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Coming soon: a Repair Index in Belgium!

The federal government, as part of the Federal Action Plan Circular Economy 2021-2024 will introduce a Repair Index in a few years. By means of a mandatory score or Repair Index that must be listed on electronic devices and that indicates the repairability of the product, the government hopes to promote the repairability of these products. And thus to take a step towards a more circular economy. For the concrete elaboration of this index, meetings are held with stakeholders and CATAPA is at the table.

In the Federal Action Plan, we can read the following: “Several criteria will be included in this index, such as the availability of spare parts necessary for the proper functioning of the product, its price, the availability of repair manuals, the ease of repair (disassembly, access to parts), etc.” The government plans to later evolve the Repair Index into a sustainability index, which also includes robustness and reliability criteria.

The government was inspired by France, which already introduced a Repair Index in early 2021. While this index is an important milestone for the Right to Repair in Europe, there are a number of limitations and challenges. Repair & Share, the organization that made sure the Repair Index was put on our government’s agenda, prepared a document of “lessons learned” from the French system with a lot of great recommendations. You can find them here. Together with Repair & Share and other stakeholders, CATAPA will make sure that the Belgian Repair Index does not make the same mistakes.

A repair index or score is an important step towards eliminating the practice of planned obsolescence. This is the strategy used by manufacturers of electronics to deliberately design products so that the devices do not last as long. A practice that carries a lot of costs, both for people and for the planet. With a repair index, and soon a sustainability index that goes even wider, it will be more difficult for producers to bring poor quality products to people. We are therefore in favor.

The implementation of a Repair Index is one of the demands within our CTRL ALT DEL campaign, in which we emphasize, among other things, the importance of an independent control system with sufficient budget. With the transition to a sustainability index, we also hope that our other demands can be met. This includes, among others, the recyclability of electronic devices.

ESC Volunteer Vacancies 2022 – (Closed call)

ESC Volunteer Vacancies 2022

Campaigning & Movement

Communication & Social Media Campaigning

CATAPA

CATAPA is a movement which strives for a world in which the extraction of non-renewable resources is no longer necessary. The extraction of such materials always entails major social and environmental impacts and fuels conflict. In working towards global social and environmental justice, we focus on mining issues (ecological disasters, human rights violations, etc.). In Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia we work together with grassroots movements and support local communities who are threatened by large-scale mining projects. 

Our main activities are:

  • Campaigning on the impact of mining and sustainable production of electronics in Flanders.
  • Supporting partners and local communities in Latin America that are threatened by large-scale mining projects.
  • Creating a movement around sustainable production and consumption of metals.
  • Networking, research & stimulating alternatives.

CATAPA is dependent on the work of volunteers – the Catapistas. 

 

Two main campaigns

The Right to Say No – Mining activities cause devastating environmental impacts and human rights violations across the globe. CATAPA is campaigning on the Right to Say No. Communities opposing extractive projects face severe repression and human rights violations. A just transition requires local communities having the decisive say over extractive projects within their territories. 

CTRL ALT DEL – Stop Planned Obsolescence – Our current linear model of consumption and production is a driving cause of the climate crisis. In this “throwaway” model, electronic products are designed to make repair difficult or unfeasible with limited life spans. This is planned obsolescence. The infinite supply of electronics is at odds with planetary boundaries. We cannot continue extracting more and more metals and minerals. Through our Ctrl Alt Delete: Stop Planned Obsolescence campaign we are advocating for strict regulations to ensure electronic products are eco-designed, repairable, and made to last.

Our main campaigning activities are:

  • Raising awareness of the broader public: (social media) campaigns, educational activities, public actions, …;
  • Searching and supporting solutions & alternatives;
  • Collaboration & networking with other organisations that focus on mining issues, Degrowth and Circular Economy;
  • Advocating for an end to planned obsolescence via our Ctrl Alt Delete campaign; 
  • Collaboration with grassroots organisations in Latin America, defending the rights of affected communities via our campaign on the Right to Say No to mining.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for an ESC (European Solidarity Corps) volunteer to support the CATAPA movement, and in particular the campaigns on the Right to Say No and Planned Obsolescence. The volunteer will be trained to think critically and spread knowledge of these issues and to encourage other young people to become active EU citizens. The tasks are flexible depending on your learning goals and the needs of the organisation.

You will be part of our office team (8 part-time staff + 2 ESC volunteers + variable number of interns) which supports the work of the movement. Since CATAPA is a volunteer movement, you will be working in close collaboration with motivated and enthusiastic volunteers. 

Possible tasks

Campaigning and Movement

  • Helping with the development and actions of the 2 central campaigns.
  • Help with setting up awareness raising and training activities for a variety of target groups (training or movement days/weekends, documentary screenings, workshops, info evenings, public actions, …).
  • Support volunteers and contribute with volunteer management tasks.
  • Participate actively in working groups and their projects and activities.
  • Help to develop and implement our central campaigns. 
  • Help out with organising our Speakers Tour, bringing environmental defenders from affected communities to Belgium to spread their story and build international solidarity.
  • Some administrative tasks related to the daily functioning of our office with the possibility to get an insight in the management of a non-profit organisation.
  • Write, revise and proofread articles, blogs, educational tools and reports.
  • Possibility to develop and implement your own projects.

