[P2P-F] Fwd: ZNet Commentary: Pete Dolack: Clean Water as an Impediment to Corporate Profits

[Michel Bauwens]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZCommunications <no-reply at zcomm.org>
Date: Fri, Sep 19, 2014 at 9:29 PM
Subject: ZNet Commentary: Pete Dolack: Clean Water as an Impediment to
Corporate Profits
To: michelsub2004 at gmail.com


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<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo1WLMlUw3ayHezRus-2FDtnvG0kGZoFwceq8uo0ihs-2B-2FKH8xsGiazLsUuGwN3JZMfpeo-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADjnO8CHtPUdhH5bXta9bOhOgHoK3KAUkeSjyA2TZa06U7rKj6cYpYslBeVm48zmm3toOj63733cnzaoE2a6Tu0wkmlcqd6Lr7GSAaped0n78FJa7-2BDfwBH3QluVjNdmPfg-3D-3D>.

Pete Dolack: Clean Water as an Impediment to Corporate ProfitsZ
Communications Daily Commentary

An Australian mining company insists its “right” to a guaranteed profit is
superior to the right of El Salvador to clean drinking water  — and an
unappealable World Bank secret tribunal will decide if that is so.

Drinking water is the underdog here. It might be thought that Salvadorans
ought to have the right to decide on a question as fundamental as their
source of water, but that is not so. It will be up to a secret tribunal
controlled by corporate lawyers. And as an added bit of irony, the hearing
began on El Salvador’s Independence Day, September 15. Formal independence,
and actual independence, alas, are not the same thing.

The case, officially known as *Pac Rim Cayman LLC v. Republic of El
Salvador*
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo2cMIvY1MnBzPpUm5oT4ZBTazpvpCFvaxLK6rk-2FlaxDAlQSyyRIGu3OJtBXiCqDeHw-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADqEosWblVbVN2cfRbxodAFoZPmzNZoabjymr19JQOnm1Y-2FwvOyrC4aDOrJGaqRc5ykMvyG38ARKhsWOAc6i3ZurWY8-2BfZz4tOM-2F-2FbbTVMKDVTu-2BD-2FDPjQyBFzrPDpgN8Jg-3D-3D>,
pits the Australian gold-mining company OceanaGold Corporation against the
government of El Salvador. OceanaGold is asking for an award of $301
million because the Salvadoran government won’t give it a permit to open a
gold mine that would poison a critical source of drinking water on which
millions depend.

OceanaGold — or, more specifically, its Pacific Rim subsidiary, which it
bought in November 2013 — has spent only a small fraction of the $301
million. That sum isn’t an attempt to recover an investment; it represents
the amount of profits the corporation alleges it would have pocketed but
for El Salvador’s refusal to give the company a permit. (El Salvador has
had a moratorium on new mining permits since 2008.)

So here we have an increasingly common scenario under “investor-state
dispute mechanisms” — environmental laws designed to safeguard human and
animal health are challenged as barriers to corporate profit. Not simply to
recover an investment that didn’t pan out, but supposed future profits that
a company claims it would have earned. Should El Salvador prevail, it would
still have lost because it will spend large sums of money to defend this
case, money that could have been used for the welfare of its people.

An added insult in this case is that it is being heard not under one of the
“free trade” agreements that elevate corporations to the level of (or
above) a country, but under an El Salvador law passed by the former
Right-wing government that has been since reversed. Pacific Rim originally
sued El Salvador under the Central American Free Trade Agreement, but the
case was dismissed because Canada, where Pacific Rim had been based before
its acquisition by OceanaGold, is not a party to CAFTA. But the tribunal
allowed the suit to be re-filed under an El Salvador law that granted
corporations the same right to sue in secret tribunals ordinarily found
only in “free trade” agreements.

