Monday, February 11, 2008
[IWS] CRS: AFRO-LATINOS in LATIN AMERICA & U.S. POLICY CONSIDERATIONS [14 January 2008]
IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL32713
Afro-Latinos in Latin America and Considerations for U.S. Policy
Updated January 14, 2008
Clare Ribando Seelke, Analyst in Latin American Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL32713_20080114.pdf
[full-text, 27 pages]
Summary
During its second session, the 110th Congress is likely to maintain an interest in
the situation of Afro-Latinos in Latin America, particularly the plight of Afro-
Colombians affected by the armed conflict in Colombia. In recent years, people of
African descent in the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking nations of Latin America
also known as "Afro-Latinos" have been pushing for increased rights and
representation. Afro-Latinos comprise some 150 million of the region's 540 million
total population, and, along with women and indigenous populations, are among the
poorest, most marginalized groups in the region. Afro-Latinos have formed groups
that, with the help of international organizations, are seeking political representation,
human rights protection, land rights, and greater social and economic rights and
benefits. Improvement in the status of Afro-Latinos could be difficult and
contentious, however, depending on the circumstances of the Afro-descendant
populations in each country.
Assisting Afro-Latinos has never been a primary U.S. foreign policy objective,
although a number of foreign aid programs benefit Afro-Latino populations. While
some foreign aid is specifically targeted towards Afro-Latinos, most is distributed
broadly through programs aimed at helping all marginalized populations. Some
Members may support increasing U.S. assistance to Afro-Latinos, while others may
resist, particularly given the limited amount of development assistance available for
Latin America.
In the 110th Congress, there are several bills with provisions related to Afro-
Latinos. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY2008 (H.R. 2764/P.L. 110-161),
requires the State Department to certify that the Colombian military is not violating
the land and property rights of Afro-Colombians or the indigenous. It also prohibits
the use of Andean Counterdrug funds for investment in oil palm development if it
causes displacement or environmental damage (as it has in many Afro-Colombian
communities). In the explanatory statement to the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
the conferees stipulate that up to $15 million in alternative development assistance
to Colombia may be provided to Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities. On
July 11, 2007, the House passed H.Res 426 (McGovern), recognizing 2007 as the
year of the rights of internally displaced persons (including Afro-Colombians) in
Colombia and offering U.S. support to programs that seek to assist and protect them.
Another resolution, H.Res. 618 (Payne), recognizing the importance of addressing
the plight of Afro-Colombians, was introduced on August 3, 2007. In addition to
considering this and other legislation with provisions related to Afro-Latinos, the
110th Congress may discuss the situation of Afro-Colombians during its consideration
of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. This report will be updated as
legislative action warrants.
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Panorama of Afro-Latinos in Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Identity, Definition, and Geographic Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Current Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Colombia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Ecuador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Honduras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Nicaragua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Issues Affecting Afro-Latino Populations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Political and Legal Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
National Census . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Anti-Discrimination Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Political Representation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Affirmative Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Human Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Land Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
U.S. Policy Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
U.S. Foreign Assistance and Afro-Latinos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Regional Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Programs Benefiting Afro-Colombians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Programs Benefiting Afro-Ecuadorians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
U.S. Department of State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Inter-American Foundation (IAF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Peace Corps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
National Endowment for Democracy (NED) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Multilateral Development Banks and Afro-Latinos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
World Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Inter-American Development Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
International Organizations, Conferences, and Afro-Latinos . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Organization of American States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Inter-Agency Consultation on Race in Latin America (IAC) . . . . . . . 20
Impact of Durban and Regional Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Prior Legislative Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Legislation in the 109th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Legislation in the 110th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Possible Options for Support for Afro-Latinos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
List of Figures
Figure 1. Afro-Latinos as a Percentage of Total Country Population . . . . . . . . . 24
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Order Code RL32713
Afro-Latinos in Latin America and Considerations for U.S. Policy
Updated January 14, 2008
Clare Ribando Seelke, Analyst in Latin American Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL32713_20080114.pdf
[full-text, 27 pages]
Summary
During its second session, the 110th Congress is likely to maintain an interest in
the situation of Afro-Latinos in Latin America, particularly the plight of Afro-
Colombians affected by the armed conflict in Colombia. In recent years, people of
African descent in the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking nations of Latin America
also known as "Afro-Latinos" have been pushing for increased rights and
representation. Afro-Latinos comprise some 150 million of the region's 540 million
total population, and, along with women and indigenous populations, are among the
poorest, most marginalized groups in the region. Afro-Latinos have formed groups
that, with the help of international organizations, are seeking political representation,
human rights protection, land rights, and greater social and economic rights and
benefits. Improvement in the status of Afro-Latinos could be difficult and
contentious, however, depending on the circumstances of the Afro-descendant
populations in each country.
Assisting Afro-Latinos has never been a primary U.S. foreign policy objective,
although a number of foreign aid programs benefit Afro-Latino populations. While
some foreign aid is specifically targeted towards Afro-Latinos, most is distributed
broadly through programs aimed at helping all marginalized populations. Some
Members may support increasing U.S. assistance to Afro-Latinos, while others may
resist, particularly given the limited amount of development assistance available for
Latin America.
In the 110th Congress, there are several bills with provisions related to Afro-
Latinos. The Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY2008 (H.R. 2764/P.L. 110-161),
requires the State Department to certify that the Colombian military is not violating
the land and property rights of Afro-Colombians or the indigenous. It also prohibits
the use of Andean Counterdrug funds for investment in oil palm development if it
causes displacement or environmental damage (as it has in many Afro-Colombian
communities). In the explanatory statement to the Consolidated Appropriations Act,
the conferees stipulate that up to $15 million in alternative development assistance
to Colombia may be provided to Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities. On
July 11, 2007, the House passed H.Res 426 (McGovern), recognizing 2007 as the
year of the rights of internally displaced persons (including Afro-Colombians) in
Colombia and offering U.S. support to programs that seek to assist and protect them.
Another resolution, H.Res. 618 (Payne), recognizing the importance of addressing
the plight of Afro-Colombians, was introduced on August 3, 2007. In addition to
considering this and other legislation with provisions related to Afro-Latinos, the
110th Congress may discuss the situation of Afro-Colombians during its consideration
of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. This report will be updated as
legislative action warrants.
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Panorama of Afro-Latinos in Latin America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Identity, Definition, and Geographic Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Current Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Colombia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Ecuador . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Honduras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Nicaragua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Issues Affecting Afro-Latino Populations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Political and Legal Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
National Census . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Anti-Discrimination Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Political Representation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Affirmative Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Human Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Land Titles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
U.S. Policy Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
U.S. Foreign Assistance and Afro-Latinos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Regional Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Programs Benefiting Afro-Colombians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Programs Benefiting Afro-Ecuadorians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
U.S. Department of State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Inter-American Foundation (IAF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Peace Corps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
National Endowment for Democracy (NED) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Multilateral Development Banks and Afro-Latinos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
World Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Inter-American Development Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
International Organizations, Conferences, and Afro-Latinos . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Organization of American States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Inter-Agency Consultation on Race in Latin America (IAC) . . . . . . . 20
Impact of Durban and Regional Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Prior Legislative Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Legislation in the 109th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Legislation in the 110th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Possible Options for Support for Afro-Latinos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
List of Figures
Figure 1. Afro-Latinos as a Percentage of Total Country Population . . . . . . . . . 24
______________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.
Stuart Basefsky
Director, IWS News Bureau
Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell/ILR School
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Telephone: (607) 255-2703
Fax: (607) 255-9641
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu
****************************************
# posted by SBasefsky : 6:21 AM
