U.S. must ban investor-state dispute provisions in trade and investment agreements By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program Staff Back in November, more than 200 labor, environment and other civil society organizations urged President Biden to “pursue an effective path to exit Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) by the U.S. and our partners in existing bilateral… Read more »
December 13, 2023
U.S. trade policy threatens sovereignty, climate, and health
U.S. must ban investor-state dispute provisions in trade and investment agreements By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program Staff Back in November, more than 200 labor, environment and other civil society organizations urged President Biden to “pursue an effective path to exit Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) by the U.S. and our partners in existing bilateral… Read more »
By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program Staff Negotiations for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) are set to begin in early May. This is not a traditional trade agreement, it is an economic arrangement, rather than a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), meaning that it won’t increase market access or reduce tariffs, but it has the… 
World Fair Trade Day is celebrated this year on Saturday May 14. It’s an opportunity to envision a world where trade helps support healthy and sustainable communities around the world. We are called to not only reflect on the importance of our consumption choices, but also to evaluate the larger systems at work. International governance… 
Foreign investors may sue states for covid-19 responses By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program Most governments worldwide have had to take historic measures to slow the spread of Covid-19 to protect the health of its populations, as well as employ fiscal remedies to lessen the economic impacts of those actions. Much of the world… 
The PC (USA) and interfaith groups wrote Congress to demand more progress on improvements to the original NAFTA agreement By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the U.S., Canada and Mexico has been under renegotiation since 2017. Late in 2018, negotiators from all three countries came to… 
Corporations continue to set the rules in closed door trade negotiations By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement between Mexico, Canada and the United States has been renegotiated and renamed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The new agreement must be approved by the U.S. Congress and ratified by… 
The Struggle for Environmental Health Continues in La Oroya and Beyond By Jed Koball | Mission Co-Worker Peru It has been nearly ten years since the plant shut down. In June of 2009, the metallurgical smelter in La Oroya, Peru stopped full operations, as its US based owner, The Renco Group, Inc., claimed its investment… 
By Rev. Pamela Lupfer | Joining Hands Campaign Organizer for Trade Justice In addition to working as the Joining Hands campaign organizer for Trade Justice, I have been working with Connecticut Fair Trade Coalition (CT-FTC) for the past three years. In our continuing efforts to reach out to Congressional representatives regarding concerns about the NAFTA… 
By Jed Koball | Mission Co-worker Peru A report earlier this week from the nationally distributed paper La Republica, claims that The Renco Group, Inc. has once again filed an investment dispute arbitration against the State of Peru in the World Bank’s arbitration forum the Investment Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). To… 
Submit Public Comments on NAFTA’s Renegotiation By Rev. Pamela Lupfer | Presbyterian Hunger Program The U.S. Trade Representative is currently accepting public comments on how it should renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Submit a Public Comment Now! Please demand that any NAFTA replacement deal prioritize the needs of working families and…