US Labor Secretary joined by ambassadors of Mexico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica for signing ceremony

WASHINGTON — During a ceremony today at U.S. Department of Labor headquarters, U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez renewed partnership agreements with ambassadors representing the countries of Mexico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs announced a $750,000 award for a cooperative agreement with the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, also known as the Solidarity Center, to implement a project to advance worker rights in the country of Georgia.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $1 million competitive solicitation for a project to assist the government of the Philippines with improving compliance with labor laws and regulations, including those related to occupational safety and health.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $1,389,000 competitive solicitation for a project to assist the government of Mexico to combat labor discrimination by supporting enforcement of the strengthened anti-discrimination provisions in Mexico's Federal Labor Law Reform of 2012.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez today announced the 13th edition of the "Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor" report, prepared annually by the Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs. The report assesses efforts by more than 140 countries to reduce the worst forms of child labor and reports whether countries have made significant, moderate, minimal or no advancement from year to year.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $2 million competitive solicitation for a project to strengthen the capacity of Peru's labor inspectorate.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $1 million competitive solicitation of applications for a cooperative agreement to develop a beneficiary monitoring toolkit for its international child labor elimination projects. ILAB currently runs 34 projects around the world to reduce incidences of child labor. The toolkit will support the design and implementation of systems to help these projects monitor the provision of services and the education and work status of children receiving services.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $10 million competitive solicitation for multiple cooperative agreements for impact evaluations of programs that take place outside the United States to help increase the collective knowledge base about successful approaches to combatting child labor and forced labor.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $750,000 competitive solicitation for a project to strengthen respect for worker rights in the country of Georgia. The project will advance worker rights primarily through activities to improve the ability of worker organizations to engage effectively with the government and employers.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $10 million competitive solicitation for a project to address exploitative child labor in Ethiopia.

The project must meet the following criteria:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and their Government of Jordan counterparts met and issued a joint statement regarding the second Labor Subcommittee meeting under the U.S-Jordan Free Trade Agreement in Amman, Jordan.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $7 million competitive solicitation for a project supporting efforts to reduce the worst forms of child labor by building local and national capacity of governments in at least eight countries.

This project will combat child labor through capacity building activities that support:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $7 million competitive solicitation for a project to reduce child labor and improve labor rights and working conditions in Honduras, particularly in the agricultural areas of southern Honduras and in the San Pedro Sula area.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez and Mexican Secretary of Labor and Social Welfare Jesús Alfonso Navarrete Prida today signed a joint ministerial declaration to carry out consultations under the provisions of the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation, the labor side agreement to the North American Free Trade Agreement, to help inform Mexican workers about their labor rights under U.S. laws.

WASHINGTON — Carol Pier, deputy undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs, today announced Isidro León-York of Nicaragua as the recipient of the department's 2013 Iqbal Masih Award for the Elimination of Child Labor. U.S. Ambassador to Nicaragua Phyllis M. Powers presented the award to Mr. León-York at a ceremony today in Managua.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez signed a consular partnership agreement yesterday with Nestor E. Mendez, Ambassador of Belize to the United States.

WASHINGTON — Senior officials from the U.S. Department of Labor and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and their Government of Panama counterparts today concluded the first Labor Affairs Council meeting under the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement in Panama City, Panama. During the Jan. 27-28 meetings, officials reaffirmed their commitments under the Labor Chapter of the TPA and discussed:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $998,384 grant award to promote gender equality in the workplace in the Kingdom of Morocco. The grant provides funding for a project that will be implemented through a cooperative agreement between the department and Management Systems International.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced the award of a $3 million cooperative agreement to World Education to implement a project that addresses exploitative labor among youth under the age of 18 in Uganda. The project will provide training to youth to help them develop marketable skills and serve as civic leaders in their communities.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced the award of a $5 million cooperative agreement to Creative Associates International to implement a project to reduce child labor in Morocco.