Ecuador: Petition Regarding Eligibility for ATPA Designation

In September 2003 and September 2004, Human Rights Watch argued for partial or total suspension of tariff benefits when we submitted Andean Trade Preferences Act (ATPA) petitions to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). In those petitions, we detailed Ecuador’s failure to meet the ATPA and ATPDEA workers’ rights criteria. However, USTR has yet to rule on these petitions, and Ecuador has made little progress in addressing the violations of workers’ rights that we identified. This petition serves to reinforce and update our prior petitions, particularly our September 2004 submission.