What: To expose the predatory modus operandi of Canada’s extractive sectors operating in Latin America and the Caribbean, a delegation composed of Indigenous leaders, local communities, and Latin American civil society representatives will travel to Geneva for the Universal Periodic Review Process (UPR) pre-session from August 28 to September 1, 2023, ahead of the United Nations’ UPR on November 10, 2023. Furthermore, they will provide actionable recommendations to UN member states to request Canada create legally-binding mechanisms to prevent, reduce, and sanction any form of corporate abuse of their companies operating abroad.
More than 50 civil society organizations have compiled three critical reports: Regional, Amazonian, and Oil. The analysis is compiled under the paper Unmasking Canada: Rights Violations Across Latin America. These documents collectively demand accountability for corporate abuses linked to 37 Canadian projects across nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Despite Canada’s “climate forward” public image, it acts as a safe haven for extractive industries and companies operating in Latin America, including regions of climatic significance such as the Amazon, therefore it is complicit in the human rights violations and environmental harm that result, going against its own national and international human rights and climate commitments.
Who:
- Mauricio Terena (Brazil), Legal Coordinator, Brazil’s Association of Indigenous People (APIB)
- Maria Judite “Kari” Guajajara (Brazil), Legal Advisor, National Indigenous Organization of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB)
- Josefa de Oliveira (Brazil), Popular Educator with Movimento Xingu Vivo Para Sempre
- Lorena Aranha Curuaia (Brazil), Vice President of Iawá Community
- Jaime Palomino (Ecuador), President of the Pueblo Shuar Arutam (TBC)
- Brayan Mojanajinsoy Pasos (Colombia), General Secretary of Association of Indigenous Councils of the Municipality of Villagarzón Putumayo (ACIMVIP)
The delegation will be accompanied by representatives from the organizations Amazon Watch, AIDA (Brazil), Gaia (Colombia), and Ambiente y Sociedad (Colombia).
When: From August 28 to September 1, 2023.
Where: In-person side event “Business Conduct and Extraterritorial Obligations: The Impact of Canadian Companies in 9 Latin American Countries” on August 31, 2023 at 4 pm CET in Geneva at the CAGI. Spanish, English, and Portuguese translation provided.
Background
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) takes place every four years, in which all UN member states review the human rights records of other UN member states. This year, Canada’s UPR will take place on November 10, 2023 in Geneva. During the evaluation process, Latin American civil society will track, and monitor past recommendations, and present new recommendations to be implemented by Canada. We expect that identified UN Member States will listen to suggestions from civil society and include them in their recommendations to Canada.
More than 50 civil society organizations made three reports (Regional Report, Amazonian Report, and Oil Report) Unmasking Canada: Rights Violations Across Latin America to demand corporate abuses of 37 Canadian projects in 9 Latin American and the Caribbean countries. Key findings include 32 projects infringing on the right to a clean environment, with specific instances of air, water, and land contamination, such as 105 oil spills in Peru’s Block 192 by Frontera Energy. In addition, 26 projects were found to violate the right to Free Prior and Informed Consent and consultation, as seen in the divisive tactics employed in Ecuador’s Warintza project by Solaris Resources Inc. Moreover, 19 projects violate Economic, Social, and Cultural rights, including obstruction to food and traditional economic activities in Brazil’s Volta Grande project by Belo Sun. The reports also highlight alarming violence, with 16 projects violating Civil and Political Rights, leading to situations such as the injury of 20 people in Ecuador in July 2023.
This unprecedented effort reveals a recurring pattern of human rights and environmental violations and Canada’s strong influence in the region. Through its practice of economic diplomacy, Canada endeavors to create favorable conditions for its investments, often at the expense of the legal insecurity of the host states and the well-being of the impacted communities.
Canadian authorities constantly claim responsible business conduct and conflict resolution mechanisms without addressing the real damage their operations are causing. Our UPR reports question the effectiveness of these mechanisms and denounce a cover-up of corporate abuses. The coalition of organizations also emphasizes that Canada has not yet taken adequate measures to comply with its obligation to protect human rights, and has not taken adequate nor sufficient actions to address the corporate abuses of their companies operating abroad.
