The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that officials from the United States and Colombia convened the inaugural meeting of the Labor Affairs Council (LAC) under the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA) on June 4 and 5. During the two-day meeting, officials reviewed implementation of the Labor Chapter of the U.S.-Colombia TPA. They also discussed the labor obligations of the agreement and progress under the Colombian Action Plan Related to Labor Rights. The Council further discussed areas of technical cooperation and capacity building.

Read their official Joint Statement here.

About the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement:
The United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA) entered into force on May 15, 2012. According to the USTR, with the implementation of the TPA, over 80 percent of U.S. exports of consumer and industrial products to Colombia will become duty free immediately, with remaining tariffs phased out over 10 years. The USTR projects that the TPA will support more American jobs, increase U.S. exports, and enhance U.S. competitiveness. Read an overview here.