VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Dec. 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The following is a statement by PODER
A delegation of Mexican communities and human rights advocates visited Canada last week to urge the Government of Canada and investors to prevent human rights violations associated with Vancouver company Almaden Minerals’ mining exploration project in the region of Ixtacamaxtitlán, Puebla, Mexico.
Four residents of the region – Ignacia Serrano, Alejandro Marreros, Francisca Zamora, and Ignacio Carmona, accompanied by not-for-profit organization PODER – met with government officials and politicians from Global Affairs, International Trade, and parliamentary committees, as well as mining investors, trade unions and indigenous communities in order to share findings from Mexico’s first ever community-led Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA), which outlines current devastation and threats to the region’s water supply, ecosystem, and residents’ health should the Ixtaca Project move forward.
Carried out with the support of international experts and in collaboration with the affected community, the HRIA concludes that Almaden Minerals has not communicated to investors the legal procedures initiated by the communities that oppose the project, including a nullity trial seeking to cancel the company’s exploration permit for having violated Mexican environmental regulations, a request to cancel its mining concessions, and complaints before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the British Columbia Securities Commission.
“We have asked the Government of Canada to intervene with Almaden Minerals to stop violating the human rights of communities in Mexico. We welcome the creation of an Ombudsperson for communities affected by Canadian mining companies as long as it’s independent, has investigative power, and guarantees access to remedy,” says community member Alejandro Marreros.
The delegation’s visit to Canada follows months of calls for greater accountability for Canadian companies, including an open letter from 180 non-government organizations in 2016, and a United Nations assessment in 2017 that Canada should deepen its protection for human rights.
About PODER
PODER is a regional not-for-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to improving corporate transparency and accountability in Latin America from a human rights perspective and strengthening civil society stakeholders of corporations as long-term accountability guarantors. www.projectpoder.org
Zoe Grams
zoe@zgcommunications.com
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