PBI-Canada to participate in “Who Bears the Cost?” webinar on the port of Buenaventura in Colombia and transnational corporations
Image from the promotional poster for the webinar.
PBI-Canada will be participating in a PBI collaboratively organized webinar this coming Monday February 24 (at 10:00 am in Colombia and Ontario/Quebec/Nunavut; 4:00 pm in Catalunya/Spain). The webinar is titled: “Who Bears the Cost? Impacts of the global economy and the risks for the defence of human rights”.
To register for the webinar, click here.
It will have simultaneous Spanish-English interpretation.
The speakers will include Vicente Vailies, the researcher of the “Who Bears the Cost?” report, Milba Diaz from the Justice and Peace Commission in Colombia, Ixmukane Quib from the Committee for Peasant Unity (CUC) in Guatemala, Laia Otero from CooperAcció in Catalunya, and Brent Patterson from PBI-Canada.
The executive summary of the report notes: “PBI, which has had a presence in Colombia for over 30 years, accompanies various organizations and collective initiatives that defend human rights in Buenaventura.”
“In response to these voices, PBI has prepared this report, which seeks to contribute to an identification of the interests – specifically those of Spanish companies – and an understanding of the territorial context and risks associated with the defense of human rights, social and environmental justice.”
“In this context, the Buenaventura region is attracting growing international economic interests, including that of Spanish companies, due to its strategic location and remarkable growth potential. This study notes a Spanish economic presence manifested through several companies linked to the port economy” including companies that provide port services (such as Ership Grupo), freight logistics companies (TIBA) and companies dedicated to infrastructure development (Grupo Sacyr).”
To register for the webinar, click here.
Buenaventura and Canada-Colombia trade
In 2010, the year before the Canada-Colombia free trade agreement (CCOFTA) came into force, Canada and Colombia traded over $1.4 billion in merchandise. By 2023, the Canada-Colombia two-way trade totalled $2.6 billion.
Global Affairs Canada has highlighted that since the CCOFTA was implemented the total bilateral trade has increased by 92 per cent. A significant portion of this trade would pass through the port in Buenaventura.
A condition of the CCOFTA is an Annual Report on human rights.
The latest Annual Report concludes: “As has been the case in previous years, the 13th annual report is unable to demonstrate that any actions taken by the Government of Canada in 2023 through the implementation of the CCOFTA (i.e. tariff reductions related to the CCOFTA as well as actions taken under the Agreement on Labour Cooperation or the Environment Agreement) have had a direct impact on human rights in Canada or Colombia.”
On February 24, PBI-Canada will use its portion of time during this webinar to reflect on this conclusion and to suggest to the Government of Canada a broader understanding of how the port in Buenaventura, its expansion, the displacement of communities, and a range of other factors impact human rights.
To register for the webinar, click here.
Promotional poster for the webinar.
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