July 14, 2009
President Uribe met with President Obama recently to primarily promote the trade agreement between the United States and Colombia. As the 111th Congress debates the agreement, they should take into consideration the structure of the sugarcane industry in Colombia which is of particular concern from a human rights and environmental perspective.
June 12, 2009
The Washington Office on Latin America along with 12 other human rights organizations wrote a letter today, June 12, 2009, to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton requesting that the United States Government take immediate, concrete and public action to help resolve the escalating social and political crisis in Peru.
June 11, 2009
WOLA’s study entitled, DR-CAFTA and Workers' Rights: Moving from Paper to Practice evaluates the progress countries have made with regard to objectives stipulated in the “White Paper” a self-assessment written by the CAFTA-DR governments at the signing of the free trade agreement on how to improve labor rights in their own countries.
March 15, 2009
As a region, Latin America enacted the most sweeping reforms to its trade policies in the world. Following the Washington Consensus policies, government after government opened its economy significantly to foreign investment and goods. In agriculture, the new policies have generated dramatic increases in agricultural trade, but have they produced sustainable rural development?
December 12, 2008
The 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 ...
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December 8, 2008
According to reports WOLA received on, December 2, 2008, the day of the incident, at 9:30 in the morning two unknown men, believed to be from the Black Eagles (Aguilas Negras), approached Martha Diaz as she was walking. One of the men bearing a revolver ordered her into a nearby taxi, where the other man stood holding the door ...
September 23, 2008
The seizure of a seven-page list of recognized Honduran popular leaders from two plainclothes police agents on the campus of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) this month has suggested that key defenders of human and labor rights may be targeted for persecution.
September 18, 2008
U.S. Rep. George Miller urges Uribe to improve investigations and prosecutions of murdered labor leaders. In a detailed fifteen-page letter sent last week to Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Representative George Miller (D-CA) urged Uribe to take action to improve investigations and prosecution of the murders of nearly 2,700 labor union leaders in his country since 1986. The vast ...
July 3, 2008
WOLA, TransAfrica Forum, AFRODES USA and others wrote to the State Department regarding recent efforts to obstruct the return of illegally appropriated collective lands in Curvarado, Colombia.
April 28, 2008
As the cost of food in Latin America continues to rise, WOLA reiterates its support for the International Fund for Agricultural Development's efforts to reduce poverty and promote rural development in Latin America and throughout the developing world.
November 6, 2007
This memo to members of Congress details concerns with the U.S.-Peru FTA and challenges claims that the agreement's passage will help in strengthening Peru's weak labor rights protections or help to diminish nation's high rate of economic inequality.
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October 17, 2007
A just-released report from the Department of Labor's Office of Trade and Labor Affairs cites a number of serious problems with union protections under NAFTA. The formal complaint that prompted the report was filed in 2005 by the Mexican union, FTVO with support from WOLA and USLEAP. See the following link for more information.
October 2, 2007
WOLA memo regarding Costa Rica's national referendum on CAFTA on Oct 7th and its implications for the U.S.-Latin America trade agenda.
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September 28, 2007
The Alliance for Labor Rights assesses Peru’s enforcement and compliance levels with ILO labor standards within the context if the US-Peru FTA in this newly-released report.
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July 19, 2007
As part of the University of Miami "Perspectives on the Americas" series, WOLA contributed this article on trade and development written by Executive Director Joy Olson and Senior Associate, Vicki Gass.
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