On September 20, 2013, USA-ITA joined five other North American apparel and retail trade associations in sending a letter to Atiqul Islam, President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), expressing concern about the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between BGMEA and the Uzbek government to purchase Uzbek cotton. In addition to reminding the BGMEA that the Uzbek cotton industry still utilizes child and forced labor to harvest the cotton, the letter requests information on what the BGMEA “is doing to ensure that any cotton procured through the MOU is free of forced labor and child labor.”