North American Free Trade Agreement:
U.S. Experience With Environment, Labor, and Investment Dispute Settlement Cases
GAO-01-933: Published: Jul 20, 2001. Publicly Released: Aug 21, 2001.
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The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which went into effect in 1994, was intended to spur trade and investment throughout North America. Separately, the three NAFTA countries--the United States, Canada, and Mexico--negotiated and entered into two side agreements, the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation and the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation. The side agreements allow citizens and governments to raise questions about failures to effectively enforce environmental or labor laws in any of the three countries. This can be accomplished through both a submission process and a government-to-government dispute settlement process. NAFTA also provides protections for investors, such as nondiscriminatory treatment and the right to freely transfer funds related to an investment, as well as a mechanism to settle investor-state disputes through the agreement's chapter 11. This report provides information on the institutional structure, principles, process, cases, and outcomes associated with (1) the environmental side agreement's submission process, (2) the labor side agreement's submission process, and (3) NAFTA's investor-state dispute settlement mechanism. This report includes information on fines and trade sanctions under the side agreements, as well as summary date on cases filed under both the side agreements and chapter 11.
Feb 8, 2021
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Venezuela:
Additional Tracking Could Aid Treasury's Efforts to Mitigate Any Adverse Impacts U.S. Sanctions Might Have on Humanitarian AssistanceGAO-21-239: Published: Feb 4, 2021. Publicly Released: Feb 8, 2021.
Jan 28, 2021
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Cyber Diplomacy:
State Should Use Data and Evidence to Justify Its Proposal for a New Bureau of Cyberspace Security and Emerging TechnologiesGAO-21-266R: Published: Jan 28, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 28, 2021.
Jan 27, 2021
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Afghanistan Reconstruction:
GAO Work since 2002 Shows Systemic Internal Control Weaknesses that Increased the Risk of Waste, Fraud, and AbuseGAO-21-32R: Published: Jan 27, 2021. Publicly Released: Jan 27, 2021.
Dec 9, 2020
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International Trade:
Observations On Whether Women's Rights and Economic Interests Are Protected or Promoted by U.S. Trade Preference ProgramsGAO-21-190: Published: Dec 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 9, 2020.
Dec 2, 2020
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Foreign Assistance:
USAID Should Analyze Data on the Timeliness of ExpendituresGAO-21-51: Published: Dec 2, 2020. Publicly Released: Dec 2, 2020.
Nov 19, 2020
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Global Food Security:
Information on Spending and Types of Assistance Provided by the United States and Other DonorsGAO-21-47R: Published: Nov 19, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 19, 2020.
Nov 9, 2020
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Human Trafficking:
Agencies Have Taken Steps to Strengthen International Anti-trafficking ProjectsGAO-21-53: Published: Nov 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 9, 2020. -
Rule of Law Assistance:
State and USAID Could Improve Monitoring EffortsGAO-21-14: Published: Nov 9, 2020. Publicly Released: Nov 9, 2020.
Oct 27, 2020
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Forced Labor Imports:
DHS Increased Resources and Enforcement Efforts, but Needs to Improve Workforce Planning and MonitoringGAO-21-106: Published: Oct 27, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 27, 2020.
Oct 2, 2020
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Combating Wildlife Trafficking:
Agencies Work to Address Human Rights Abuse Allegations in Overseas Conservation ProgramsGAO-21-139R: Published: Oct 2, 2020. Publicly Released: Oct 2, 2020.
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