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 Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs > Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor > Labor and Corporate Social Responsibility

Labor and Corporate Social Responsibility

Strengthening respect for worker rights and promoting corporate social responsibility around the world contributes to the U.S. foreign policy goals of democracy promotion, free trade, international development, and human rights.

The State Department's Office of International Labor and Corporate Social Responsibility, part of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, promotes these issues in partnership with the private sector, organized labor, NGOs, intergovernmental organizations, international organizations and other U.S. federal agencies.

Key priority areas include:

  • Promoting organized labor and their role as reformers in developing countries.
  • Partnering with the private sector to protect human rights, including workers rights, and to promote good governance, transparency, and the rule of law.
  • Promoting labor rights through free trade agreements and other international negotiations.
  • Combating child labor, forced labor, and trafficking in persons.
The State Department supports projects that promote these goals, including an anti-sweatshop initiative to fund the development of approaches to combat sweatshop labor in overseas factories. Since 2000, nearly $18 million in projects have been funded through this initiative.

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