Michael J Delaney, Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and his team will start reviewing progress in Bangladesh RMG sector transformation process from Saturday.He will be accompanied by Michael O’Donovan, Director for Labor Affairs, Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR); Bruce Levine, Office Director, Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL), U.S. Department of State; and Jennifer Goodyear, International Relations Officer, International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL).Delaney was appointed Assistant US Trade Representative for South Asia in September 2008. In this position, he is responsible for development of trade with the countries comprising South Asia- India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka – as well as Iraq.During their five-day visit, the delegation will meet with government officials, employers, workers, trade unions, the International Labor Organization, the Alliance on Bangladesh Worker Safety, the Accord for Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, and other organizations, according to US Embassy in Dhaka.They also plan to travel to Chittagong to visit the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority, representatives from the shrimp processing sector, and other local organizations. The delegation seeks to learn more regarding the efforts by the Government of Bangladesh and other Bangladeshi actors in support of the Sustainability Compact and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Action Plan.The team will assess progress made and areas for future progress to help ensure a successful Sustainability Compact review meeting in Dhaka in November with the European Union, the International Labor Organization, the United States, and the Government of Bangladesh.Earlier on September 4, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said there is no barrier to retaining the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) facilities in the US market as Bangladesh has fulfilled all the 16 conditions tagged with the GSP revival process.The United States, however, does not provide GSP facilities for RMG products from any country. Bangladesh used to get this special duty benefit for other products except RMG.The US President’s June 2013 decision to suspend Bangladesh’s trade benefits under the GSP programme resulted in US imports of GSP-eligible products from Bangladesh becoming ineligible for duty-free treatment.Bangladesh has long been pressing the US authorities to restore the preferential trade benefit under the GSP.Garment exports grew 4.08 percent to $25.5 billion in fiscal 2014-15, which is 42 times the amount in 1984, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau.
