Trump drops Mauritania from trade preference roster

A required annual review of the African Growth and Opportunity Act found that hereditary slavery in the country remains a concern.    President Donald Trump on Friday announced his intent to terminate the eligibility of Mauritania for trade preferences under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), starting Jan. 1, because of forced labor practices, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in press release.
   USTR said Mauritania has the highest prevalence of hereditary slavery in the world and restricts the ability of civil society to freely work to address antislavery issues.
   “Forced or compulsory labor practices like hereditary slavery have no place in the 21st century,” Deputy U.S. Trade Representative C.J. Mahoney said in a statement. “This action underscores this administration’s commitment to ending modern slavery and enforcing labor provisions in our trade laws and trade agreements. We hope Mauritania will work with us to eradicate forced labor and hereditary slavery so that its AGOA eligibility may be restored in the future.”
   Trump determined Mauritania isn’t making sufficient progress toward establishing the protection of internationally recognized worker rights during the executive branch’s annual AGOA eligibility review.
   AGOA requires countries to meet certain requirements, including making continual progress toward establishing internationally recognized worker rights, such as prohibiting the use of any form of forced or compulsory labor.
   USTR said the U.S. will continue monitoring whether Mauritania is continually progressing toward the protection of internationally recognized worker rights, in accordance with AGOA eligibility requirements.