WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) kicked off the Forced Labor Technical Expo Tuesday and launched an interactive dashboard focused on forced labor enforcement statistics under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). The Technical Expo is a two-day event that offers a global platform for industry to share best practices on the latest technologies in supply chain transparency from around the world.
CBP launched the UFLPA statistics dashboard to provide a single source of data on UFLPA enforcement actions. The dashboard, hosted on CBP.gov, is a highly interactive tool allowing users to select specific views for greater details of shipments stopped by CBP under UFLPA. The dashboard answers a call for greater transparency on UFLPA enforcement while protecting sensitive trade information.
“We know that the vast majority of industry is working earnestly to comply with the UFLPA and that many have been working over the past few years to eliminate forced labor from their supply chains, even before the UFLPA rebuttable presumption went into effect,” said CBP’s Acting Commissioner Troy Miller. “It is imperative that everyone knows their supply chains, and businesses and importers are shifting behavior to maintain access to the U.S. market by developing social compliance and due diligence programs to ensure their supply chains are free of forced labor. We are committed to working with the trade industry as they navigate complex global supply chains to assure the goods entering the United States comply with U.S. trade laws and that workers around the world are treated with the dignity and humanity they deserve.”
The Forced Labor Technical Expo, which will feature 19 industry presentations from Sweden, Germany, Canada, and the U.S. for over 400 participants from industry, civil society, partner government agencies, and foreign governments, offers a forum for industry to provide the international trade community with information about the latest technologies that can aid in securing and managing the flow of goods. The event will showcase the latest innovations in supply chain technology to help improve trade transparency and compliance with trade laws, with an emphasis on compliance with 19 U.S.C. 1307, as amended, and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, Public Law 117-78. While registration for the event is closed, it is available globally via live stream on the CBP website at https://www.cbp.gov/trade/forced-labor-technical-expo-2023.
“Since UFLPA went into effect last year, CBP has hosted more than 150 engagements with industry providing compliance information and guidance,” said AnnMarie R. Highsmith, Executive Assistant Commissioner for CBP’s Office of Trade. “The Technical Expo and dashboard represent the next major step in our joint engagement with industry towards achieving our mutual goal, not just to prevent forced labor from entering the U.S. commerce, but from ever happening in the first place.”
To view the new dashboard, visit https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/trade/uyghur-forced-labor-prevention-act-statistics.
For more information on the Forced Labor Tech Expo visit https://www.cbp.gov/trade/forced-labor-technical-expo-2023.
Follow CBP Office of Trade on Twitter @CBPTradeGov.