*Lawyers for corporations sit in judgment*

The tribunal judging El Salvador is known as the International Centre for
the Settlement of Investor Disputes (ICSID) — an arm of the World Bank.
Neither the public nor the press are allowed to witness ICSID hearings and
there is no appeal to its decisions. Under the “investor-state dispute
mechanism,” governments legally bind themselves
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo2UDHMHD66AeeiTVb-2BNA1CWLwPyYjiNyDk-2BNryMPyNQhBJla3xNJl6FVBV408mwlnE-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADo9MABUw2nVeNyDsVYH312p02nCCaZvklj5JwaBguUsg-2BpgBtyoX4NVc7i0VlkD2ro9VVbLLCUeaKjUnKrgM3x2mt0CQRvRVpkzZCvXuCLrNB2uKOMNkYdvGv1-2FuWTVFSQ-3D-3D>
to settle “disputes” with “investors” in the secret tribunals. Cases are
decided by a panel of three judges selected from a roster. The judges are
appointed to the roster by the national governments that have signed on to
ICSID.

Because ICSID, similar to other arbitration panels, does not have rules
against conflicts of interest, most of the judges are corporate lawyers who
specialize in representing corporations in these types of disputes. To
provide just one example, one of New Zealand’s selected judges is David
A.R. Williams, who is currently representing Philip Morris in its suit
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo1C-2BFNdULJbpjlu7mrcNbt9sUk064ZnLHfze-2B5VzCAW6qkjRajl5l6AwICY6r24roE-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADoj5czBsXHcdJU9HHnlHRZlndb6psNAwi01YAKLSVhCds8UrR7FO4RJIJfQWbvf-2BRiUMkPHYR0-2FWsNCzSS1vSbQYxCmKP2GctqX6bE-2B-2BKy3CyBgA4tgzNdQZ6D4DjvtpSQ-3D-3D>
seeking to force Australia to overturn its tobacco regulations, which were
ruled legal by Australia’s High Court.

The three judges in this week’s hearing are V.V. Veeder of Britain,
Brigitte Stern of France and Guido Santiago Tawil of Argentina. Mr. Veeder
and Mr. Tawil are veteran corporate lawyers; the former has carefully
omitted any mention of who his clients are in his CV
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo0vde-2BT-2BAY-2FpjtojnUhhkVr-2B6EqANVg4vUMIUQkxSMzXfTBBFXNJgYFsW9wFt2y42U-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADnO1f0RoqKaH-2BH27ixUMjDo2SrKRNbdwIN5-2FBCWXmml-2FUFCpIWzMpjsa46QqLPYhGRpZWWMxM7icZBFmy-2BLZGmVUqtmBiHh-2BTRTSec3pq6YOAVJIYche0CSqXI86uJum4Q-3D-3D>,
while the latter’s bio page boasts
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo1hBKyeenCAC9ABqoiFuqPhloZVRajoy5BxFfw33B5Xv8oIgwsRTjStrTmeqZkaOgI-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADupH-2BiSjdNxDEgSqU2zyb0KMIvRyRFoPQTRdFi-2Fe2Cv12UxhkvQJydK33F9v7YKHj09vgNY8NtMqwrG1hhPgoD1Dp-2F5wPAZSK1wPewu36hGLWZYpIhQYiERD6OwEbHJgwg-3D-3D>
he has assisted in the privatization of Argentina’s assets while
representing corporations in several industries. To put that in some
perspective, an austerity program was imposed in the early 1990s in
conjunction with selling off state enterprises at below-market prices. This
fire sale yielded $23 billion, but the proceeds went to pay foreign debt
mostly accumulated by the military dictatorship — after completing these
sales, Argentina’s foreign debt had actually grown.
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo0Eqd1NyFYSQUqOJ9DrVLySVRC-2B2Bb5u9uUq3g-2BiW9fI8tQlEhxOVNIDBi6VwzdgLo-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADg4qWlBcKQCEySsqbc2FgJdZdPJJR-2F-2BcaSnxoEaLwvrrNSSfaS56d4Dc-2BzygKdW-2FJ849quVwSh6FkNRu-2FzcI8pm8gK7ODk-2BEea8cW2JMCBrFbFhW-2FO5nh1fsr3dIa6zKhg-3D-3D>

