MANIFESTO IN SOLIDARITY WITH QUILOMBOLAS FROM ORIXIMINÁ THREATENED BY MINING
MANIFESTO IN
SOLIDARITY WITH QUILOMBOLAS FROM ORIXIMINÁ THREATENED BY MINING
The undersigned organisations come to publicly
express their solidarity with the quilombolas from Oriximiná, Pará State,
threatened by mining exploration on their traditional territories, and
infringed on their right to free, prior, and informed consultation.
The enterprise represent the largest bauxite
producer in Brazil, Mineração Rio do Norte – MRN (Rio do Norte Mining Company),
whose shareholders are powerful national and international companies – Vale,
BHP Billinton, Rio Tinto Alcan, CBA (Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio), Alcoa
Aluminium, Alcoa World Alumina, Hydro, and Alcoa AWA of Brazil.
In 2013, IBAMA issued an Operating Licence (LO
1172/2013) to MRN to explore the Monte Branco Plateau which partially overlaps
Moura Quilombola Land. The Operating Licence was granted without prior
consultation with the Quilombolas, in the absence of any analysis of
impact to that population, or mitigation and / or compensatory measures to the
Quilombola people.
The fact was reported to the Federal Public
Prosecutor’s Office, IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable
Natural Resources), and the Fundação Cultural Palmares (Palmares Cultural
Foundation -public institution under the Ministry of Culture), and no effective
action has been taken so far to amend the situation.
Other four overlapping plateaus in the Quilombola
Lands of Alto Trombetas and Jamari/Ultimo Quilombo are currently in the process
of environmental licensing (Cruz Alta, Cruz Alta Leste, Peixinho, and Rebolado)
with mining operations expected to start in 2021.
In 2012, ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for
Biodiversity Conservation) granted MRN permission for geological analysis in
the areas of those plateaus within the boundaries of quilombolas lands, without
any prior consultation or information. The analyses involved more than sixty
staff, heavy equipment, and clearing of existing forest for construction of
roads within the borders of quilombolas lands.
The quilombola people reported the situation to
the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office who recommended the cancellation of the
permission until free, prior and informed consultation takes place. ICMBio
accepted the recommendation, and in January of this year the permission was
cancelled.
Since then, MRN and Fundação Cultural Palmares
have been placing strong pressure against the quilombolas to have them make
public that they agree with the analysis, disregarding their right to free,
prior, and informed consent.
Since February, meetings with the quilombolas
have been organised by the Fundação Cultural Palmares under the pretence of
information, although they are actually attempts to compel the quilombola
people to promptly accept the analyses of the mining company.
Such meetings have been hastily scheduled,
disrespecting the different decision-making instances of the Quilombolas and
their traditional way of deliberating, favouring division between communities.
The meetings have suffered the conspicuous participation of MRN, and also of
local politicians who side with the company. So far, the quilombola people have
not had any access to the basic information on the geologic studies and those
related to environmental impact planned to occur later this year.
The Fundação Cultural Palmares has not yet
fulfilled their commitment of February 2013 to prepare a draft consultation
plan to guide the process of information, dialogue, and agreements with MRN. To
make matters worse, Fundação Cultural Palmares has been repeatedly claiming
that in the study phase a consultation is not required, contrary to the basic
principle of prior consultation.
Pressures keep on compromising the principles of
good faith and freedom. The quilombola’s main claim is that the land titling of
their territories goes on being ignored. The Quilombola Lands of Alto
Trombetas, Jamari/ Ultimo Quilombo, and Moura’s Identification and Delimitation
Technical Reports, though concluded, have not yet been published.
We stand in solidarity with the quilombola
people, and demand the federal government to act with impartiality, promoting
understanding by the mining company instead of favouring their plans, ensuring
a truly free, prior, and informed consultation, acknowledging and respecting
the quilombola traditional proceedings and time to make decisions, as conferred
by the ILO Convention 169.