Posts Tagged: extractive industries

New Mining Legislation in DR Congo Promotes Sustainable Development

Communities affected by mining now involved in mining contract negotiations By Jean Marie Kabanga | POM, Joining Hands DR Congo   The Mining Code for the Democratic Republic of Congo was revised and published on March 09, 2018 and the Mining Regulations that followed on June 8, 2018 offered a new glimmer of hope for… Read more »

Policy Gains for Those Affected by Toxic Metals in Peru

Populations contaminated by industry work together for environmental and human health protections By Javier Jahnke | Red Muqui To date, in Peru, there are at least 4,867 people, many of whom are children, from 17 regions of the country including indigenous peoples’ territories, affected by diverse sources of contamination from various industries, including toxic metals… Read more »

Communities Struggle for Fair Compensation in Cameroon

Large-scale development projects destroy property and livelihoods By Jaff Bamenjo with contributions from Prosper Kouayep  and Jacques Bile | RELUFA, Joining Hands Cameroon Since 2000, large-scale development projects have been on the rise in Cameroon. The implementation of oil pipeline, road , port infrastructure  and agribusiness projects have resulted in the destruction of property and… Read more »

The Hunt for Gold and Diamonds Leads to Deeper Poverty in East Cameroon

Families abandon farms and schools for small-scale mining only to be trapped in a cycle of poverty By Jaff Bamenjo | RELUFA, Joining Hands Cameroon Artisanal mining, or small-scale mining using limited machinery, is the only direct means through which local communities can benefit economically from the mineral endowments of their country. In the east… Read more »

Mining Fails Communities in DR Congo

cobalt mine DR Congo Civil society works to revise the mining code so that communities benefit from increased mining investment By Jean Marie Kabanga | Joining Hands DR Congo Since the enactment of the new mining code of the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002 and the implementation of its mining regulations in 2003, promises for the development of local communities… Read more »

Pope Meets with Indigenous Communities in Peru

Amazonic tribes and Andean communities are celebrated by Pope Francis as models for caring for our Common Home By Jed Koball | Mission Co-worker Peru On a hot and humid January day, gathered in the town of Puerto Maldonado in a region of the Amazon Rainforest devastated by massive deforestation and the contamination of rivers… Read more »

Faithful Journey Towards Justice

Joining Hands networks continue to advocate for change despite the long and unpredictable road By Doris Evangelista | Coordinator of Asociacion Red Uniendo Manos El Salvador, Joining Hands El Salvador In August, I traveled from El Salvador to Peru to gather with Joining Hands leaders from Cameroon, Sri Lanka, Haiti, Bolivia, and Peru to share experiences with each other:… Read more »

Historic Gathering of Peruvian Communities Affected by Oil and Mining

New platform of communities fighting for their rights to health present their demands to Minister of Health By Jed Koball | Mission Co-Worker, Joining Hands Peru Leaders representing eight different communities whose health is affected by mining and oil industry activity gathered for the first time this past week in Lima. Dating back as much as… Read more »

Emission Standards Relaxed Again in La Oroya

By Jed Koball In a desperate move to facilitate the sale of the Metallurgical Complex in La Oroya, Peru the Ministry of Environment (MAM) approved a significant relaxation of national sulfur-dioxide emissions by increasing the threshold from 20mg/m3 (levels recommended by the World Health Organization) to 250mg/m3 (the current standards in neighboring countries like Chile… Read more »

Serious Blow to Anti-Corruption Efforts in Africa

By Jaff Bamenjo | RELUFA, Joining Hands Network Cameroon In 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was passed by the U.S. Congress. The bill included an anti-corruption rule that required the disclosure of payments to governments by oil, gas and mining companies. The anti-corruption rule, “Section 1504,” was celebrated by civil… Read more »