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Better Cotton Signs Roadmap to Future-Proof Uzbekistan Programme 

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Partners Strategy Sustainability
Photo credit: Better Cotton. Location: Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 2024. Description: Sodikov Abduvali, Deputy Chairman of the Textile and Garment Industry Association (Uztekstilprom) [left] and Iveta Ouvry, Senior Director of Programmes at Better Cotton [right].

Better Cotton has today signed a strategic roadmap with leading authorities in Uzbekistan’s agricultural and textile sectors to accelerate the production of more sustainable cotton across the country and ensure the long-term prosperity of its Better Cotton Programme.  

Formalised at a Better Cotton event in Tashkent, which welcomed representatives from government, civil society, and fashion supply chains, the roadmap has three core objectives: 

  • Align a strategic partnership model and define management, finance and implementation responsibilities 
  • Ensure effective cooperation with programme partners and stakeholders to promote sustainable cotton farming practices 
  • Develop and implement a joint set of measures to eliminate barriers to scale 

The agreement is with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Textile and Garment Industry Association (Uztekstilprom). 

This roadmap signals that there is much more to come from Better Cotton in Uzbekistan. Together with our partners, we can strengthen the foundations of the Uzbekistan programme and develop new solutions to ensure long-term success.

Katerina Gorbunova, Country Manager of the Better Cotton Uzbekistan Programme

The roadmap will drive immense improvements to the Better Cotton Uzbekistan Programme by leveraging the network and resources of partners to streamline farmer enrolment, strengthen and expand field-level support, and increase investment opportunities through grants and government subsidies.  

A priority will be to train the Ministry of Agriculture and Uztekstilprom to equip them with the knowledge and resources required to become Better Cotton Programme Partners and lead engagements with cotton farming communities. 

Better Cotton will also work with its collaborators to strengthen assurance activities, reduce audit fatigue, improve the flow of assessment data, and engage supply chain actors to demonstrate the benefits of processing Physical Better Cotton. 

Together, the organisations will help raise awareness of Uzbek cotton both nationally and internationally, and establish long-term sustainability goals for the Better Cotton Programme. 

Notes to Editors:    

  • Uzbekistan is among the largest cotton-producing countries in the world and is unique for the ubiquity of its cotton clusters – vertically integrated enterprises which grow, harvest and process cotton. 
  • Better Cotton launched its Uzbekistan in December 2022 after the International Labour Organization found that the country had successfully eliminated systemic child labour and forced labour in its cotton sector. 
  • On 13 November, Better Cotton convened a multistakeholder network in Tashkent, Uzbekistan as it hosted its annual conference in the country, this year under the theme of ‘Building Strategic Partnership to Ensure Sustainable Cotton Production’. 
  • Programme Partners work with farming communities at field level to ensure they are producing cotton that meets the Better Cotton Standard. 
  • Physical Better Cotton is Better Cotton that has been tracked through the supply chain.  

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