The third member of the tribunal, Ms. Stern, is an academic regularly
called on to arbitrate investor-state disputes. One of her previous
rulings awarded
Occidental Petroleum Corporation
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo06FSMRxDT-2FLGRWf87604-2BvKuFypUe1Hp-2FTJzjJzGvAkmEmLdmXIyS1ajYYveacuPg-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADrzYs-2B3kLGoFoZxkuPfLvuPBx-2Bp01-2BubkE-2Bcg7l5Ohnw2R0azY15L1Lm-2FA0vd3N1SQHGxyJfn8VtkF1xeSltKKm3CaNeYRrEoOmz-2BXrNnOq9fDbm17p1zBkAJEqsE3wZ2A-3D-3D>
$2.3 billion against Ecuador because Ecuador had canceled an Occidental
contract over a dispute in which the tribunal agreed that Ecuadoran law had
been violated. The oil company was in the wrong but was given a windfall
anyway!

Among the precedents these three ICSID judges will consider are separate
rulings ordering Canada to reverse bans on PCBs and on the gasoline
additive MMT, both dangerous to human health, because the bans hurt
corporate investments.

*Didn’t meet its obligations, but so what*

The former Right-wing Arena government of El Salvador in 1999 passed a law
enabling “investors” to sue the country in ICSID, thereby circumventing the
local judiciary, as part of its effort
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo1WuWF9MsEwT6AyhTvSVyY5x4lhoqXWYEagMlIQ0m9ao3MUXMyCq6SwgwiisBNuZck-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADl0AFk8uzvyKLj68Wp5KLLRx3bfLta7U8ydupmteWfy5iY6lF3lJFl2jc6emmGw1Vl4BhUhemJB-2Ba0d62YY-2FW41mJwMKnap-2F3wdVKmNysae67QMqY4rBu2BMONMOdLy6kA-3D-3D>
to encourage foreign investment. A subsequent Right-wing government yielded
to public pressure in 2008 by issuing the mining-permit moratorium, and the
Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) administrations of
Mauricio Funes (elected in 2009) and Salvador Sanchez Ceren (elected in
2014) have kept the moratorium in place
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo20D-2FR7CnbnX6PpDjmJtGIwcNfS1mh12SVZ-2BGqyhaVCKN6kIPxrsJRJ7O44KezD-2FMI-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADpEqtjIJyyuCEDDPVG0n9Mo4jQwkB0MoQCdPDn8h7aGSETufldATQmGXrkSLAj8X8Y3okVSWa3euHTpZly95rDSZVdo0-2FF0l-2BvBiTyeYWIA1UNV93bHBDZnISRrBYiOf8Q-3D-3D>
.

In addition to the general moratorium, the Salvadoran government cites not
only environmental and health concerns specific to the mine, but also says
Pacific Rim has failed to meet its legal obligations nor has it secured
more than a small fraction of the local permissions it must have to develop
the land it seeks to mine. Some observers fear that a ruling in favor of
OceanaGold could lead to violence in a country in which 70,000 were killed
in a civil war a generation ago. Luke Danielson, a researcher with the
Sustainable Development Studies Group, told the Inter Press Service
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo3wTtiPW-2BqfT3emcbcdT2frGOoXrFpatagFifaIRmAIhx-2FwTIqN3c-2Bo9pH5SEshFM8-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADuflGuDbtnyF5qFPrDnZseLKsGjFCJhCLdGcrOj4C0f97YxERCi6Df8OxHEnR0pj4uZhhM5T08LyW3moDWyt9hKsBnAKKOgspHbEJOH4oLELAH-2BOm7mX3wSHs1foXcskdQ-3D-3D>
news agency:

“This mining project was re-opening a lot of the wounds that existed during
the civil war, and telling a country that they have to provoke a civil
conflict in order to satisfy investors is very troublesome.”

Local communities are shut out of arbitration forums like ICSID, but it is
community organizing that is responsible for the, so far, successful
pushback against environmentally destructive mining. The National
Roundtable Against Metallic Mining, or “La Mesa,” is an organization of
civil society groups that has led the opposition to OceanaGold. Several
corporations have prospected in El Salvador’s inland highlands areas since
the Right-wing Arena government passed the law allowing investors to sue in
ICSID.

