To effectively eliminate traditional, and state imposed forced labor systems and to significantly reduce contemporary forms of forced labor, which are often linked to human trafficking

The International Labor Organization (ILO) will receive $8.5 million through a cooperative agreement award from the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs to implement Phase II of the Bridge Project from December 2022 through December 2024. The project aims to effectively eliminate traditional and state-imposed forced labor systems and significantly reduce contemporary forms of forced labor linked to human trafficking. Key products and services will include interventions at the global, regional, and country levels to increase awareness and implementation of ILO Protocol P29; improve national policies, legislation, and enforcement mechanisms against forced labor; undertake research and data collection on forced labor issues; strengthen workers' and employers' organizations in combating forced labor; and increase access to services and livelihood programs for victims of forced labor. At the regional level, the project will focus on Pacific island countries. At the country level, it will continue or expand work in Nepal, Peru, Uzbekistan, and add Pakistan and Mongolia. This cooperative agreement is funded through the International Labor Programs (CFDA 17.401) program to promote fair labor standards and combat child and forced labor globally. No sub-recipient activities are specified.

Activities performed phase II of the bridge project will cover interventions at global level, regional level and in 5 priority countries. A similar strategy to phase I will be implemented, centered around effectively implementing protocol P29, through the following five intermediate objectives (IOS): 1) IO1: increased knowledge, awareness, and implementation of the ILO protocol and recommendation; 2) IO2: improved and responsive national policies, action plans and legislation on forced labor with strong enforcement mechanisms; 3) IO3: increased efforts to collect reliable national statistics in order to carry out research and share knowledge across institutions at national, regional, and global levels; 4) IO4: workers' and employers' organizations actively support the fight against forced labor; and 5) IO5: strengthened awareness and access to services and livelihood programs for victims of forced labor. Phase II of the bridge project will also aim to mainstream the 'acceleration factors' which are the core pillars of the ILO 8.7 accelerator lab INITIATIVE5. This initiative was created to accelerate progress towards the eradication of forced labor and the elimination of child labor by optimizing the effectiveness of development cooperation interventions by embracing six acceleration factors. These acceleration factors are based on an assessment of what can effect change for the most vulnerable populations in a shifting environment, helping address gaps in programming, whilst combining both forward-looking innovation and scaling of effective practices. Deliverables since 2015, the ILO has supported the implementation of this strategy through the usdol-funded project "from protocol to practice: a bridge to global action on forced labor (the bridge project)". The project contributed to increasing global efforts to eliminate forced labor by improving countries' capacity to tackle the issue. The project worked globally and in six pilot countries - malaysia, mauritania, nepal, niger, peru and uzbekistan - to strengthen the capacity of governments, employers' and workers' organizations, vulnerable populations and other key stakeholders. The project's focus was to increase knowledge, awareness and ratifications of the ILO protocol; improve and develop responsive national policies, actions and legislation on forced labor; undertake research and share knowledge on forced labor; strengthen workers' and employers' organizations to support the fight against forced labor, and increase the awareness of and access to services and livelihood programs for victims of forced labor. Intended beneficiary the second phase of the bridge project will enable the ILO to continue to build on the accomplishments and lessons learnt from the first PHASE6, while also targeting new sectors, countries, and vulnerable groups. Phase II will be implemented at global level, regional level and in 5 priority countries. The regional component will cover selected pacific island countries (marshall islands, palau, tonga, tuvalu and papua new guinea), with a focus on promoting the ratification of protocol 29 and convention 29, as 4 out of the 7 countries that have not ratified convention 29 are in the pacific. The marshall islands, palau, tonga, and papua new guinea also appear on the united states government trafficking in persons tier 2 watch list, for the lack of effective identification of victims, and insufficient prosecution and convictions of trafficking cases, including the case of migrant workers trafficked for labor exploitation. The project's five priority countries will include three from phase I - nepal, peru and uzbekistan - where the project will scale up key interventions that will potentially have a large impact on these countries' capacity to sustainably address forced labor. These include the ratification of the protocol and the adoption of a new forced labor law that will protect all bonded laborers in nepal; and the development of a national policy on forced labor and the provision of livelihood services to victims in peru. Uzbekistan was added as a bridge phase I country in 2021, with activities focused on advocacy, awareness raising and capacity building of labor inspectors (IO1 and IO2). Following the closure of the third party monitoring project in 2022, there is now the need to support the government on safeguarding the achievements made in the cotton sector, by ensuring a maintainable transition to a more sustainable approach, that goes beyond the monitoring/measurement, based on the reinforcement of labor inspection (i.e. the labor administration institution that, according to the international labor standards, has the mandate to ensure that labor rights are a reality at the workplaces) and, therefore, more likely to ensure and advance the promotion and enforcement of legal provisions on forced labor in this and other sectors (such as sericulture/silk). To this end, the project will further strengthen the system of labor inspection and the capacity of labor inspectors, and will also support the alignment of national legislation and practices on labor inspection with the relevant international labor standards, in particular with the ILO labor inspection convention, 1947 (no. 81) and ILO labor inspection (AGRICULTURE) convention, 1969 (no. 129). Under phase I, peru and nepal became alliance 8.7 pathfinder countries, while uzbekistan became a partner country and is considering becoming a pathfinder country. The project's interventions in all three countries will continue to support the implementation of their priorities to achieve SDG target 8.7, in line with the project's strategy. The two new countries the ILO proposes to include under phase II are pakistan and mongolia. Neither country has ratified protocol 29, and both have repeatedly requested technical assistance from the ILO in the area of forced labor. Both have been subject to comments or observations by the committee of experts on the application of conventions and recommendations (CEACR) under convention no. 29 during the period 2019-2020. Subrecipient activities N/a