Dominican Republic
 

In November 2005, the MFA Forum organized a scoping visit to the Dominican Republic based on the concerns expressed by many MFA Forum participants about the state of the industry at the end of quotas. At the time, however, the government and the employers, believing that the industry would survive on the basis of its proximity to the US and on the DR-CAFTA, were not interested in further engagement with the MFA Forum.

Since then, the number of factory closures and job losses in the sector has been dramatic. At its peak, the garment export sector employed 185,000 workers. Employment dropped from 131,978 in 2004 to 58,000 in 2007.

In early 2007, the Fair Labour Association (FLA), a participant of the MFA Forum, was invited by Vice-President Albuerquerque to assemble a group of experts to conduct an assessment of the apparel / textile industry and identify possible opportunities to improve the situation. During this time, at its meeting in Toronto in April 2007, the MFA Forum noted with concern the decline of the industry and the impact this was having on workers and their communities.

Shortly thereafter, in June 2007, the FLA held a Stakeholders Forum in the Dominican Republic entitled "After the MFA: Challenges for Promoting and Protecting Workers Rights in a Changing Market Environment" and presented the research and recommendations of their report.

Meanwhile, the unions, concerned about the state of the industry and the impact on workers, were pushing the Tripartite Commission for the group to seek MFA Forum engagement. Shortly thereafter the MFAF Executive Committee received a request from the Tripartite Commission that the Dominican Republic be included in the work of the MFA Forum.

At its meeting in October 2007 in San Francisco, the Americas Group agreed that an MFA Forum delegation should respond to the request and visit the DR to talk to the stakeholders to hear their concerns and interest in engaging with the Forum. In April 2008 a multi-stakeholder visit took place.

The Americas Working Group is currently exploring ways that the MFA Forum can support and engage with the BSR Responsible Competitiveness Project funded by the US Department of State, already being implemented across six industries in DR-CAFTA countries, including the Dominican Republic.