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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2
face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><img width=106 height=101
id="_x0000_i1025" src="cid:image001.gif@01CD1E25.3139B0A0"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=msonospacing align=right style='text-align:right'><font size=2
face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=msonospacing align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=4
face=Verdana><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Verdana;font-weight:
bold'>UNITED STATES CONGRESS</span></font></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=msonospacing align=right style='text-align:right'><font size=2
face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=msonospacing align=right style='text-align:right'><b><font size=2
color=black face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:
"Times New Roman";color:black;font-weight:bold'>April 19, 2012<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=msonospacing align=right style='text-align:right'><b><font size=2
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-weight:bold'>Aaron Albright (Miller) 202.226.0853<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=msonospacing><b><font size=5 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=msonospacing><st1:country-region w:st="on"><b><font size=5
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-weight:bold'>U.S.</span></font></b></st1:country-region><b><font size=5
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman";
font-weight:bold'> Members of Congress Continue to Monitor Implementation of <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Colombia</st1:place></st1:country-region> Labor
Action Plan<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=msonospacing><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=msonospacing><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=msonospacing><st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>WASHINGTON</span></font></st1:place></st1:State><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>
– Members of the U.S. House of Representatives who participate in the <a
href="http://www.democraticleader.gov/news/press?id=2395">Congressional
Monitoring Group on Labor Rights in Colombia</a> issued the following statement
today. The Monitoring Group was formed after Congress approved the
U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement to monitor implementation of the
Colombian Action Plan Related to Labor Rights and ensure that it produces
meaningful results in protecting the fundamental internationally-recognized
rights of workers, including providing protection from threats and violence,
and prosecuting recent and past murders of trade union leaders. <br>
<br>
“When President Obama announced this week that the Administration intends to
put the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement into force next month, he noted
that while Colombia has made significant progress to ensure the protection of
labor rights, but we all know that more work still needs to be done. The
Congressional Monitoring Group on Labor Rights in Colombia remains committed to
ensuring that both the U.S. and Colombia continue to make progress on labor
rights including the commitments announced in the Colombian Action Plan Related
to Labor Rights.” <br>
<br>
“The purpose of the Labor Action Plan is to change the legal and security
landscape in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Colombia</st1:place></st1:country-region>
that allowed thousands of Colombians who were union members to be killed and
intimidated with impunity and fundamental worker rights to be systematically
undermined. The transformation of commitments made in the Labor Action Plan
into meaningful change on the ground for workers’ rights has yet to be fully
realized, and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Colombia</st1:place></st1:country-region>
faces a long and challenging road to assure that workers can freely exercise
fundamental internationally recognized rights. Ensuring that the Labor
Action Plan works as intended is vital to that effort.”<br>
<br>
“The Colombian Government has taken important action to improve labor rights,
but until more change is realized on the ground, the Monitoring Group’s work is
not done. We will continue to engage governments, workers, employers,
labor, and non-governmental organizations to monitor the implementation of the
Labor Action Plan, the enforcement of its key elements, and help all parties
achieve tangible results.” </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=msonospacing><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'> </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=msonospacing><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>In addition to labor
rights and the prevention and prosecution of perpetrators of violence against
labor leaders, the Monitoring Group also monitors the situation of Colombian
human rights defenders, victims’ and land rights leaders, and the
implementation of the Victims’ and Land Restitution Law, including the
protection of returning communities. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=msonospacing><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=msonospacing><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>The <a
href="http://www.democraticleader.gov/news/press?id=2395">Monitoring Group</a>
includes U.S. Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, George Miller, Sander
Levin, Howard Berman, Rosa DeLauro, Jim McGovern, Michael Michaud, Sam Farr,
Joseph Crowley and Henry “Hank” Johnson, Jr.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>###<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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