Our history
2003-2007: from BelBol to the beginning of CATAPA as a movement in Flanders
The history of CATAPA began in 2003 with the foundation of BelBol, the precursor of CATAPA. The organisation was oriented towards the protection of local communities which are afflicted by the large-scale mining industry in Bolivia. In the years to come, activities were expanded to Peru and Guatemala. In July 2005, ‘BelBol’ gained official association status and was renamed to Comité Académico Técnico de Asesoramiento a Problemas Ambientales (CATAPA) and can be translated literally into Technical Academic Committee for Assistance in Environmental Issues.
In its early years, CATAPA focused on supporting its partners in Latin America. In the meantime, CATAPA has expanded its activities to research, networking, sensitisation and lobbying. The internal organisation also developed: the foundation of five working groups (Peru, Bolivia, Networking and Lobbying, Education and Communication, and Research) which were guided by the Coordination Team.
In its first years of operation, CATAPA took shape around two central objectives:
- the formation of a decisive and novel movement in Flanders concerning globalisation and sustainable development through social activism;
- the tackling of issues related to raw materials and, more specifically, the problems caused by the mining industry in Latin America.
2008-2011: CATAPA grows
In 2008, CATAPA became an official non-profit organisation and committed itself to further institutionalisation, with new working groups and volunteers, an extensive educational program, and a stronger involvement of the volunteers, trainees, thesis and PhD students. CATAPA received a growing support from organisations, institutions, municipalities and provinces, and acquired a bigger public visibility through debates and lectures.
A this point, it had become clearer that the issues in Latin America are connected to what is happening here, at home. Consumers, producers and policy makers in Flanders are co-responsible not only for human rights violations, ecological abuse and all manner of social problems in Latin America but also for the solutions and alternatives that are put forward by local communities.
That is why the organisation greatly focused on the education and sensitization in Flanders. Mining in Paradise (2010) was a highlight. This international campaign supported the inhabitants of four Northern Peruvian provinces to counteract the construction of a mining project on their territory.
In the meantime, the activities in the areas afflicted by the mining industry were not standing still. CATAPA started up exploratory discussions in Honduras and enhanced the activities in Peru, Guatemala and Bolivia.
The reason for our existence became tragically clear once again in 2009: the raw materials conflict in Bagua (North-Peru) turned into a bloodbath, with a death toll of 34 people. Our volunteers who were present at the time, reported the news to the world press and, in doing so, triggered action from the Belgian government, which demanded a critical investigation from the Peruvian government.
2011-2017: Campaigns in Flanders and new partnerships
For CATAPA, 2011 was a year of innovation and reinforcement of the professional staff. For the first time, a new general coordinator took control of the day-to-day management and led two successive campaigns: GOLD:FAIR? and Generation Transition.
The campaign GOLD:FAIR? was a collaborative initiative between CATAPA, Eco life and Netwerk Bewust Verbruiken which lasted three years. It was a sensitisation and lobbying campaign about the negative impact of the gold mining industry in the South and about the current consumption and production of metal in the North. A lobbying network was created with regard to sustainable alternatives for gold mining in the South, involving midfield, academics and the industry. The campaign showed that the gold exploitation causes extreme injustice, especially for native and farming communities.
From September 1st, 2011 until August 31, 2014, CATAPA conducted a campaign, wrote articles, collected old mobile phones, encouraged jewelers to sale Fairtrade gold, and so much more. After three productive years, our campaign ended but its core loves on in our vision and strategy: the impact of large-scale gold mining is huge. In many places in the world, even in Europe, companies are still trying to open new open pit gold mines. We must continue to fight against those mines and to limit their harmful effects. So, recycle those old cell phones, look for a bank that does not invest in mining and stand up for the rights of people affected by the ecological and social impacts of gold mining!
Generation Transition (2014-2017) followed the GOLD: FAIR? campaign and originates from the idea that the generation of young adults who will have to work until 2050 will be the actors who have to make the transition towards another economy. In collaboration with universities and colleges, students and adolescents were equipped with information and concrete action plans with the aim to transition to a sustainable world economy. An additional focus was the interaction of our economy with limited and non-renewable resources such as petroleum, gas, minerals and metals.
Beyond the North-South dichotomy
In the same period, the partner organisation of CATAPA generated new dynamics. In 2011-2012, the collaboration with Honduras came to an end. A delicate political situation stood in the way of a sustainable and safe operation regarding the issues related to raw materials. The same happened in Guatemala, where larger partners ignored the international campaign against the Marlin mine. Meanwhile in Peru, CATAPA shifted its focus from Jaén and its collaboration with Vima to Cajamarca, where it joined forces with Grufides NGO and the grassroots organisation Plataforma Interinstitucional Celendina (PIC). Together, they tackled PIC’s ongoing work on the golf mine in Yanacocha, but also other large-scale development plans such as Conga.
In addition, CATAPA became more active in Europe. Since 2014, more attention was given to the mining issues in Roșia Montană in Romania and in Skouries in Greece. A year later, CATAPA entered in a partnership with COSAJUCA, a youth movement that dedicated itself to the collaboration with local farming communities against the megalomaniac mining project La Colasa in Tolima, Colombia.
2017-Present : The mining industry as a global and technological challenge
Multiple focuses emerged in the intervening years. CATAPA thus focused on two geographical areas with two distinct aims:
Flanders, Belgium: a more sustainable ICT supply chain
For several years now, our work has been dominated by technology. We are further deepening our knowledge on the impact of ICT hardware (smartphones, computers and laptops). The extraction of metals and minerals which are necessary for the production of hardware is often accompanied by human rights violations and ecological destruction. The assembly of laptops and smartphones takes place in low-wage countries where labour rights are not respected and the design of ICT is not aimed at reusing the components, which denies them a second life and continues a cycle of extractivism.
To this end, the Make ICT Fair project was launched at the end of 2017. In this project we work together with 10 European partners towards a more sustainable system in which human rights and the environment are respected throughout all the ICT supply chain steps. CATAPA focused mainly on raising awareness about the consequences of ICT consumption and possible alternatives. We also encouraged public bodies to pay more attention to social and environmental aspects in their ICT procurement policy.
Fair ICT Flanders, on the other hand, focused on large ICT consumers in Flanders. The project was not aimed at individuals, but at companies, governments and higher education institutions. They were helped and supported in taking concrete steps towards a fair and circular ICT procurement and processing policy. This project was conducted on the basis of a detailed learning trajectory the development of a toolbox and tailor-made guidance for the pilot organisations.
The NEMO project, which was launched in May 2018, also focused on technology. Together with some European partners, this project aims to introduce a new environmentally friendly technology for the recycling of mining waste. The project focuses on two case studies: the Sotkamo mine in Finland and the Las Cruces mine in Spain. Within the project, CATAPA represented the local communities’ perspective on mining activities and new technologies.
Latin America: expanding CATAPA’s partnerships
In addition to this new focus on technology in Belgium and beyond, there were also developments in Latin America. In 2018, CATAPA expanded its Peru operation into the Amazon, where it worked with Instituto Chaikuni on the impact of oil extraction. Moreover, in January 2019 a new partnership was established in Ecuador. With Acción Ecológica, we are now also monitoring the copper mining project ‘El Mirador’.
In the meantime, CATAPA has become a solid global player through international networks such as ‘Yes to life, No to mining’ and the European projects Make ICT Fair and NEMO, which advanced our expertise in the metal cycle.