Trade and Policy Tools to Address Forced Labor in Global Supply Chains
Tuesday, June 27, 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
In-person
The International Labor Office for U.S. and Canada
900 19th St NW Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006
Join the Washington, D.C. chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association (DC LERA) for a conversation with Allison Gill, Forced Labor Director, International Labor Rights Forum-Global Labor Justice (GLJ-ILRF) ,Dean Pinkert, Special Advisor, Corporate Accountability Lab (CAL), and Kevin Willcuts, Deputy Director for Technical Assistance and Cooperation, Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking, US Department of Labor, about Trade and Policy Tools to Address Forced Labor Supply Chains, to be followed by a Reception hosted by the ILO Office for the US and Canada. Topics to be discussed include the Cotton Campaign in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, the recent U.S. customs exclusion of sugar from the Dominican Republic, forced and child labor in the cocoa sector, and the use of tariff, trade and policy tools to remove forced labor and modern slavery from global supply chains.
Please RSVP below if you can join us!
Speakers
Allison Gill is a human rights lawyer, researcher, and advocate. She joined ILRF in August 2019 as the Senior Cotton Campaign Coordinator, leading the strategy for a multi-stakeholder coalition to eliminate forced and child labor in cotton production in Central Asia and to open space for organizing and workers’ rights.
She has deep experience as a human rights investigator and advocate, with more than 20 years of experience working in the countries of the former Soviet Union. In addition to forced and child labor, Allison has researched and advocated on issues such as torture and ill-treatment, rule of law, religious persecution, arbitrary detention, migrant labor, freedoms of speech and association, and national security laws. Before joining ILRF, she was Senior Research and Policy Advisor to the Uzbek Forum, where she authored numerous reports and submissions to international bodies on forced labor in the cotton sector in Uzbekistan, among other issues, developed research methodology and trained field monitors, oversaw independent monitoring of cotton farms participating in a sustainable cotton pilot program, and served on the steering committee of the Cotton Campaign.
Previously, Allison has consulted for numerous human rights organizations, was the Russia director for Human Rights Watch, based in Moscow, and the Uzbekistan researcher for Human Rights Watch, based in Tashkent. She holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University with concentrations in international human rights law and conflict resolution; a Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law; and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Swarthmore College.
Dean Pinkert joined Corporate Accountability Lab in November 2021 as Special Advisor. His background includes private practice as a labor lawyer and an international trade lawyer and government service in international trade law and policy.Dean served as a Commissioner on the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) from 2007 to 2017. During that time, he notably dissented in the patent case known as Samsung v Apple, leading to the first Presidential veto of an ITC decision in more than 25 years, and fought to ensure recognition of the critical economic significance of global climate change. Subsequently, in private practice, he advocated on behalf of policies that would accelerate the deployment of solar energy technology.
Born and raised in Chicago, Dean earned his B.A. with High Honors in Government and Phi Beta Kappa from Oberlin College, his J.D. with Honors from University of Texas School of Law, and an LLM with Merit from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kevin Willcutts is Deputy Director for Technical Assistance and Cooperation at the U.S. Department of Labor, in the Bureau of International Labor Affairs’ Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking. He has over 20 years of experience working on international labor and development issues, engaging with senior U.S. and foreign government officials, private sector actors, international and nongovernmental organizations, worker and employer organizations, and representatives of civil society. He manages a team that oversees a global portfolio of over $290 million in active technical cooperation programming, including 49 active projects with activities in over 45 countries. He has played a lead role in ILAB’s strategic engagement with the governments of Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana and the international chocolate and cocoa industry to combat child labor and forced labor in cocoa supply chains. Mr. Willcutts earned his BA from Tufts University and his MA from Yale University with a focus on African Studies.
Registration and Cost
There is no cost to attend this panel discussion and complimentary reception, but you must register in advance to attend. To register for this event, please submit your booking below.
The panel discussion will be from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
The reception will be from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
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Bookings
Bookings are closed for this event.