DESTRUCTIVE INDUSTRIES

Exposing the negative impacts of the Extractive Industry in relation to poverty and the environment

Extractive Industries: Blessing or Curse? - An awareness raising campaign to improve the performance of the extractive industry in relation to poverty and the environment.

Overall objective of our campaign is to achieve substantial improvement of the extractive industry performance in developing countries, in order to ensure that it has a positive impact on poverty reduction and that it does not contribute to social and environmental problems.

We will focus on EU based companies and investors involved in the extractive industry activities in developing countries and on national and EU policies that can reverse these negative impacts.

To achieve this goal, Friends of the Earth Europe will work together with Friends of the Earth Netherlands, CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth France.

The campaign will run in the following countries: Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Slovakia. It will also have activities focused on EU institutions.

We will also work together with local partners outside the EU from DAC countries in Cameroon, South Africa, Nigeria, Georgia, Russia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Peru, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro and the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia.

Specific objectives:
Increase awareness among the public in a number of European countries (including new member states) on the social-, environmental- and poverty-related problems of the extractive industry in developing countries, on the interdependence between these issues and the EU and on strategies and policies that can contribute to a reduction of the negative impacts of the extractive industry in developing countries.

Establish support amongst the public, national and EU policy makers, corporations and investors to ensure that:
1. Policies of national governments and the EU on development issues, the environment and trade agreements as well as other relevant issues put poverty reduction and sustainability in developing countries as a priority;
2. Policies of national governments and the EU on Corporate Social Responsibility stimulate corporations and investors to act responsibly;
3. Companies do not engage in projects that do not respect the rights of local communities and have severe negative social, environmental and poverty impacts;
4. Public and private financial institutions guarantee that their investments only contribute to projects that respect the rights of local communities and do not have severe negative social, environmental and poverty impacts.

Facilitate citizens to urge the government, companies and investors to take measures that improve the performance of the extractive industry.

Contribute to the development of an active civil society in developing countries that is able to ensure that investments in the extractive industry benefit the poor and do not result in grave environmental and social problems that threaten local livelihoods.

Main activities
1. Raise public awareness (through a TV documentary, speakers tours, film festivals, fact sheets, several debates, media attention, reports, and websites).

2. Mobilise support from governments (through briefings, visits to affected communities, reports, parliamentary hearings, an international conference, presenting solutions).

3. Influence companies and investors (through campaigning on cases, visiting shareholder meetings, pressure from the public, presenting solutions, reports, media attention).

4. Support NGOs in the South (through providing them a platform for their concerns, assisting them with expertise, contacts and knowledge, implementing joint research and developing joint solutions).

Estimated results
1. Political debate on the necessary conditions to ensure that the EI will contribute to poverty reduction and will not have negative sustainability impacts.
2. Better understanding among the public, media, decision makers, companies, investors and NGOs about EI problems, the need for measures and the link with European stakeholders.
3. More media coverage on EI issues.
4. More public engagement to influence relevant stakeholders.
5. Policies and measures from decision makers to improve the EI.
6. Measures from companies and investors to avoid negative impacts of the EI.
7. Stronger position of Southern NGOs.

For more information about this campaign please contact:

Friends of the Earth Europe
E-mail: darek.urbaniak@foeeurope.org

Milieudefensie
Friends of the Earth Netherlands,
E-mail: anne.van.schaik@milieudefensie.nl

CEE Bankwatch Network
E-mail: petrh@bankwatch.org

Les Amis de la Terre France
Friends of the Earth France
E-mail: gwenael.wasse@amisdelaterre.org

 

This project is funded by the EUROPEAN UNION

The views expressed on these web pages do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.