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WOLA Newsroom  October 16, 2009WOLA's Coletta Youngers and John Walsh wrote an article published in America's Quarterly today, Drug Decriminalization: A Trend Takes Shape. They explain how harsh anti-drug laws have failed to stem apparently rising drug use, and incarceration rates are climbing-up 40 percent on average in Mexico and South America over the last decade-with more drug users and low-level dealers behind bars. ...  August 11, 2009President Obama’s June decision to maintain Bolivia’s suspension from ATPDEA trade benefits repeated distortions from the Bush administration. The September 15th drug control certification decision provides the Obama administration a chance to get it right. The attached memo reviews the June decision and provides accurate information about Bolivian drug control efforts. Download  June 25, 2009This report paints a portrait of the police in Central America today. It draws on interviews conducted by in-country experts with government officials, current and former police, representatives of international aid agencies, and civil society leaders in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Download  March 16, 2009Sister Janete Ferreira, an expert on internal displacement, migration, refugee, and trafficking issues, presents on the increasing number of Colombians fleeing into Ecuador to escape the armed conflict.  February 11, 2009This "Blue Ribbon" commission presented its findings on February 11, 2009 in its statement, Drugs and Democracy: Toward a Paradigm Shift.  February 10, 2009Executive Director, Joy Olson recently participated in a panel discussion on U.S. foreign policy towards Latin America under the Obama Administration at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.  January 23, 2009The waning days of the Bush administration saw the breakdown of U.S.-Bolivian relations. The Obama administration and Bolivia’s President Evo Morales should now seize the moment to repair the bilateral relationship, to the benefit of both countries.
Click below to read a memo written by John Walsh (WOLA) and Kathryn Ledebur (AIN) on the latest in U.S.-Bolivia relations. Download  January 15, 2009Concerned for the critical situation of Afro-Colombian communities, Senator Oscar Suárez Mira and the Colombian Senate Commission on Human Rights and Hearings summoned a public hearing on November 13, 2008 to evaluate the last 15 years of Law 70 of the black communities and its level of implementation.  December 12, 2008The Compass for Colombia Policy, written by some of Washington's top Colombia experts, offers a better way forward for one of the main foreign policy challenges that the next administration will face. This report makes a detailed, persuasive case for a new U.S. strategy that would achieve our current policy goals while ending impunity and strengthening respect for human ... Download  December 2, 2008The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) is a global network of NGOs and professional networks that specialize in issues related to illegal drug production and use. Download  December 2, 2008In 2007, and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) the Transnational Institute (TNI) initiated a series of Informal Drug Policy Dialogues in Latin America. Download  November 4, 2008On September 16, 2008, the Bush administration announced its determination that Bolivia had “failed demonstrably during the previous 12 months” to adhere to its “obligations under international counternarcotics agreements.” Ten days later, the Administration announced its intent to make Bolivia ineligible for benefits under the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA), asserting that “Bolivia’s demonstrable failure to cooperate ... Download  May 23, 2008Bolivian President Evo Morales's "coca yes, cocaine no" policy, which seeks
to make a clear distinction between coca and cocaine, is now in its third
year. Download May 23, 2008In March 2008, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB, a United Nations agency) provoked outrage in Bolivia by calling for the elimination of traditional uses of coca, such as chewing coca leaves and drinking coca tea. Download April 8, 2008Aerial spraying, or fumigation, in Colombia has been counterproductive, a path-breaking WOLA report shows. After fumigation of more than 2 million acres since 2000, overall coca cultivation and cocaine output have increased and spread into new areas. Read more... Download  February 28, 2008WOLA report on organized crime in Latin America from a rule of law and human rights perspective, with case studies from Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia and Peru. Download | |
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