Costa Rica
Pact has been working in Cost Rica since 2009 when USAID awarded Pact with a two-year contract to strengthen civil society organizations and national institutions entrusted to support the administration of labor justice in Central America and the Dominican Republic.
Through the Citizens’ Access to Labor Justice for CAFTA-DR Program, Pact is assisting Costa Rica to achieve its obligations under the Free Trade Agreement between Central America, Dominican Republic and the United States, commonly known as CAFTA-DR. This is an agreement that creates a free trade zone which encompasses Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. Unlike previous trade agreements, CAFTA-DR includes provisions that require signatory countries to take steps to improve labor conditions and the administration of labor justice. In Costa Rica, Pact’s work is particularly focused on improving labor conditions for marginalized groups, including domestic workers and Nicaraguan migrants employed within the agricultural industry along the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border.
Under this program, Pact is building the capacity of public defenders and free legal assistance providers through specialized labor law trainings and donations of legal reference materials, computer equipment and case management software. Pact is also providing trainings and technical assistance that are tailored to meet the needs of labor judges and Ombudsman officials. This support is designed to contribute to the elimination of discrimination within the labor justice system, especially that which affects women and indigenous populations. Furthermore, Pact is empowering members of civil society to resolve collective labor disputes more efficiently and effectively through the use of Interest-Based Bargaining, a negotiation strategy in which parties collaborate to find mutually beneficial solutions to their disputes. Trainings in Interest-Based Bargaining focus on representatives from private sector chambers of commerce and business associations, universities, and labor unions.
In Costa Rica, Pact has partnered with the following organizations:
- Costa Rican Ombudsman Office
- Asociación de Trabajadoras Domésticas
