Business

Norway: NORAD funds US$2.3 mln for textile worker’s rights

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) has funded US$ 2.3 million for the Ethical Trading Initiative Norway (ETI) which promotes human rights, workers’ rights, development and environmental standards. It will actively pursue programs to improve conditions of textile workers in China, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh.

“We must do whatever we can to ensure that the textile industry has safe workplaces with decent pay and good working conditions – for both men and women,” said Minister of International Development Heikki Eidsvoll Holmas. Increased trade is important for development. Norwegian imports of textiles and other goods create thousands of jobs in developing countries.

One of the measures being funded is courses for manufacturers on decent work. In this initiative, which was inspired by the Nordic dialogue model, employers and employees come together to practice how to have a constructive dialogue. Courses have been developed for manufacturers in China, India and Vietnam; NORAD is now extending its agreement with the ETI to include Bangladesh as well. The goal is to have 700 manufacturers attend courses held by the ETI in the period 2013–2015.

During his last visit to Bangladesh in June 13, Holmas signed a US$ 2.5 million agreement with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to promote better working conditions in Bangladesh’s ‘export oriented industries’. Norway is a key development partner of Bangladesh that currently receives more than US$ 1 billion bilateral aid.