A now closed mine in the area, on the San Sebastian River, operated by the
U.S. company Commerce Group, left behind water too dangerous to touch,
never mind drink. The El Salvador Ministry of the Environment and Natural
Resources tested the river and found cyanide levels nine times above
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo3oUYXcb7y8XSfzaNNhF4Meq92BYRZFBbB9uwuO0pxmDVmEH4RON8BcsoFwRJVpeII-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADkzY8tXs54Kh52VHP27VhB0-2FpCTI4qxE7zcqatv7KPe-2BohnvKy229oN5HcFwo8FTARg3Gyutdxri1BneYUAeV7D4rZWfOKhxid-2FQ2EJLv4JdtniBUn-2BPxAFV7WNlXo1Y7Q-3D-3D>
the maximum allowable limit and iron levels more than 1,000 times the
maximum allowable limit. So polluted is the river that it runs yellow,
orange or red
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo0Avlaw7-2BWLay7S1avO2eqgONaJwzZxL5n0O1GujIGlGRfEIMCpnXzDVRy5pJBHHbI-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADoCh7RwWTiNoGXF1JwYleNUsRwvnQj9EjaodFVXdK4BXMPN3rtwo-2B2HvxzAc-2FADNyMza4ev4e8EQNeOqIvJ6HEV-2FsKhN7qMBl1WcrElIjt4M9c5YRjGnR3LlXzUERZb4ng-3D-3D>
at times.

Mining for gold is a process that uses large amounts of dangerous chemicals
in the extraction. A *National Geographic* blogger, Vladimir Pacheco, writing
about OceanaGold’s
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo20D-2FR7CnbnX6PpDjmJtGIwcNfS1mh12SVZ-2BGqyhaVCKN6kIPxrsJRJ7O44KezD-2FMI-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADqr-2FttwyZH0ZUUZICmRzj4fcjgtz2H-2Fr-2BZyP9weStM7ZFuQ6Y0LhzQbNo5xCdLh29bv0fI3hqt-2FJXnLYcys0W693G4QeefASfsWYP6Ll-2Fhd5bIs4eO-2FTWX8vQAi4ld-2BHYw-3D-3D>
proposed mine, reports:

“The cyanide-leach processes at the company’s El Dorado mine will use
approximately 900,000 liters of water a day. In comparison, it would take
30 years for an average Salvadoran family to use that amount of water. …
Will water needed for the project aggravate the already perilous state of
water access in the country? A study by the Ministry of Environment found
that only two percent of the rivers contain water that can be made fit for
human consumption, or used for irrigation or recreational activities and in
another study the Global Water Partnership warns that water supply in El
Salvador is hovering on the threshold of 1,700 cubic metres of water per
person per year, the upper limit for the definition of water stress.”

*Fighting back but at a cost*

La Mesa has continued its struggle against mining and for the ability to
decide its own pattern of development despite the violence that often seems
to accompany mining. Three anti-mining activists were murdered
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo0Bt-2FejnNdjfTvngO5S9VHltW2opOJpc7o4vqga40q7qECTHpMzyn98JpZXZZ2dZYc-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADvhrPpNeGgO4AbvTIkYhW6C0F8jpN-2FQBURE0QMBZgIkm7P7MZNijAg5j4G2lTE7XNZ26aKmoLHNkBn3Vc7z9v6XAg7FT2ijdQAAdXf6U1qrh66871wHIDsIL95aYtdGSZw-3D-3D>
in a six-month span in 2009. A report on Salvadoran activists
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo07ETp5bcpTruVFkComsxlBzzywBnUzS0ZGIlGlRQasvKS4DFBT-2BfQcad3Ny6AR0hk-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADhRKDWCZRMZIw5VuYpKHB3pgNik4h6BWXdV3pMMvGGfPRQ8c7qqwZz-2BBzf95JOq12H8fBrfDCkXZlYjr3bRiOz-2BEoufqe2bhLj1vjz4diLuIoTzKh8K4bnyaOEicBZdK9g-3D-3D>
published last year by Common Frontiers, a Canadian coalition, said:

“The fact that the government of El Salvador stopped issuing mining permits
to companies was a real boost for their movement but at the same time it
brought a significant shift in Pacific Rim’s tactics towards them. The
company is accused of utilizing kidnapping, intimidation and even murder
against community members opposed to the mining project.”

