USTR Trains 50+ Trading Partners on Forced-Labor Import Bans

· USTR convened representatives from over 50 trading partners on 15 September 2026 for training on imposing and effectively enforcing forced-labor import prohibitions.

· The training is part of a whole-of-government U.S. initiative involving:

o U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)

o Department of Homeland Security

o U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

o Department of Labor

· The U.S. will provide training and country-specific technical assistance to governments seeking to combat imports of goods produced with forced labor.

· The United States has prohibited imports of forced-labor goods for nearly 100 years, with successive Congresses and administrations strengthening the prohibition and incorporating it into international trade agreements.

· Following USTR's Section 301 investigation, 12 additional economies had adopted forced-labor import prohibitions by July 2026:
Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, European Union, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Trinidad & Tobago.

· Dozens of additional countries have subsequently expressed interest in adopting similar import restrictions.

· India is therefore among the 12 economies identified by USTR as having adopted measures prohibiting imports of goods made with forced labor.

· U.S. objective: Establish a broader global standard against trade in forced-labor goods, while supporting worker protection and enforcement at national borders.

Effect: The initiative signals greater international convergence toward forced-labor import controls, potentially increasing compliance and supply-chain due-diligence requirements for exporters supplying the U.S. and other markets.

[ABS News Service/16.09.2026]

On 15 September, 2026, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) convened representatives of over 50 trading partners from around the world to provide training related to imposing and effectively enforcing forced labor import prohibitions. As part of a whole-of-government effort to support governments that are willing to combat the trade in goods made with forced labor through import prohibitions at their own borders, USTR is partnering with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Department of Labor to provide the training, as well as in-depth and country-specific technical assistance.

The United States has prohibited the import of goods made with forced labor for almost 100 years. In recent years, successive U.S. Congresses and presidential administrations have strengthened this prohibition in domestic law, as well as incorporated it in international trade agreements. As a result of these efforts and USTR’s Section 301 investigation of this issue, by July 2026, 12 additional economies had adopted measures that prohibit the importation of goods made by forced labor, including Cambodia, Canada, Ecuador, the European Union, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Trinidad and Tobago. Since then, dozens more countries have expressed interest in adopting similar measures. The Trump Administration remains committed to addressing this unfair trade practice by working with these and other trading partners to set a new, global standard for combating the trade in forced labor goods to protect workers at home and abroad.