The All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group (PHRG) and the London Mining Network held this meeting with two Colombian visitors, coinciding with the AGM of BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining company in London.

The speakers were:

• Samuel Arregoces, FECONADEMIGUA (the Federation of Communities of African Descent Affected by Mining in La Guajira). (SA)
• Danilo Urrea, CENSAT, Agua Viva (Friends of the Earth Colombia). (DU)

The main points raised by the speakers were:

• Certain mining operations continue to drive conflict in Colombia. BHP Billiton’s El Cerrejón mine in La Guajira in the north of Colombia is deemed to be one of them. (DU)
• 4 key rights have been violated in regards to coal mining in this area: right to water, right to food, right to health and right to a healthy environment. The local community has found it difficult to remain in this area due to water shortages exacerbated by the mining operations. (DU)
• There are major concerns about the proposed expansion plans for the mine, which are understood to have already been agreed with the Colombian environment authorities. (DU)
• Samuel’s community was displaced by operations of the Cerrejón mine in August 2001; 14 years later, his community has not been re-constituted. (SA)
• Samuel has not seen any positive impacts of the mine on the lives of the population in the area. (SA)
• Many of the major mining companies have their headquarters in London, including BHP Billiton. Company investors and stakeholders have a responsibility to help build peace in Colombia. (SA)
• The speakers participated in BHP Billiton’s AGM last week, calling for action to monitor the impacts of the mine and for a third party investigation into the operations. They had a private follow up meeting with the company Chairman and Chief Executive. (SA)

For more information on the speakers’ visit to the BHP Billiton AGM, see the London Mining Network’s blog post.

The PHRG monitors human rights in Colombia closely, including the impact of extractive industries.