Strengthening application of forced labour and child labour conventions in the cotton sector in Turkmenistan

This intervention aims at strengthening the application of ILO Conventions on forced labour and child labour in the cotton sector in Turkmenistan. It supports one of the priority actions in the 2024-25 Roadmap of cooperation between the ILO and the Government of Turkmenistan: the ILO observance of recruitment and working conditions during the 2024 cotton harvest. The monitoring is undertaken independently by the ILO, under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government and covers cotton fields as well as state enterprises and institutions in 4 regions in Turkmenistan: Mary, Lebap, Dashoguz and Ahal. The team of ILO monitors raises awareness on workers’ rights and the responsibilities and duties of authorities and farmers with regards to forced labour, child labour, fair recruitment and working conditions and shares information on the available feedback and complaints mechanisms run by ILO and the Office of the Ombudsperson to promote access to justice and enforcement of legislation. The target groups of the monitoring are adults and children involved in picking cotton, farmers, employers and workers at state enterprises and institutions, farmers’ associations and local authorities. The key partners of the intervention are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Ministry of Agriculture, social partners, the Office of the Ombudsperson and other stakeholders. The key expected results of the intervention include: i) improved transparency in the application of the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 ( No. 105) and Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) through strengthened monitoring of the cotton harvest; ii) an ILO report on the results of the 2024 monitoring made available to ILO constituents and the general public; and iii) employers and authorities equipped with information on their roles and responsibilities and workers with access to information about their rights and the availability of complaints mechanisms.

Project symbol

TKM/24/01/RBS

Admin unit

DWT/CO-Moscow

Start date

01/08/2024

End date

31/03/2025

Total allocation

141574

Total expenditure

Status

Active

141574

Development Partners

Core voluntary funds (RBSA)

Country/Countries

Turkmenistan

Outcomes

Outcome 1: Strong, modernized normative action for social justice