Gold mining : CETIM asks the Australian Government to enforce the respect of human rights

CETIM denounces the activities related to the extraction of gold by an Australian corporation called OceanaGold. The company has been asked to meet its extra-territorial obligations, and Australia committed itself to implement the recommendation made by CETIM and its partners.

In 2015 and 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) considered the case of Australia as part of the universal periodic review process. In the Philippines, for example, the activities of the Australian gold mining corporation OceanaGold Philippines Inc. are recognized as a form of economic violence. Public authorities describe them as “a classic and lamentable example of how economic aggression denigrates the most basic of human rights”. The Commission of Human Rights of the Philippines has requested the revocation of the Australian multinational’s mining rights.

The report on Australia’s Universal Periodic Review was presented to UNHRC in March 2016. CETIM made a statement denouncing serious human rights violations committed by OceanaGold. Backed by Franciscans International, it urged the Australian government to respect its extra-territorial obligations.

CETIM and its partners on the ground recommend that Australia should “strengthen the normative framework for the protection of human rights, including the monitoring, investigation and reparation for human rights violations committed by Australian enterprises in their territories and in third States”.
Australia accepts the recommendation of the CETIM and its partners and is committed to its effective implementation. CETIM will be watching to make sure that Australia fulfils this commitment, and will continue to monitor the human rights situation related to OceanaGold activities.

Read the oral statement made by CETIM during the 31st session of the UNHRC.