Photo by Fahad Faisal
Catholic Charities Executive Director Monsignor Kevin Sullivan joined a high-profile delegation from New York City in Bangladesh to gather the latest on-the-ground information on the progress made towards the improvement of factory safety since the Rana Plaza collapse, reports the Daily Star and Catholic New York.
The American contingent that included New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and others met survivors of the building collapse, officials of the Swedish retail giant H&M and labor leaders involved in getting global retailers to sign on the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and improve conditions for garment workers.
The goal was to bring back to New York City compelling facts and testimonial that will help raise awareness of the importance of the Accord and to encourage shoppers in New York City, one of the world’s largest consumer markets, to support the 100-odd brands that have signed the Accord.
“In this holiday season, Americans will purchase huge volumes of clothing apparel. We need to become even more aware of the working conditions in the countries around the world that produce these goods,” said Msgr. Sullivan.