UN Agencies Denounce Threats Against Colombian Environmental Defenders

The United Nations Special Rapporteurs on human rights defenders, a healthy environment, water and sanitation, and the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights have issued formal letters to the governments of Colombia, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as to companies Aris Mining and MDC Industry Holding Company LLC, denouncing the threats and stigmatization faced by the Committee for the Defence of Water and the Santurban Paramo. The committee has worked for 16 years to protect the Santurban paramo, a high-altitude wetland ecosystem providing fresh water to over two million people. Recently, they achieved recognition of part of the paramo as a Temporary Reserve Zone, suspending large-scale mining activities for two years.

The UN agencies emphasize that Aris Mining and its subsidiary Minesa, as well as companies in its supply chain associated with the Soto Norte project, have an obligation to respect and protect human rights, especially those of environmental and water defenders. The Colombian government's response to the letters has been the only public one so far, while the Canadian government and Aris Mining have yet to respond.

Key Takeaways:

• The Committee for the Defence of Water and the Santurban Paramo has faced threats and stigmatization for 16 years while protecting the high-altitude wetland ecosystem, which provides fresh water to over two million people.
• The UN Special Rapporteurs and the Working Group on Business and Human Rights have issued formal letters to the governments of Colombia, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as to Aris Mining and MDC Industry Holding Company LLC, denouncing the threats faced by the committee.
• The committee achieved recognition of part of the paramo as a Temporary Reserve Zone, suspending large-scale mining activities for two years.
• Viviana Herrera, Latin America Program Coordinator at MiningWatch Canada, stated, "it speaks volumes that Canada has not yet responded to the UN experts. Canada must prioritize the environmental defenders of the Santurban Committee and their struggle to protect water."
• Sebastian Abad Jara, a lawyer with the Inter-American Association for the Defense of the Environment (AIDA), emphasized that the UN letters recognized the committee as a coalition of rights defenders, informed governments and companies of the clear, imminent, and specific risk to its members, and dismantled false narratives linking their activities to those of illegal groups.

Statistics:

• Over two million people rely on the Santurban paramo for fresh water.
• The Committee for the Defence of Water and the Santurban Paramo has worked for 16 years to protect the paramo ecosystem.
• Two years of large-scale mining activities have been suspended following the recognition of part of the paramo as a Temporary Reserve Zone.

Sources:

• The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
• MiningWatch Canada
• Inter-American Association for the Defense of the Environment (AIDA)
• Institute for Policy Studies (IPS)
• Common Frontiers Canada
• United Nations Special Rapporteurs on human rights defenders, a healthy environment, water and sanitation, and the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights