Colombia

Map: Since the first local vote in Tambogrande, Peru in 2002, the "consulta", or community referendum, has emerged as a powerful tool for communities affected by unwanted mining projects to voice their collective opinion on a project through engaging in popular democracy. By giving residents of affected communities the opportunity to vote on whether or not they agree with destructive mining taking place on their land, the "consulta" can meaningfully encourage peaceful citizen participation and provide a mechanism for resistance movements to democratically voice their concerns about a particular project or on mining in general.

Presentation: In the context of Colombia's ongoing internal armed struggle, President Santos has declared mining a new economic engine for Colombia, running up against the rights of indigenous, afro-Colombian, campesino, small scale and artisanal miners, and water users. Jen Moore gave this presentation at a teach-in organized in Toronto by the Colombia Action Solidarity Alliance (CASA) and the Latin American and Caribbean Solidarity Network (LACSN) on December 4, 2011.

News Release: Canadian labour, faith, social justice, and solidarity organizations have sent a letter to the Canadian Embassy in Colombia expressing concern that Canadian mining companies may well be aggravating or benefiting from violence.

Declaration - A statement from the Colombian Network Against Large Scale Transnational Mining, RECLAME, following Greystar Resources's decision to withdraw its request for an environmental permit for its Angostura project in the Colombian páramos of Santurbán. The decision comes on the heels of mobilizations in the city of Bucaramanga in which tens of thousands of people participated. RECLAME calls on Colombian authorities to ensure that these and other páramo ecosystems within the country are protected from mining activities, according to Colombian law. An estimated 108,972 hectares of páramo - a fragile high altitude wetland ecosystem - currently fall within concessioned areas.