Labor

The Advancing Labor Compliance in Colombia’s Port Sector Project (CPP) works to improve Colombia’s compliance with local and international labor rights including freedom of association, collective bargaining, prohibition against discrimination at work, elimination of forced labor and child labor, and rights to acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational health and safety. 

Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), this project will be implemented from December 2020 to December of 2024.  

CPP will implement innovative strategies to build a common understanding of the problems in the sector, co-design solutions to the issues, and design interventions based on the results and needs of the sector. The initial interventions will focus on understanding labor intermediation and outsourcing regulations; promoting Social Dialogue in the port sector; and strengthening ports workers organizations’ capacity to advocate for the rights of workers. Partners and the collaborating institutions aim at creating a more just workplace environment in Colombia’s port sector. 

Learn more about CPP.

Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-35742-20-75-K. 100% of the total costs of the project is financed with federal funds, for a total of U.S. $5,000,000 dollars. This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.

As a sub-awardee to Fundación para la Paz y Democracia (FUNPADEM), Partners will support the project’s goals to strengthen mechanisms to report complaints of abusive practices, create and strengthen legal instruments and administrative procedures, and promote a culture of sustainable labor law compliance.

The project will be implemented in Costa Rica from 2019 to 2022.

Improving Substantive Gender Equality in the Mexican Workplace seeks to improve gender equity in the Mexican workplace by working to increase women’s leadership in unions, strengthen protections for women workers, end workplace harassment and abuse, and advocate for equal pay. This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Trade and Labor Affairs.

To ensure a demand driven, locally-led and sustainable project, the project will collaborate with civil society organizations to reach workers and worker organizations (unions and confederations), and employers and employer associations, to incorporate a gender equity perspective into current programming.

The project strategy is based on principles of a women worker-centered approach, sustainability, and cross-collaboration between workers, employers, unions, government, and civil society.

The Mexico Awareness Raising Project integrates and expands upon existing efforts in Mexico to promote information about the 2019 Mexican Labor Reform. Funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), this project will be implemented over a period of 4.5 years, from January 2021 to June 2025.

To advance the success of the project, Partners of the Americas (Partners) is collaborating with implementing partner Social Accountability International (SAI), a highly experienced international organization in advancing human rights in the workplace. On the local level, the project’s sub-awardees include the Mexican Center for Migrant Rights (Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, CDM) and the Border Committee on the Rights of Workers (Comité Fronterizo de Obreras y Obreros, CFO). The project’s resource partners also include various prominent labor rights organizations, unions, and confederations in key five trade subsectors of Mexico: mining, auto assembly, auto parts, steel/aluminum, and electronics. The project will work in industrial clusters in these priority sectors across the Mexican states. The project’s partner organizations working in these key industries include the Federation of Independent Unions of the Automobile, Autopart, Aerospace and Tire Industries (Federación de Sindicatos Indepdendientes de la Industria Automotriz, Autopartes, Aeroespacial y del Neumático, FESIIAAAN), the Autonomous Front of Workers (Frente Autonomo de Trabajadores, FAT), and the National Union of Mining, Metallurgy, Steelmaking and Similar Workers of the Mexican Republic (Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores Mineros, Metalúrgicos, Siderúgicos y Similares de la Republica Mexicana, Los Mineros).

The Mexico Awareness Raising Project’s expected outcomes integrate innovative local strategies and activities in order to improve communications and better inform and empower target groups in the mentioned sectors on labor reform. These expected outcomes include increasing the understanding of workers, employers, and union leaders on how to utilize Mexico’s new labor systems to protect labor rights and effectively address labor disputes. The project also aims to build the capacity of the federal and state level Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) staff and constituents from key institutions to conduct outreach regarding labor rights and implementation of the labor reforms among target audiences. By implementing these strategic outcomes, Partners and their collaborating institutions hope to equip Mexican laborers with information regarding their new legal protections so they may promote their rights in the workplace. 

Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-35868-21-75-K. 100% of the total costs of the project is financed with federal funds, for a total of U.S. $10,000,000 dollars. This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.

