Source · Select Committees · Human Rights (Joint Committee)
Recommendation 34
34
Acknowledged
Ensuring clauses on human rights are included in trade agreements can demonstrate the UK’s values...
Conclusion
Ensuring clauses on human rights are included in trade agreements can demonstrate the UK’s values and principles in terms of forced labour. (Conclusion, Paragraph 200)
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges that FTAs are an important tool for tackling forced labour and states it will continue to pursue the inclusion of forced labour provisions in trade agreements, citing existing examples.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government recognises that free trade agreements are an important tool to help prevent, identify and eliminate forced labour in global supply chains. The UK will continue to pursue the inclusion of forced labour provisions in our free trade agreements. The UK has specific articles on forced labour in its FTAs with Australia, New Zealand and in the CPTPP. In the UK-NZ FTA, for instance, both parties commit to tackling forced labour within supply chains; and in the recently signed UK-India FTA both countries agreed to provisions to discourage forced and compulsory labour. FTAs are however just one of the UK’s tools for addressing forced labour in supply chains. The Developing Countries Trading Scheme allows for the suspension of preferential trading agreements on grounds of serious violation of labour rights, and UK Export Finance reviews social, and human rights risk factors for transactions in scope of their policy. Work also continues in the multilateral space to support the eradication of forced labour in global supply chains, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 8.7