Colombia: Polo Democratico Alternativo

Meet Senator Jorge Enrique Robledo

Monday, March 23, 2009, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to speak with Senator Jorge Robledo, an prominent member of the National Senate in Colombia. The AFL-CIO Solidarity Center has been trying to build ties with Colombian trade unionists who are routinely assassinated in Colombia (more than any other country in the world combined) for speaking up for their rights. Senator Robledo has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with labor unions and civic groups focusing on the plight of the indigenous peoples and small scale farmers of Colombia.

He is a staunch opponent of the Free Trade Agreement with the United States and with the European Union. Senator Robledo is a cofounder of the Polo Democratico Alternativo (Democratic Alternative Pole). Before his transition into political life, the Senator was a professor at the National University in Manizales, Colombia and a syndicated columnist for several Colombian newspapers.