Mexico United 2026, a project funded by the U.S. Department of State (DOS) Office of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), aims to strengthen Mexico’s capacity to identify, prevent, and mitigate the impacts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the realization of labor rights and human rights guarantees. Through this project, Partners of the Americas’ (POA) will work to significantly reduce the risk of labor abuses and human rights violations that may arise as a result of the World Cup by increasing workers’ knowledge of labor law and international labor standards relevant to the event. To achieve this goal, POA is collaborating with local labor rights organizations, Centro de Reflexión y Acción Laboral (CEREAL), Centro de Los Derechos del Migrante (CDM), and Red de Mujeres Sindicalistas (RMS), and works closely with national and local governments and semi-autonomous institutions. Mexico United 2026 will target three cities where the United 2026 World Cup will take place in Mexico: Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City.

From 2020 to 2023, the Mexico United 2026 project will seek to increase engagement and coordination between labor rights organizations, the private sector, and independent unions. The project will help entities, such as the Government of Mexico, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), and the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) address and mitigate labor risks associated with the event and will strengthen the capacity of stakeholders and workers to effectively monitor and report human rights abuses. Lastly, in preparation for the United 2026 World Cup, the project will work with civil society organizations to develop a media campaign to increase awareness among the general public of Mexico’s commitments to human rights in regard to the United 2026 World Cup and the labor rights risks associated with the sporting event.

Reducing Child and Forced Labor in the Palm Oil Sector

Palma Futuro is a project funded by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) and implemented by Partners of the Americas and its partners, Social Accountability International (SAI) and J.E. Austin Associates (JAA).

Working closely with leading private sector partners in the palm oil sector, Palma Futuro aims to improve the implementation of social compliance systems that promote acceptable conditions of work and reduce child labor and forced labor in palm oil supply chains in Colombia and Ecuador. It will also disseminate best practices in social compliance systems in these and other palm oil-producing countries, particularly Brazil and Peru.

Palma Futuro is guided by two expected outcomes: 1) Strengthened capacity of private sector partners in the Colombian and Ecuadorian palm oil sector to implement a robust and sustainable social compliance system, and 2) Increased understanding, at regional and global levels, of promising practices in social compliance systems in palm oil supply chains.

A comprehensive and suitable social compliance system will be executed by three of the most prominent companies in the palm oil sectors of Colombia and Ecuador, BioCosta, Palmas del Cesar, and Danec. Palma Futuro will adapt and use resources developed under the Social Fingerprint Management Systems Program, a set of ratings, trainings, and tools developed by SAI that break down the management systems concept into component processes and five maturity levels. Modules in this program will include a self-assessment, independent evaluation, and improvement plan for each company.

Palma Futuro will conduct a study on the prevalence, nature, and risks of child labor, forced labor, and labor conditions in the palm oil sectors in Colombia and Ecuador and disseminate the targeted research. Additionally, implementing partner JAA will conduct a market analysis and a value-chain mapping to identify the value of labor compliance and promote the implementation of social compliance systems as an opportunity for improved economic performance. Ultimately, Palma Futuro will socialize three case studies prepared by JAA and disseminate best practices in social compliance in Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, and Peru. This regional and global collaboration strategy will include participation in international forums, development of national workshops in the target countries, and knowledge management of lessons learned throughout the project.

Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-32820-18-75-K. 100% of the total costs of the project is financed with federal funds, for a total of U.S. $6,000,000 dollars. This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government.

Combating Human Trafficking in Paraguay

Ñande Ko’ẽ (“Our Sunrise” in Guaraní), a project funded by the U.S. Department of State (USDOS) Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP), aims to address human trafficking, with an emphasis on sex and labor trafficking, in Paraguay. 

The goal of Ñande Ko’ẽ is to strengthen Paraguay’s capacity to prevent and process cases of human trafficking and protect its victims. The project aims to strengthen local and national networks to combat trafficking, improve comprehensive services available to victims, and build state institutional capacity to address the issue of trafficking. The project’s comprehensive and dynamic approach to combatting human trafficking focuses on building the capacity of civil society organizations and the public and private sectors to prevent and prosecute cases and protect children and adult victims.

Partners and the allied implementing sub-awardee, Grupo Luna Nueva (GLN), a leading grassroots organization working against child sexual exploitation in Paraguay, have established a strong relationship with key stakeholders that will assist in the implementation of this project. Within a 36-month period, Ñande Ko’ẽ will impact Paraguay at both the national and regional level, with specific attention to the regions of Caaguazú and Itapúa.