisms: (1) independent monitoring of the cotton harvest by civil society representatives; (2) oversight of relevant departments and assessment of conditions in various clusters and farming enterprises by the Senate of the Oliy Majlis; (3) national monitoring by the Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) of various entities, including farming enterprises and local authorities; and (4) complaints about forced labour and labour rights violations submitted to the National Labour Inspectorate, mostly via hotlines and social media. The Committee notes that while no evidence of systematic forced labour was found by these monitoring mechanisms, the investigations of the National Labour Inspectorate led to the imposition of fines amounting to 361.5 million soum on 26 officials for facilitating forced labour (in accordance with section 51 of the Administrative Liability Code) and the prosecution of 15 others for labour law violations, including for failing to ensure decent working conditions.

The Committee further notes that, in collaboration with the ILO, the Government is continuing to promote decent work principles in Uzbekistan, improve workplace environments and strengthen the mechanisms that protect citizens’ labour rights, particularly through the 2021–2025 Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) and the new project RISE for Impact: Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work in the Cotton Supply Chain (2023–2026). The latter aims to enhance knowledge of cotton growing communities, district branches of constituents, farmers’ unions and civil society organizations concerned on the five Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and support the independent monitoring process of the cotton harvest within the ILO’s mandate for the elimination of forced labour and child labour in the country.

The Committee takes due note of the measures taken by the Government. It notes, however, that in its observations of 2020 and 2023, the IUF points to remaining challenges for the complete eradication of forced labour, including the forced mobilization of pickers to work on private cluster farms. The IUF indicates that, since the agricultural sector’s privatization began in 2018, the Government has introduced “agricultural clusters” which are vertically integrated private companies responsible for processing crops. While the Government, in its reply to the IUF’s observations of February 2021, shares information on the functioning of the cluster method and measures taken to improve working conditions in farm enterprises and clusters, including the prohibition for local authorities and officials against interfering in the operation of clusters, the IUF claims that these clusters remain closely aligned with state policies and are often controlled or influenced by Government officials. While farmers can technically grow their own cotton outside of the cluster system, they lack access to the low-interest government credit that is essential for cotton production, as this financial support is only available to agricultural clusters. Moreover, due to time constraints and their vulnerable position at the start of the year, farmers often sign blank contracts with clusters before preparing their land at the beginning of the year, with the price for their cotton only revealed at the end of the year, after the cotton has been delivered, and leaving farmers at risk of receiving less money than they spent on production, deepening their financial vulnerability. Farmers also have limited bargaining power, as they are bound by geography to specific clusters and face restrictions on forming associations.

The Committee also takes note of the observations of the IUF according to which, during the 2022 cotton harvest, monitors found cases of forced labour and extortion, especially in areas with low populations and during the later stages of the harvest when recruiting voluntary workers became more challenging. According to the IUF, the State continues to own all agricultural land in Uzbekistan and the Government maintains oversight of the organization of the harvest with de facto quotas, now called “district forecasts”, still in place and local administrations (hokimiyats) continue to pressure neighbourhood councils (mahallas) and farmers to meet these quotas. The IUF reports that coercion to pick cotton intensified in October 2022 as the cotton supply dwindled, reducing pickers’ earnings. Hokims ordered public employees to work in the fields in districts struggling to meet production targets or lacking enough workers. Many pickers indicated they would face negative consequences, such as issues with their mahalla or workplace, if they refused. Employees from hokimiyats, schools, hospitals and other public institutions also reported being forced to pick cotton.

The Committee therefore requests the Government to strengthen its efforts, including through its cooperation with the ILO and the social partners, to ensure the complete eradication of forced labour during the cotton harvest. In this regard, it encourages the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure the effective implementation of the DWCP and RISE for Impact project and to address the root causes leading to the coercion of pickers to pick cotton, including the issues created by the cluster system and the pressure exercised by local authorities. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the measures taken to this end and the specific results achieved, including the number of inspections conducted and penalties applied.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.