Bangladesh will get the opportunity for a review of GSP facility in the US market in December, says Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque.
The foreign secretary had a one-and-half hour meeting on July 24 with the commerce and labour secretaries - Mahbub Ahmed and Mikail Shipar - and US ambassador Dan Mozena, who is going back to Washington Saturday to pursue the discussion in Washington.
Shahidul and Mozena also had a meeting on Monday and discussed the reinstatement of GSP facility for Bangladesh.
US president Barack Obama suspended the GSP facility for Bangladesh on June 27 on grounds of poor workers’ right and safety conditions in the country.
“We discussed in details how Bangladesh can get back the GSP facility and what we have done so far,” the foreign secretary told reporters at his office.
Washington declared a plan of action on July 19 and announced its association with Compact Sustainability – a joint initiative of the European Union, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Bangladesh — for Bangladesh to restore the trade benefits.
When asked about a recent grievance of the ILO on labour law amendment, he said the government had consulted with the organisation before the amendment was placed in parliament.
“Our ambassador in Geneva will meet ILO officials today [Wednesday] to discuss the issue,” Shahidul said.
US ambassador Mozena told reporters that the entire focus of the meeting was on what is best to follow up to the action plan announced by Washington for reinstatement of Bangladesh’s GSP facility.
He said the meeting had discussed the Sustainability Compact adopted on July 8 in Geneva in which America had full partnership.
“We went through each point and assessed the progress that has already been made and we assessed what steps are additionally needed and who will take those steps,” he said, adding, “For me this is a very timely meeting because on Saturday I am going back to Washington to pursue the discussion there.”
The ambassador said he was yet to get the official English version of the new labour laws.
“I am very, very eager to get a copy and then I will quickly read it and the government of United States will have their view on it,” he said.
“I am very hopeful that the reform legislation will satisfy ILO requirements for enabling environment to launch better work programme – that’s my hope,” Mozena said.
