Address by Ms Bansari Nag l National Project Coordinator, ILO.
4th Edition Sustainable Textiles Summit 2025 | September 17, 2025
Compiled by: Salil Chawla, Director, DFU Publications.
While environmental sustainability dominates discussions, the human dimension often remains overlooked. The International Labour Organization (ILO), operating in 187 countries, stresses that labour rights and social justice are as crucial as environmental and governance goals.
Since 2017, ILO initiatives in Telangana and Madhya Pradesh have focused on empowering cotton farmers, ensuring labour standards, and embedding human rights principles in the textile value chain.
ILO’s approach stems from landmark declarations like the Philadelphia Declaration (1944), the Decent Work Agenda (2015), and the Fundamental Principles of Rights at Work (1998), covering child labour abolition, forced labour elimination, non-discrimination, occupational safety, and freedom of association.
Post-COVID, occupational safety and health became core priorities.
Through training, awareness, social finance, and collaboration with government, trade unions, and industry bodies, ILO integrates social compliance, women empowerment, and farmer resilience into India’s sustainable cotton mission, including initiatives like Kasturi Cotton.
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