Trade unions strengthen regional cooperation in Central Asia

TASHKENT (ILO News) - More than 40 trade union leaders from Central Asia met in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from 8 to 10 July 2026 to discuss how international labour standards, social dialogue and regional cooperation can help ensure that workers benefit from the region's rapidly changing economic landscape.

The programme included a two-day Central Asia subregional conference on 8-9 July, followed by a national meeting with Uzbek trade unions on 10 July. The events were organized by IndustriALL Global Union with the support of the International Labour Organization's Bureau for Workers' Activities (ILO ACTRAV) and hosted by the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan (FTUU).

The meetings brought together representatives of trade unions from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, alongside officials from IndustriALL Global Union and the ILO. Participants represented unions from the mining, metallurgy, energy, oil and gas, chemical, textile and manufacturing sectors, reflecting both the diversity of the region's industrial economy and the growing importance of regional cooperation in addressing common labour market challenges.

Bakhtiyor Makhmadaliev, Vice-President of the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan, speaks at the Central Asia subregional conference in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, July 2026

Opening the conference, Bakhtiyor Makhmadaliev, FTUU Vice-President, Walton Pantland, IndustriALL's Director of Campaigns and Organising, and Gocha Aleksandria, Senior Specialist in Workers' Activities at the ILO Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, highlighted the opportunities and challenges facing Central Asia as the region attracts increasing investment in mining, energy, infrastructure and manufacturing and becomes more closely integrated into global supply chains.

"Central Asia is attracting increasing foreign direct investment and becoming more integrated into global value chains. This creates important opportunities for economic development, but it also requires responsible business conduct, stronger labour institutions, effective social dialogue and respect for international labour standards. Trade union organizing will be essential to ensure that economic growth translates into decent work and shared prosperity," said Bakhtiyor Makhmadaliev, Vice-President of the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan (FTUU).

A significant part of the programme focused on the outcomes of the 114th Session of the International Labour Conference. In his presentations, Gocha Aleksandria reviewed the newly adopted Decent Work in the Platform Economy Convention, 2026 (No. 193), together with the Resolution on Social Dialogue and Tripartism and the Resolution on the ILO Transformative Agenda for Gender Equality in the World of Work, as well as their practical implications for Central Asia. Participants also examined recent conclusions of the ILO supervisory bodies concerning countries in the subregion and explored how the new international instruments can support national labour law reforms, collective bargaining and social dialogue.

Participants also reviewed the progress and remaining challenges in ratifying and implementing international labour standards through ILO Decent Work Country Programmes (DWCPs) and technical cooperation. Discussions highlighted advances in occupational safety and health, labour inspection, minimum wage systems and social protection, while emphasizing the need to take actions in line with the observations of the ILO supervisory bodies and continue strengthening freedom of association and effective social dialogue.

Gocha Aleksandria, ILO Senior Specialist in Workers' Activities, and Walton Pantland, IndustriALL's Director of Campaigns and Organising, during the Central Asia subregional conference in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, July 2026

Another major theme was the growing importance of responsible business conduct, human rights due diligence and international labour standards in global supply chains. Walton Pantland presented practical tools available to trade unions through due diligence legislation and international frameworks, including the ILO's MNE Declaration, OECD's Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, to strengthen organizing, collective bargaining and engagement with multinational enterprises and investors.

The conference also provided an opportunity for trade unions to exchange experiences on organizing workers in multinational enterprises, joint ventures and non-standard forms of employment, promoting occupational safety and health, strengthening collective bargaining, supporting a just transition and responding to technological and industrial transformation.

Throughout the discussions, participants emphasized the value of stronger cooperation among trade unions across Central Asia. They agreed that closer regional coordination would help unions exchange experience, strengthen organizational capacity and respond more effectively to common labour market challenges.

On 10 July, the discussions continued during a national meeting with IndustriALL's affiliated trade unions in Uzbekistan, focusing on how the regional discussions could be translated into practical action in the Uzbek context. Participants examined industrial relations in the mining, energy, oil and gas sectors, organizing strategies, social dialogue and the use of international labour standards and human rights due diligence mechanisms to strengthen workers' representation and collective bargaining.

During the three-day programme, representatives of several trade unions from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan expressed their intention to seek affiliation with IndustriALL. Participants received information on the affiliation procedures and were encouraged to pursue membership, reflecting the growing interest of trade unions in Central Asia in expanding regional and international cooperation through global union structures.

Concluding the meetings, participants reaffirmed the importance of continued cooperation between the ILO, IndustriALL Global Union and trade unions across Central Asia in promoting international labour standards, strengthening social dialogue and building stronger, more representative trade unions. They agreed that closer regional cooperation, combined with the effective implementation of international labour standards, will help ensure that the region's accelerating economic transformation delivers decent work, inclusive growth and social justice for all workers.