A report prepared by MiningWatch Canada for the Canary Research Institute, with financial support from Mountain Equipment Co-op and the Salamander Foundation.

This brief was prepared by MiningWatch Canada and Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID) to accompany a panel organized by both organizations titled “Privatized Remedy and Human Rights: Re-thinking Project-Level Grievance Mechanisms.” The panel was organized for the Third Annual UN Forum on Business and Human Rights held in Geneva on December 1, 2014.

This research paper was done by Stephen Aboagye-Amponsah as part of his studies for a Master's degree in Environmental Science from York University. We undertook this study to look at the issues of involuntary displacement and relocation, and the mechanisms that facilitate and foster it. The purpose of the study is to highlight the problems encountered by displaced people living in mining communities in Ghana where foreign mining companies operate. Using case studies – Canadian company Kinross Gold and US-based Newmont Mining – we look at the current practices of large-scale mining and the role of corporate interests, as well as practices of different levels of government and traditional authorities, on how issues such as land and resources, customary law, and compensation are addressed.

This brief presents data derived from field assessments by MiningWatch Canada and partners at the Porgera Joint Venture mine, Papua New Guinea, and by MiningWatch Canada with Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID) at the North Mara gold mine, Tanzania. It was prepared for the Centre for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility Workshop on Remedy, Ottawa, September 25, 2014, by Catherine Coumans.

MiningWatch Canada prepared this brief for Access Facility's expert meeting on practical solutions to the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights' “effectiveness criteria.” The data for this brief is derived from the work of MiningWatch Canada and our local and international partners on a project-level non-judicial

Together with RAID (Rights and Accountability in Development), the London Mining Network, and CORE (the Corporate Responsibility coalition of the UK) have put together a briefing note for investors in UK mining company African Barrick Gold and its majority shareholder Barrick Gold Corporation regarding human rights violations at the North Mara mine in Tanzania.

The President-elect of El Salvador has publicly committed to prohibit new mining during his administration, just as his predecessors have done since 2008. OceanaGold should respect the democratic process in El Salvador, abandon its acquisition of Vancouver-based Pacific Rim Mining, and drop its lawsuit against the government of El Salvador for not having permitted a mine, according to international civil society organizations. A new study debunks eight falsehoods the company has used to try to justify mining in El Salvador and undermine public debate and policymaking.

This paper is a reflection on the Framework for Responsible Mining and examines key areas of concern and notes where the industry norms and expectations of civil society have evolved. The paper focuses on developments in social issues related to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, new initiatives associated with financial transparency, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The environmental components of the Framework that are revisited are waste management, biodiversity, energy and climate change, environmental assessment, mine closure, mercury and seabed mining.

Published jointly with IndustriALL, CFMEU Australia, United Steelworkers, and Earthworks, this report examines the scope of the Responsible Jewellery Council's certification system and analyzes its components: its governance, membership, standards, auditing, and system for dealing with complaints, among others. It concludes that the certification system cannot provide consumers with meaningful reassurance about the ethical antecedents of the jewelry and minerals produced by its member companies.