All Content: rural development

"Consolidation," Land Restitution, and Rising Tensions in Montes de María, Colombia

Trip report from a November research visit to a major destination of U.S. aid
30 Jan 2012
Analysis & Commentary
We found a zone where, following several years of relative peace, tensions are rising. The national government is gearing up to launch an ambitious land-restitution program. Consolidation, meanwhile, gives a big role to the military while assisting small farmers, including returning displaced populations, and improving local government.

WOLA: Promoting Human Rights, Democracy, and Social Justice

22 Dec 2011
Video
As the year winds to a close, we hope you will enjoy this video about how WOLA works with partners in the region to advance human rights in Latin America. If you have not done so, we hope you will consider making a donation to WOLA to support our continued efforts. Your support makes a difference.

State of Emergency in Peru: President Humala's response to the mining protest

9 Dec 2011
Publication
In response to protests against a large mining project, Peru's center-left government has declared a state of emergency. The situation, seen as a test for the new government, is at an impasse. Adam talks to WOLA Senior Fellow Jo-Marie Burt.

Rebuilding El Salvador Sustainably

29 Nov 2011
Analysis & Commentary
Investing in small-scale, sustainable agriculture increases a country's resilience to extreme weather events, strengthens food security, and contributes to economic development in the rural sector. A decent job, food for the kids, and reduced threats from future natural disasters are powerful anchors to keep people from becoming climate refugees.

Colombia Human Rights Bulletin

October 2011
31 Oct 2011
Publication
WOLA would like to share with you the following links to documents written by WOLA and organizations we partner with in Colombia on human rights, labor rights, and Afro-Colombian and indigenous issues.

Sunday's Local Elections in Colombia

Land restitution and the "Black Hand"
27 Oct 2011
Analysis & Commentary
Colombia's October 30, 2011 local elections are a crucial moment for the success of the Santos government's land restitution effort. If allies of the land thieves win, prospects for restitution -- and indeed, for peace in Colombia -- will dim considerably.

Remembering Sister Yolanda Cerón

13 Oct 2011
Video
A film by the Diocese of Tumaco in memory of Sister Yolanda Cerón

WOLA Reaction to Colombia-U.S. FTA Debate

A Statement by Executive Director Joy Olson
12 Oct 2011
News
WOLA opposed this agreement because the experience with similar agreements has taught us who the losers will be, those least able to bear the cost

FTA Turns a Blind Eye to Exploitation

U.S. Ignores Labor Rights Abuses in Colombia
6 Oct 2011
Analysis & Commentary
In the midst of the debate regarding the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, most of the U.S. Congress has convinced itself that lofty agreements have translated into tangible change. In practice, the labor rights situation in Colombia has not improved.

Guatemalan mining raises human rights concerns

The Global Development and Environment Institute (GDAE) at Tufts University has just released a study that examines a controversial gold mining project in Guatemala
3 Oct 2011
Publication
The issues raised in the study have implications for extractive industry projects and for human rights and social justice activists who follow these projects.

Protecting Mexican Guest Workers and Seeking a Saner Migration Policy

30 Sep 2011
Publication
Adam and WOLA Senior Associate for Rights and Development Vicki Gass talk with Chuck Barrett, a consultant to Catholic Relief Services, about rural development, migration, and protecting the rights of agricultural guest workers from Mexico.

Human Rights During the Juan Manuel Santos Administration’s First Year in Office

Background Report by USOC and WOLA
29 Sep 2011
Publication
The report offers analysis on the topics of extrajudicial executions, human rights defenders, Afro-Colombians, indigenous peoples, internal displacement, the Victims Law and sexual violence against women.

Labor Action Plan: Just Paper or Real Changes?

Gimena Sanchez on the Pending U.S.-Colombia FTA
23 Sep 2011
Analysis & Commentary
Twenty-two trade unionists have been murdered so far in 2011, with ten of them killed after the April 15 announcement of the Labor Action Plan. Death threats and efforts to discredit labor activists also continue.

Take Action to Protect Human Rights Defenders in Colombia

Human rights abuses continue to undermine social justice efforts under the Santos administration
13 Sep 2011
Publication
We urge you to please contact the US and Colombian authorities in order to protect human rights defenders, free those unjustly detained, and seek investigations that lead to justice for those murdered and recipients of death threats

WOLA's 2011 Human Rights Awards

8 Sep 2011
Video
On September 13, 2011, WOLA honored Gael Garcia Bernal, Ambulante, and CEDECO for promoting human rights and telling stories that make a difference. Check out this video about the amazing work of our honorees.

Climate Smart Agriculture in Latin America: A Sustainable Development Alternative

8 Sep 2011
Video
Jonathan Castro, of the Educational Corporation for Costa Rican Development (CEDECO), speaks with WOLA’s Vicki Gass about how small-scale, alternative agriculture can become a powerful tool for climate change mitigation and poverty reduction.

Buenaventura, Colombia: Where Free Trade Meets Mass Graves

An article in NACLA by WOLA Senior Associate Gimena Sanchez and Kelly Nicholls of USOC
7 Sep 2011
Publication
Conditions in Buenaventura exemplify the inherent contradictions of pursuing an FTA with a country where an internal armed conflict continues to rage, where many people are mired in poverty, where workers are subject to abuses, and labor unions are quite literally under attack.

Press Availabilities with Recipients of WOLA’s 2011 Human Rights Award — Actor Gael García Bernal, Ambulante, and CEDECO

Press Conference and Awards Gala on September 13th to Highlight "Migration and Development: Stories that Make a Difference"
6 Sep 2011
News
Washington, D.C. - On September 13, 2011, the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) will be hosting a press conference preceding its 2011 Human Rights Awards gala. This year, the theme of the gala is Migration and Development: Stories that Make a Difference.

Colombia Human Rights Bulletin

August 2011
12 Aug 2011
Analysis & Commentary
The Colombia Human Rights Bulletin provides links to documents written by WOLA and organizations we partner with in Colombia on human rights, labor rights, and Afro-Colombian and indigenous issues.

ACSN Supports Findings of Verification Mission to La Toma

ACSN Statement
1 Aug 2011
Publication
On July 25, 2011, members of the Afro-Colombian Solidarity Network (ACSN) participated in an international mission that confirmed the presence of three of the eight excavators in the area of La Toma