Mining Report Launch. The Haiti Support Group welcomes the launch of a new report entitled Byen Konte, Mal Kalkile? Human Rights and Environmental Risks of Gold Mining in Haitiauthored by the Global Justice Clinic and the Haiti Justice Initiative. The publication is the product of collaboration between environmental law experts and human rights lawyers, informed by the Justice in Mining Collective, a platform of Haitian organizations and individuals committed to promoting the interests of Haiti’s rural, northern communities.
Byen Konte, Mal Kalkile? is a Kreyòl proverb which means “well-counted, poorly calculated”. The writers of the report suggest that mining in mineral rich Haiti is having a devastating impact on local communities. Their findings link closely to warnings laid out in our Haiti Briefing 77 The Miners Next Door. You can download the Briefing here in English and in French. Our publication was also featured on the Mining Justice Alliance website.
As noted on the website of the report launch: “Haiti stands at a crossroads: The prospect of gold mining glitters on the horizon, while the reality of political turmoil, weak institutions, and widespread impoverishment glares in the foreground. Minerals can be exploited only once. This moment, before mining has begun, presents a unique opportunity for Haiti to hold a robust public debate about the risks and benefits of mining for the Haitian people, and to implement preventive measures to avoid future human rights abuses and environmental harms. Such a debate requires transparency, information sharing, and active engagement of Haitian communities. Until now, most discussions about mining have occurred among government officials, company stakeholders, and international financial institutions behind closed doors. There is a dearth of information in the public domain about what gold mining entails, what challenges it poses, what opportunities it presents, and what it may mean for communities and the country as a whole. The purpose of this report is to help fill that gap.”
Mining Report Launch: Byen Konte, Mal Kalkile?
Eve Hayes
Mining Report Launch. The Haiti Support Group welcomes the launch of a new report entitled Byen Konte, Mal Kalkile? Human Rights and Environmental Risks of Gold Mining in Haiti authored by the Global Justice Clinic and the Haiti Justice Initiative. The publication is the product of collaboration between environmental law experts and human rights lawyers, informed by the Justice in Mining Collective, a platform of Haitian organizations and individuals committed to promoting the interests of Haiti’s rural, northern communities.
Byen Konte, Mal Kalkile? is a Kreyòl proverb which means “well-counted, poorly calculated”. The writers of the report suggest that mining in mineral rich Haiti is having a devastating impact on local communities. Their findings link closely to warnings laid out in our Haiti Briefing 77 The Miners Next Door. You can download the Briefing here in English and in French. Our publication was also featured on the Mining Justice Alliance website.
As noted on the website of the report launch: “Haiti stands at a crossroads: The prospect of gold mining glitters on the horizon, while the reality of political turmoil, weak institutions, and widespread impoverishment glares in the foreground. Minerals can be exploited only once. This moment, before mining has begun, presents a unique opportunity for Haiti to hold a robust public debate about the risks and benefits of mining for the Haitian people, and to implement preventive measures to avoid future human rights abuses and environmental harms. Such a debate requires transparency, information sharing, and active engagement of Haitian communities. Until now, most discussions about mining have occurred among government officials, company stakeholders, and international financial institutions behind closed doors. There is a dearth of information in the public domain about what gold mining entails, what challenges it poses, what opportunities it presents, and what it may mean for communities and the country as a whole. The purpose of this report is to help fill that gap.”