Over 1100 workers died and many more were injured when the Rana Plaza factory building collapsed in Savar, Bangladesh, on April 24. This is not the only major accident in the clothing industry’s supply chain in recent years. For example on November 24, 2012 more than 110 workers lost their lives when the Tazreen Fashion Factory on the outskirts of Dhaka caught fire.

Please join us on November 20th at Business & Human Rights Resource Centre’s fourth annual event in the Mary Robinson Speaker Series in New York City for an important conversation on the rights of workers in the garment sector. What are the root causes of these tragedies? What has to change to prevent them from happening again? And what are the wider implications for companies and governments?

We are delighted that Kalpona Akter will give the keynote speech. Kalpona is Executive Director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity, one of Bangladesh’s most prominent labor rights advocacy organizations, and is herself a former child garment worker. Her speech will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by Steven Greenhouse of the New York Times and an audience Q&A.

Panelists (in addition to Kalpona Akter):

• Lauren Compere, Managing Director, Boston Common Asset Management
• Judy Gearhart, Executive Director, International Labor Rights Forum
• Harpreet Kaur, South Asia Researcher, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
• Sarah Labowitz, Co-director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights
• Chloe Poynton, Manager, Advisory Services, BSR

Questions from the audience will be welcome. Admission is free, but reservations are required to attend, so please RSVP as soon as possible to Daniel Vince-Archer to ensure you have a space: vince-archer [at] business-humanrights.org or call +1 212 564 9160.

Any event updates will be posted on the BHRRC website.