Colombia

Colombia's indigenous peoples continue to face grave threats in the era of the country's new President Juan Manual Santos. The struggle to control Colombia's lucrative natural resources has helped spur the country's decades-long civil war and is a central consideration of U.S. foreign policy for the region.More »

Stop the Colombia Free Trade Agreement!

October 10, 2011 | Blog Post

Is it ironic or supremely appropriate that this Columbus Day the U.S. Congress will vote on a free trade agreement that has been called "a serious threat against the indigenous peoples that inhabit Colombian territory"?More »

People over Profit: The US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement

July 11, 2011 | Blog Post

Amazon Watch and many others protested in front of the White House today. Let your elected officials know that you're a part of a large citizen movement opposing this harmful trade agreement!More »

Hundreds Gather Outside the White House to Protest the Colombia Free Trade Agreement

July 11, 2011 | Free Speech Radio News

As Congress inches closer to passing free trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia, activists opposed to the agreements are gearing up for a fight. Hundreds gathered outside the White House on Monday to protest the Colombia free trade agreement, which they say will kill jobs here, and threaten communities in Colombia.More »

Undelivered Promises

A U.S.-Colombia trade pact would not address, and might even reward, paramilitary violence

July 2011 | Sojourers Magazine

For the past five years, Colombia's abysmal labor rights record has led congressional Democrats to freeze the proposed U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. In April, Presidents Obama and Santos defrosted the trade agreement, announcing a "Labor Action Plan" that details steps Colombia has committed to take in the coming months. Based on these promises, the TPA is likely to come up for a vote in the U.S. Congress before the end of 2011.More »

Colombia's U'wa Face New Threats

U'wa Indigenous Group Confront New Threats to their Lives and Territory

January 2011 | Report

Known as "the people who speak", the U'wa are a peaceful Indigenous community of roughly 6,200 people who live in the cloud forest of northeastern Colombia, straddling the border with Venezuela. They have fought against oil development on their land for over 15 years. More »

U'wa Return to California

September 30, 2010 | Photo Gallery

Colombian indigenous leaders from the U'wa people visited friends old and new in San Francisco and Los Angeles in late September of 2010.More »

Profile in Courage: Berito Cobaría

September 23, 2010 | Campaign Update

Berito burst onto the international scene in 1997, when he first traveled to California to face down Occidental Petroleum. The Los Angeles-based oil company had been scheming to drill for oil on U'wa territory, against the vociferous opposition of the U'wa. Berito's charismatic message inspired Amazon Watch – along with dozens of sister organizations and thousands of grassroots activists.More »

Photos from Our 2010 Annual Luncheon

September 23, 2010 | Photo Gallery

Roberto "Berito" Cobaria and Gilberto Cobaria from the U'wa people of Colombia were our guest speakers. James Cameron joined the luncheon by video to present A Message from Pandora, a special feature about the battle to stop the Belo Monte Dam.More »

Amazon in Focus 2010

Fall 2010 | Report

In this year’s Amazon in Focus, we are pleased to present to you powerful and insightful articles from our campaigners in the field. The journeys and events that inspired these articles demonstrate the breadth of our work and, at the same time, the depth of our connection to our indigenous partners and the rainforest.More »

Oil Daily: Indigenous Groups Oppose Colombia Drilling

April 14, 2010 | The Oil Daily

New York – As the Colombian government seeks to expand oil and gas drilling to raise production, it is licensing blocks in increasingly remote areas, infringing on the territory of indigenous tribes, according to environmentalists and groups rep- resenting indigenous people. Today, most of the country's oil output comes from the Llanos and Magdalena Basins in central Colombia. [...]More »