Bangladesh’s chances to get duty-free access to the US market largely depend on how Bangladesh addresses issues such as democracy, labour rights and human rights, Commerce Adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman said yesterday.

The US Congress is currently considering the New Partnership for Development Act of 2007 (NPDA) under which least developed countries (LDCs) will be given duty-free access.

The adviser said the government is conducting a study on ensuring standard labour practices in industrial production units, political stability and democracy.

The Congress will consider a country’s stand on such issues for its inclusion in a new trade facility.

Bangladesh needs to diversify its exports to get more benefits from the duty-free facilities, the adviser also told a seminar on ‘The New Market Access Initiatives of US Congress Concerns and Interests of Bangladesh’ in Dhaka.

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) oragnised the seminar where CPD Executive Director Mustafizur Rahman presented the keynote paper.

CPD Chairman Prof Rehman Sobhan presided over the seminar, which was participated by President of International Chamber of Commerce-Bangladesh (ICC-B) Mahbubur Rahman, and experts, academics, labour leaders and scholars from home and abroad.

Mustafizur Rahman, also the chief of the technical committee of commerce ministry that was formed for the passage of the bill, said the NPDA might be placed before the US Congress in May or June this year.

Since Bangladesh must deal with the non-trade issues like labour and human rights for the passage of the bill, the technical committee has already prepared its reports on these issues for submission to the US Congress, he added.

He said if the bill is passed, not only the ready-made garment (RMG) products but also thousands of local commodities will receive the duty-free access to the US market.

“We will urge the US government not to take any unilateral decision in this connection as Bangladesh is an LDC. We are working with other LDCs, including African LDCs, for the passage of the bill,” he said.

The CPD executive director said the bill should be passed before the Bush administration expires, as a huge change to the bill is apprehended after the shift in US government.

President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Anwar-Ul-Alam Chowdhury said 99.10 percent garment factories have been paying their workers minimum wage, 83 percent owners have given the appointment letters to the workers and maternity leave has been ensured in 98.0 percent garment factories.

Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) President Farooq Sobhan called for the involvement of more and more NGOs and personalities like Dr Yunus for the passage of the bill.

President of Karmojibi Nari Shirin Akhter urged the government to give more freedom to the workers to form associations and unions to protect labour rights in the country.