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  • Joint Statement of the Labor Affairs Council Peru-United States Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA)

    • Joint Statement of the Labor Affairs Council Peru-United States Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA)

    October 20, 2014

    Joint Statement of the Labor Affairs Council Peru-United States Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA)

    Lima, Peru
    October 17, 2014

    The Labor Affairs Council (the Council) of the Peru - United States Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA) held its second meeting on October 17th, 2014, in Lima, Peru.  Pursuant to Article 17.5 of the TPA, the Council oversees the implementation of, and reviews progress made under, Chapter 17 (Labor Chapter) of the TPA, including the activities of the Labor Cooperation and Capacity Building Mechanism established under article 17.6 of the Agreement. The Council is comprised of cabinet-level or equivalent representatives of the Parties, who may be represented on the Council by their deputies or high-level designees.

    The second meeting of the Council was chaired by Ms. Sylvia Cáceres Pizarro, Vice Minister of Labor from the Ministry of Labor and Employment Promotion of Peru (MTPE); Ms. Teresa Mera Gómez, Coordinator for North America and Europe from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism of Peru (MINCETUR); Ms. Carol Pier, Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL); and Mr. Carlos Romero, Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative, Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). In addition, other officials participated from the MTPE, SUNAFIL and MINCETUR representing Peru, and from the USDOL, USTR, and the U.S. Department of State representing the United States.

    During the meeting, the Council discussed matters regarding ongoing cooperation on labor matters such as those related to the prevention and abolition of child labor and combatting forced labor.  In addition, areas of future cooperation were discussed such as capacity building for labor inspections.

    Furthermore, the Parties exchanged information regarding the implementation of the Labor Chapter of the Peru – United States TPA, such as ongoing efforts to strengthen institutional capacity to support the enforcement of labor laws, strengthening institutional capacity for labor administration, which includes the labor inspectorate, as well as the promotion and protection of fundamental labor rights, including matters related to different forms of labor contracting.

    The Parties reaffirmed their commitment to continue cooperating in order to guarantee full implementation of the Labor Chapter.

    A public session of the Council was held on the afternoon of October 17th, with participation of representatives of union organizations, the private sector, and other interested persons, which gave Council members the opportunity to meet with the public to discuss matters related to the implementation of the Labor Chapter of the Peru - United States TPA.  The Parties recognize that convening a public session is an important transparency mechanism to exchange information with the public regarding the implementation of the Labor Chapter of the Peru - United States TPA.