Statement: Civil Society of Latin America and the Caribbean demands socio-environmental transparency in the extractive industries

Mar 9, 2017 | Comunidad Informativa, EITI, Energía Sostenible, Noticias, Transparencia

We are representatives of civil society organizations working in Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru, and the Dominican Republic gathered from March 6-10, 2017, during the XIII Latin American Forum on Extractive Industries of the Latin American Network on Extractive Industries (RLIE), as well as the meeting of the International Board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in the city of Bogotá, Colombia.

As members of the EITI – an international space comprised of governments, companies, and civil society in 51 countries that seeks to make information available about the extractive industries (mining, oil, and gas) across the value chain – we believe this Initiative is an opportunity to promote broad transparency in the sector.

Although a number of member countries are implementing the new EITI Standard with different degrees of progress, the local, regional, and global demand of civil society and populations living in areas where extractive activities take place cannot and should not be made invisible: FOR GREATER TRANSPARENCY AND ACCESS TO SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION IN ALL PROCESSES LINKED TO THESE INDUSTRIES. In this sense, the organizations and social actors involved in this Initiative are calling for national EITI processes to include concrete commitments to disseminate this type of information.

Our countries are experiencing a new political and economic context marked by declining international commodity prices and investment. Governments have responded by flexibilizing socio-environmental standards, criminalizing citizen protest, regressing on levels of transparency and accountability, reducing the right of citizens to freely access information, and granting tax privileges. In addition, we are experiencing significant social conflict in the extractive industries and serious corruption that involve private companies, senior officials, and former presidents of Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Therefore, as representatives of civil society in the multi-stakeholder groups of our countries, observers and participants in EITI processes we endorse this statement and demand that our governments incorporate socio-environmental transparency into national processes. We believe that the inclusion of this information in EITI national reports will contribute to the reduction of social conflicts, improved governance of natural resources, and the promotion of human rights.

Bogotá, March 7, 2017

 

SIGNED BY:

 

  1. Foro Nacional por Colombia – Civil society representative of EITI Colombia
  2. Transparencia por Colombia – Civil society representative of EITI Colombia
  3. Acción Ciudadana – Civil society representative of EITI Guatemala
  4. Guatecívica – Civil society representative of EITI Guatemala
  5. Cáritas Honduras – Civil society representative of EITI Honduras
  6. Fundación Democracia sin Fronteras (FDsF) – Civil society representative of EITI Honduras
  7. Foro Social de la Deuda Externa y Desarrollo (FOSDEH) – Civil society representative of EITI Honduras
  8. PODER – Civil society representative of EITI México
  9. Grupo Propuesta Ciudadana – Civil society representative of EITI Peru
  10. Derecho, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (DAR) – Civil society representative of EITI Peru
  11. Fundar, Centro de Análisis e Investigación y Red Latinoamericana sobre Industrias Extractivas – Member of the Broad Group of Civil Society in the EITI Mexico process
  12. Observatorio de Políticas Públicas de la Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo – Civil society representative of EITI Dominican Republic
  13. Fundación Guayacán de Energía y Medio Ambiente (GEMA) – Civil society representative of EITI Dominican Republic
  14. Articulación Nacional Campesina – Civil society representative of EITI Dominican Republic
  15. Policy Forum Guyana (PFG) – Civil society representative of EITI Guyana

SUPPORTED BY:

  1. Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad (AAS) – Colombia
  2. Asociación Arariwa – Peru
  3. Asociación Amigos de Parques Nacionales – Argentina
  4. Asociación Civil Centro de Cultura Popular Labor – Peru
  5. Asociación Intercultural Bari Wesna – Peru
  6. Centro Amazónico de Antropología y Aplicación Práctica (CAAAP) – Peru
  7. Centro para el Desarrollo del Indígena Amazónico (CEDIA) – Peru
  8. Colaboratório de Desenvolvimento e Participação da Universidade de São Paulo – Brazil
  9. Comisión de Derechos Humanos (COMISEDH) – Peru
  10. CONTROLATUGOBIERNO, A. C. – Mexico
  11. Costa Rica Íntegra – Costa Rica
  12. Cultura Ecológica – Mexico
  13. DESCO Sur – Peru
  14. Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA)
  15. Espacio Nacional para la Transparencia de la Industria Extractiva (ENTRE) – Dominican Republic
  16. Federación Regional de Mujeres Indígenas de Ayacucho (FEREMIA) – Peru
  17. Foro Ecológico – Peru
  18. Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo (FCD) – Ecuador
  19. Fundación para el Desarrollo Sustentable – Mexico
  20. GESOC, Gestión Social y Cooperación A.C. – Mexico
  21. INDYTA – El Salvador
  22. Instituto de Defensa Legal del Ambiente y el Desarrollo Sostenible (IDLADS) – Peru
  23. Instituto de Prensa y Libertad de Expresión (IPLEX) – Costa Rica
  24. Movimento pela Moralidade Pública e Cidadania – Ong Moral – Brazil
  25. Plataforma Internacional contra la Impunidad – Guatemala
  26. Red Peruana por una Globalización con Equidad (RedGE) – Peru
  27. Servicios en Comunicación Intercultural (Servindi) – Peru
  28. Sonora Ciudadana AC – Mexico

 

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Versión en español.