OceanaGold, which now owns Pacific Rim, did not address these charges in
its glossy *Fact Book 2014*, but did have this to say
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo0VnldMGSfCqSZuFhoJW3NzMR40s3KY072YnUPTGXg80SM-2BaKZ6kXjUjMfv9XUk5t4-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADnQ4DjsseLgIHzqJ6Rdoe1WPfu379B4ZNFhRXE7D1DK4GS-2FzzMiebkM3BTlI6CiZMqX1jE7Wv5F3OKgXhN7K17BA-2BSUSVR-2FvzUquHLqROwKqfLZrBM1Beyf9Hj5uRvI7NQ-3D-3D>
:

“We have a staunch commitment to making sure our operations enrich, empower
and improve the lives of our stakeholders, by creating a positive,
long-lasting legacy that respects human rights and delivers enduring
benefits and opportunities beyond the life cycle of our operations.” [page
28]

The Philippines Commission on Human Rights might beg to differ. In 2011,
the commission recommended that the Filipino government revoke
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo2zJErj2uQSnWbYOOUjL5jpCB9KN3XeEqHp7rSMCccWm8hQ-2BU0hJjfMQlXY1iZoAOI-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADvXvhkbrWckMeRxb9NDvEVSG0swngcMdYvPxbHyBzbRiXFjJGB1ZLOwN2t6TNcXQeDFlE2v5FMsfnhoAlJkwNOuIZpc6vFWXhHDV9XG4eI2-2FfTk2Ns81xzHeiCTyD7wxDg-3D-3D>
OceanaGold’s license to operate because of “alleged violation of the rights
of the indigenous people of Barangay Didipio in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya,”
including forced evictions. (The license was not revoked, and the mine is
operating.)

La Mesa calls OceanaGold’s suit
<http://send.zcomm.org/wf/click?upn=9PHos1J7-2FD2Lw6jereECeNLGs3ocss1O2kcgD4VkZGxNQKyMz3VkxHcbWOxm-2F-2FK4zNQOFozl5YCGVxHlRDfLMXFkuvi-2BN8fLXOG-2F-2FPCWmo1y0BbsfhKDDwJ0qp-2FjwPEnDWveodhmaFJFVJ7-2FYXO0ok41WLqt1aAJPwPy2wDlmQc-3D_V-2FUUiW5KvBPNV-2FItFYsbuIFOqr58NacNTIV3-2FGcH-2BSCMroJ8DnDn03qDuobb7PBLj1RD6MOuqveIA3Ny2kMADlxQe7Z5Geb9entlKgcIRGmFpvkgrWxOuP3Yi0oO6ePhb-2BSJOVxURA9v-2BpEdgtkJh6d1japCqvAy972ft3ki8pouuZGN0-2BXBNmPA1CyCfefmVGW2Aqvu4iqnBb1Lb152FA-3D-3D>
“a “direct attack against the sovereignty and legitimate right of the
Salvadoran population to reject an industry that is a threat to our lives.”

This history is not likely to be under consideration by the ICSID tribunal.
It is not known when it will hand down a decision, although it is likely to
be at least several months. Two fundamental questions that can’t be avoided
are: Does a community have the right to make decisions on its own
development? Do multi-national corporations have the right to a guaranteed
profit without regard to the cost imposed on communities?

That such questions must be asked — and that “no” to the first question and
“yes” to the second are increasingly common answers — is emblematic of
dictatorship, not democracy.

ZCommunications, 18 Millfield St., Woods Hole, MA, USA, 02543
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-- 
Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at:
http://en.wiki.floksociety.org/w/Research_Plan

P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net

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#82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/
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