{"id":1422,"date":"2011-04-14T14:53:05","date_gmt":"2011-04-14T18:53:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citizenstrade.org\/ctc\/?p=1422"},"modified":"2011-10-21T19:48:50","modified_gmt":"2011-10-21T23:48:50","slug":"colombia-free-trade-agreement-an-affront-to-human-dignity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.citizenstrade.org\/ctc\/blog\/2011\/04\/14\/colombia-free-trade-agreement-an-affront-to-human-dignity\/","title":{"rendered":"The Colombia Free Trade Agreement Is an Affront to Human Dignity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>On April 7, Presidents Obama and Santos announced a new \u201cColombian Action Plan Related to Labor Rights,\u201d<\/a> paving the way for a vote on the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.<\/p>\n

While lauded by large business interests<\/a> in the United States, labor and human rights advocates in both the U.S. and Colombia have argued that the plan is grossly insufficient.\u00a0 This includes the largest labor confederations in each country \u2014 the United Center of Workers (CUT) and the Confederation of Workers (CTC) in Colombia and the AFL-CIO<\/a> in the United States \u2014 as well as the Latin America Working Group<\/a>, TransAfrica Forum<\/a>, the Sierra Club<\/a>, the Interfaith Working Group on Trade and Investment<\/a> and many others<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While the \u201cAction Plan\u201d contains some positive measures, it is by no means comprehensive on the issue of labor and human rights, ignoring wide swaths of human rights concerns that have been flagged for policymakers in both Colombia and the United States for many years.\u00a0 Furthermore, the plan fails to include any benchmarks in terms of actual reductions in the number of assassinations of trade unionists, or even an increase in prosecutions of their assassins.<\/p>\n

More disturbing still, the \u201cAction Plan\u201d is in no way legally binding.\u00a0 It provides zero mechanisms for compliance once the Colombia FTA is implemented \u2014 making it in some ways weaker than even NAFTA\u2019s ineffectual labor side agreement.<\/p>\n

Beyond concerns regarding direct labor and human rights protections, the plan likewise fails to address agricultural and other economic aspects of the Colombia FTA that would destroy economic livelihoods in conflict-ridden regions of Colombia, exacerbating problems with internal displacement, illicit drug production, illegally-armed groups and forced migration.<\/p>\n

Put simply:\u00a0 the new \u201cAction Plan\u201d is by no means sufficient to accept passage of the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.<\/p>\n

Republican Congressional leaders had been demanding a path forward on the Colombia deal before they would allow the Korea Free Trade Agreement to advance without their opposition. \u00a0This new plan opens the door to the entire heinous trade package with Colombia, South Korea and Panama.<\/p>\n

The Korea, Colombia and Panama Free Trade Agreements are expected to be voted upon separately, with the Korea pact most likely to come up first.\u00a0 The outcome of the Korea vote will strongly influence if and when the Colombia and Panama FTAs follow.<\/p>\n

Learn more about the Colombia Free Trade Agreement<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On April 7, Presidents Obama and Santos announced a new \u201cColombian Action Plan Related to Labor Rights,\u201d paving the way for a vote on the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. 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