The tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh last year, which killed over 1,000 people and injured many more, put a spotlight on the garment industry and the safety of the millions of workers, factory owners and consumers that make up the entire supply chain of textiles and garments.
The garment sector has been high on the agenda of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which issued a statement this month on “One Year After Rana Plaza,” calling for increased action on guidelines for multinational enterprises operating in the textile industry.
At this year’s OECD Global Forum, an informal Ministerial meeting between OECD government representatives resulted in a call for a joint ILO-OEC Roundtable on Responsible Supply Chains in the Textile and Garment Sector, which will be held at the OECD headquarters in Paris on September 29-30, 2014. The roundtable will convene many government and OECD officials, and provides an opportunity for business to have its voice at the table, as well as allow a diverse array of stakeholders and policymakers to have fruitful discussions and share their viewpoints.
The roundtable, which is organized with active input from the Business and Industry Advisory Council to the OECD and the International Organization of Employers, will provide a forum for dialogue between representatives of governments, the private sector, trade unions and civil society organizations on building responsible supply chains in the textiles and garment sector, taking into account the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The roundtable will also identify challenges and areas for future collaborative action.
Staff contact: Ariel Meyerstein
