The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a news release announcing the conclusion of the Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review for Taiwan. The USTR recognized Taiwan's progress on protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights by removing Taiwan from the Special 301 Watch List. (USTR news release, dated 01/16/09, available at http://www.ustr.gov/assets/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2009/January/asset_upload_file824_15293.pdf)
The Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) has issued a notice requesting information, for use in preparing the eighth annual report, regarding the implementation of international commitments to eliminate the worst forms of child labor by countries seeking benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), Caribbean Basin Trade and Partnership Act (CBTPA), the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and the Andean Trade Preference Act as amended and expanded by the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPA/ATPDEA).
Labor Dept Requests Information on Forced Child Labor in the Production of Certain Products in China
The Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs has issued a notice requesting information to assist it in conducting a review of a submission on forced child labor in the production of bricks, coal, foundry products, chemicals, cotton, grape products, toys, and fireworks in China.
On July 8, 2008, the House agreed to the Senate's version of H.R. 802, the Maritime Pollution Prevention Act of 2008, which would require the Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency to prescribe regulations to implement vessel air emission standards and requirements that are outlined under Annex VI to the MARPOL Convention. This clears the measure for the President. (Congressional Record, dated 07/08/08, available at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/B?r110:@FIELD(FLD003d)@FIELD(DDATE20080708))
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a notice announcing that its Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is conducting a child labor review in the production of certain hand-loomed or hand-hooked carpets and certain other textile floor coverings eligible for duty-free treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences.
The Labor Department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs has issued its final procedural guidelines, effective December 27, 2007, for the development and maintenance of a list of goods from countries produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards.
The Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) has issued a notice requesting information regarding the implementation of international commitments to eliminate the worst forms of child labor by countries seeking benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), Caribbean Basin Trade and Partnership Act (CBTPA), the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), and the Andean Trade Preference Act as amended and expanded by the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPA/ATPDEA).
The Labor Department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs has issued proposed procedural guidelines for the development and maintenance of a list of goods from countries produced by child labor or forced labor in violation of international standards.
The Court of International Trade has dismissed the case, International Labor Rights Fund et. al v.U.S., regarding the use of forced child labor in cocoa imported from the Cote d'Ivoire due to lack of standing.