Webinar: Forced Labor in Turkmenistan Cotton, Links to Global Markets

On May 27, 2026, the Cotton Campaign Coalition hosted this webinar to discuss their report “Turkmenistan Cotton: State-Imposed Forced Labor in the Annual Cotton Harvest, High Risk in Global Supply Chains” launched earlier in May. The report documents the use of state-imposed forced labor in the annual cotton harvest in Turkmenistan and shows trade routes through which Turkmen cotton enters global markets. The report can be found here: https://www.cottoncampaign.org/news/t.... Leading Turkmen human rights groups and other members and allies of the Cotton Campaign coalition addressed the following questions: What is state-imposed forced labor? What does it mean that the Turkmen government uses state-imposed forced labor in the annual cotton harvest? How does forced labor Turkmen cotton enter global markets? How can brands mitigate the risk of using Turkmen cotton in their products? What should governments do to ensure a level playing field across jurisdictions and eliminate Turkmen cotton from global supply chains? What reforms are necessary to eradicate the use of state-imposed forced labor and develop an enabling environment for labor rights in Turkmenistan? How should key stakeholders—including governments, international organizations, and business groups—use their role and increase political and economic pressure on the Turkmen government to advance such reforms? 01:48: Raluca Dumitrescu, Senior Coordinator Cotton Campaign at Global Labor Justice 04:30: Ruslan Myatiev, Director at turkmen.news 17:42: Cara Priestley, International and Thematic Advocacy Manager at Anti-Slavery International 23:11: Anna Cavazzini, Member of the European Parliament 26:05: Anasuya Syam, Human Rights and Trade Policy Director at The Human Trafficking Legal Center 34:39: Dr Laura Murphy, Fellow at Harvard Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights 42:08: Q&A 56:22: Aynabat Yaylymova, Director at Progres Foundation