Policy paper

A Comparison of National Contact Points – Best Practices in OECD Complaints Procedures

Policy paper
2011

Between October 2010 and January 2011, ECCHR submitted OECD complaints relating to the trade of Uzbek cotton against seven cotton traders. Complaints were submitted to the respective national contact point in Germany, Switzerland, Great Britain and France. ECCHR has now carried out comparative evaluations of three of the national contact points, examining their means of working with a particular focus on their transparency, impartiality and predictability. The results have been summarized in a position paper. By comparing complaints procedures, ECCHR hopes to standardize the work of the NCPs and thus contribute to more effective management procedures. Uzbekistan, the world's third – biggest cotton exporter, harvests cotton through a state-led system of forced child labor. Between 1.5 and 2 million children are forced to work in cotton fields each year.

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