Staff Reporter :
US ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat on Tuesday said, the US government will consider restoration of the generalized system of preferences (GSP) facility if the country fulfils all the conditions, including establishment of labour rights and workers’ safety.
“It is very necessary to fulfill the conditions set by the USA for reviving the GSP facility. The Bangladesh government will have to ensure labour rights, working environment, safety and security and labour law. If the country fulfils these conditions, then the US will consider the facility,” she told journalists.
The US ambassador held a meeting with Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed at his secretariat office. After the meeting, the US ambassador talked to the journalists about the GSP facility.
“The US government is working with Bangladesh on various issues especially relating to trade and GSP facilities,” the US ambassador said.
Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Benoît-Pierre Laramée, Denmark Ambassador to Bangladesh Hanne Fugl Eskjaer, Netherlands Economic Affairs And Development Corporation Chief and Commerce and Labour secretaries were also present during the meeting.
However, Bangladesh government made its stand clear that it had fulfilled all the 16 conditions set by the US for reviving the facility.
Bangladesh will raise the issue in the upcoming World Trade Organization to be held in Nairobi, Kenya from 15 to 18 December 2015.
President Barack Obama suspended Bangladesh’s GSP facility on June 27 in 2013 consequence of about 1,000 workers’ deaths in Tazreen Fashions Limited inferno and Rana Plaza collapse.
The US on August 10 extended until 2017 its GSP facility for 122 countries that included all other SAARC members.
According to the official website of the USTR (United States Trade Representative), the US President signed on July 29 the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 that reauthorized the GSP Programme until December 31, 2017. The renewal came after that the previous one expired in July 2013.
As provided in the Act, duty-free treatment of GSP-eligible imports became effective from July 29, 2015.
The US ambassador said, the 2013 suspension was aimed at ‘pushing Bangladesh to improve’ working conditions and workplace safety in its factories.
Bangladeshi businesses exported goods worth around $34.7 million to the USA in 2012 and $2 million in duties was waived.
