On May 14th, Olivier de Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, will participate in a special presentation on trade and human rights in Colombia.

The Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, which came into force in August 2011, was heavily criticized for its potential to exacerbate the human rights crisis in Colombia. Both countries have agreed to produce a yearly Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) of the agreements.

Olivier de Schutter’s visit comes on the eve of the first HRIA, which is required to be tabled in Parliament on May 15th. De Schutter and other panelists will reflect on the links between trade and human rights in Colombia and state their expectations for the upcoming HRIA report.

Monday May 14th from 5:00pm - 7:00pm, University of Ottawa, Tabaret Hall, room 083.

RSVP by May 10, 2012 to HRREC@uottawa.ca