Canada's Minister of International Trade announces that on August 15, 2011, the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act will come into force, as the Government of Colombia has taken satisfactory steps to implement the FTA and the related agreements on the environment, labor and human rights reporting.
Forced Labor
CBP is the primary U.S. agency tasked with combating forced labor in international trade. It is the only agency with legal authority to take enforcement action and prevent entry into domestic commerce of goods produced with forced labor. CBP combats forced labor by issuing Withhold Release Orders (WROs) and Findings, and enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), and Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Goods subject to WROs and Findings, UFLPA, and CAATSA status cannot be entered at any ports of the U.S.
On May 26, 2011, the following trade-related bills were introduced:
The Labor Department has published a revised list of products that federal contractors must certify under Executive Order 13126 are not produced with forced or indentured child1 labor.
The Congressional Research Service has issued a report on Congressional consideration on the proposed U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.
At a May 11, 2011 Senate Finance hearing, Chairman Baucus (D) stated that Congress must enact a long-term extension of Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) in tandem with the pending free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama.
A coalition of industry organizations, including the American Apparel and Footwear Association and the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA), recently sent a letter to the State Department urging it to downgrade Uzbekistan to Tier III status under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act, as Uzbekistan is not in compliance with TVPA due to its use of forced child labor in the cotton sector. The downgrade would result in the cutoff of all non-humanitarian, non-trade-related assistance to the Government of Uzbekistan. The letter is available by emailing documents@brokerpower.com.
Various U.S. government agencies are seeking comments on the following information collections for which they have requested or intend to request Office of Management and Budget approval or extension of approval (see notices for specific details):
The AFL-CIO1 has submitted a public document to the Department of Labor's Office of Trade and Labor Affairs calling on the U.S. to withdraw from the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement due to the failure of the government of Bahrain to comply with its labor commitments under the FTA.
The Labor Department's Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) is seeking public comments and relevant information to assist it in updating three reports on child and/or forced labor in foreign countries. One report is on the worst forms of child labor; another lists goods believed to be produced by forced and/or child labor; and the third lists products needing Federal contractor certification.
The Foreign Agricultural Service is requesting public comment by July 11, 2011, on its guidelines for reducing the likelihood that agricultural products or commodities imported into the U.S. are produced by child or forced labor. The voluntary guidelines include third party monitoring and verification recommendations.