Mining a new way to a fair share of world resources

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February 2007

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Mining a new way to a fair share of world resources
A global call to urgently address problems caused by competition for natural resources such as oil, gas, timber, diamonds and gold has been made in Nairobi at the World Social Forum (WSF).

A two-day seminar, sponsored by the UK's Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) and International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity (CIDSE), heard representatives of 60 organizations based in 30 countries with communities who suffer rather than benefit from their natural resources. The participants demanded that governments and transnational corporations gain the consent of the local people before extractive projects begin. They argued further that companies must also be transparent about the payments made to governments to end corruption and ensure profits from the natural resources are reinvested back into the communities they come from.

“Time and time again oil, gas, mining and logging companies are violating the most basic human rights and environmental standards,” said Rene Grotenhuis, vice-president of CIDSE.

In a joint statement, the agencies urge corporations, governments, the IMF, World Bank and UN to ensure that "practical and enforceable" steps are taken to regulate the extractive industries, and to hold companies to account for failure to comply with international standards on human rights and the environment.

Father Alfred Buju, a priest and former child miner in the goldfields of Mongbwalu who is now head of CAFOD partner the Justice and Peace Commission in Bunia, DRC, said, “In my country, we have some of the richest goldfields in Africa and yet people are suffering from poverty and conflict as a result of competition for our natural resources.

“There’s never been a greater need to take action to address globally the problems associated with extractive industries.”

CAFOD’s extractives analyst Sonya Maldar attended the seminar with Fr Alfred Buju, Pedro Landa, deputy director of Caritas Tegucigalpa in Honduras, and two UK campaigners. The DRC and Honduras are the focus of the aid agency’s Unearth Justice campaign, which aims to highlight the impact of gold mining on developing countries.

Maldar said, “Gold mining can devastate communities and the environment often with little benefit for local people. CAFOD’s Unearth Justice campaign is putting pressure on the whole industry from retailers to suppliers to gold mining companies and governments to make changes.

"We want communities to have a say over what happens to their resources and whether a mine goes ahead or not.

"We also want companies to publish vital information about the social and environmental impacts of their operations and payments to governments.

“By working together we hope to get mining and other extractive industries to bring about a better deal for affected communities.”

A panel debate at the WSF chaired by Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, will be held on February 23.

Participants will include working with communities affected by mining, logging and drilling across the world including Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Honduras, Philippines, Guatemala, Ecuador, Cameroon.

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