VZCZCXRO5009
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #0320 0741121
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141121Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0193
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS DAKAR 000320 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR AF/EPS, EB/TPP/BTA AND AF/W 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETRD PU
SUBJECT: GUINEA-BISSAU AGOA - INPUT FOR 2008 PRESIDENT'S REPORT 
 
REF: STATE 020082 
 
¶1.  Embassy input on Guinea-Bissau follows for the 2008 President's 
report on AGOA keyed to the template outlined in reftel and last 
year's report as published by USTR.  This text will also be provided 
to AF/W and AF/EPS via e-mail. 
 
¶2.  Begin Post's input: 
 
AGOA Trade and Investment:  Guinea-Bissau did not export any 
products under AGOA and its GSP provisions in 2007. 
 
Market Economy/Economic Reform/Elimination of Trade Barriers:  The 
government supports the continued transition to a market economy. 
It no longer dominates the commercial sector and has abolished state 
marketing boards, privatized some companies, and ended price 
controls.  Restrictions on foreign operators in the cashew 
production sector were lifted in 2004, although further deregulation 
is needed for cashew exports. 
 
Political Pluralism/Rule of Law/Anti-Corruption:  Guinea-Bissau is a 
multi-party state and the government, led by Prime Minister Cabi, is 
a coalition of three parties.  The national court system continued 
to function, albeit with serious resource constraints.  The 
constitution and law provide for an independent judiciary, but there 
is little independence and some judges have been accused of corrupt 
acts.  Corruption is pervasive, especially related to narcotics 
trafficking. 
 
Poverty Reduction:  Guinea-Bissau ranks 175 out of 177 countries in 
the United Nations Global Development Index.   More than two-thirds 
of the population lives below the poverty line.  The World Bank 
estimates Gross National Income per capita at $185.  A  Poverty 
Reduction Strategy Paper has been circulated to donors but has not 
yet received funding support.  The government succeeded in early 
2008 in qualifying for post-conflict assistance from the 
International Monetary Fund.  Guinea-Bissau was also selected to 
receive developmental and structural reform assistance from the 
United Nations Peacebuilding Commission. 
 
Labor/Child Labor/Human Rights:  The constitution grants all 
civilian workers the right to form and join trade unions.  The law 
provides for the right to strike and protection against retribution 
for engaging in lawful union activity.  The law does not provide for 
or protect the right to collective bargaining, although 
consultations on wages between unions and employers did occur 
through a government-sponsored council.  The law prohibits forced or 
compulsory labor, but there were reports of these practices, as well 
as trafficking in persons.  Guinea-Bissau has ratified five of the 
eight core ILO Conventions, but not Convention 87 on freedom of 
association and the right to organize, Convention 138 on minimum 
age, or Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labor.  Child 
trafficking and child labor, including some forced labor, remained 
problems.  There are no specific laws that protect children from 
exploitation in the workplace.  The government developed a Strategic 
Document for the Reduction of Poverty that includes the elimination 
of the worst forms of child labor as a key objective.  The 
government generally respected the human rights of its citizens; 
however, problems remained in some areas, including arbitrary arrest 
and detention and restrictions on freedom of speech. 
 
SMITH