Communication & Social Media Campaigning

  • Contribute in managing our social media channels and create input for those channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn).
  • Help with the communication and promotion for events. 
  • Assist with the social media aspects of our central campaigns. 
  • Help in keeping our website updated. 
  • Write, review and proofread articles. 
  • Create low-threshold graphic design (for example for a poster, a flyer or for a social media post). 
  • Build and support the Communication Working group of volunteers with the help of the Movement Worker. 
  • Help out with organising our Speakers Tour, bringing environmental defenders from affected communities to Belgium to spread their story and build international solidarity.
  • Some administrative tasks related to the daily functioning of our office with the possibility to get an insight in the management of a non-profit organisation
  • Possibility to develop and implement your own projects. 

Requirements

Campaigning & Movement

Essential:

  • Motivated to work with volunteers
  • Interest in learning about the social and environmental movement and mining issues
  • Good command of English 
  • Independent, proactive worker
  • Good communication skills
  • Willing to contribute to positive change in the world we live in
  • Team player with a flexible attitude 
  • Age below 31 years, no residence in Belgium (this is a requirement of the ESC programme)

Nice to have:

  • Knowledge/experience on or interest to learn about: 
    • Implementation and coordination of campaigns 
    • Organising educational or training events
    • Volunteer management
    • Circular and degrowth economy, environmental movements and/or international development
  • Knowledge of Dutch and/or Spanish

Communication & Social Media Campaigning

Essential:

  • Interest in learning about the social and environmental movement and mining issues
  • Good command of English
  • Independent, proactive worker
  • Motivated to work with volunteers
  • Good communication skills
  • Willing to contribute to positive change in the world we live in
  • Team player with a flexible attitude 
  • Age below 31 years, no residence in Belgium (this is a requirement of the ESC programme)

Nice to have:

  • Knowledge/experience on or interest to learn about: 
    • Communication strategies and campaigns
    • Design and layouting 
    • Circular and degrowth economy, environmental movements and/or international development
    • Volunteer management
    • Managing social media and websites
  • Knowledge of Dutch and/or Spanish
  • Movie editing skills
  • Ability to work with a camera

What do we offer?

    • A warm welcome in our horizontally organized movement with plenty of learning opportunities and new connections
    • A dynamic & motivated team of employees and volunteers
    • Monthly fee: cohousing accommodation of your choice (with a max. rent contribution of €450) and a reimbursement to cover daily expenses of €550.
    • A personal learning trajectory coached by one of CATAPA’s employees, one language course (Dutch, English or Spanish) and options to follow trainings to develop your personal skills.
    • Work-related expenses are paid by CATAPA

Important: This call is part of the European Solidarity Corps, a European Union initiative which creates opportunities for young people to volunteer in projects abroad. This means people based in Belgium can’t apply for this vacancy. If your current residence is in one of the countries in this list, then you are able to apply.

The volunteer positions will start from the 1st of September, for a period of 12 months and 30 hours a week.

 

Interested or more information?

Please send your CV and motivation letter to david.huylebroeck@catapa.be before 22h00 on the 5th of June 2022. If you have any questions concerning this vacancy, don’t hesitate to contact us. 

More information: www.catapa.be

Mechelen is the first city to sign our CTRL ALT DEL charter!

Mechelen is the first city to sign our CTRL ALT DEL charter!

On February 17, CATAPA Mechelen organised a debate about (de)colonisation. Alderwoman of Mechelen, Rina Rabau, also took part in the panel. As a result of this debate, the city of Mechelen committed itself to support our CTRL ALT DEL campaign against planned obsolescence. On 22 April, Earth Day, the CTRL ALT DEL charter was signed by alderwoman Rina Rabau, Walter Andino (volunteer CATAPA Mechelen) and staff member David Huylebroeck.

This great news made it into Het Laatste Nieuws and Het Nieuwsblad!

Mechelen is the first city to actively support our campaign, hopefully many more will follow. Read more about our CTRL ALT DEL campaign and our demands here. Would you like to help convince your city or town to support our campaign as well? Contact David at david.huylebroeck@catapa.be.

En El Nombre Del Litio – Clean Energy, For Who?

En El Nombre Del Litio: Clean Energy, For Who?

I’m the one who goes meandering through the hills

Watching life grow

With eyes of water that see the birth and death of time

I am healing the wounds of being

Don’t kill me or poison me

Don’t make me part of that suffering

You are death, I am life

You are the lithium, I am the feeling of the pacha

CATAPA held a screening of the documentary ‘En el Nombre del Litio’ at Studio Skoop, Gent on the 29th March as part of Belmundo Festival 2022. 

Eighty percent of the world’s lithium reserves are located in the ‘Lithium Triangle’; the salt flats that connect Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. The film depicts the disastrous consequences of lithium extraction for the indigenous communities of the Salares Grandes. Producing a single ton of lithium carbonate requires two million litres of water. And where is this lithium going? Each electric vehicle, central to the EU’s ‘green transition’ away from petrol and diesel based private transport, contains 4.5 kilograms of lithium.

“¿Energía limpia para quién?” (Clean energy for who?) (Clemente Flores, El Moreno)

After the screening, participants were challenged by Yblin Escobar Roman (CATAPA)  to think about the connections between the documentary and material consumption within the European Union and Belgium. Under the guise of ‘green mining’, the EU’s Critical Raw Materials list outlines a strategy for the resourcing of over thirty mined resources, such as lithium, deemed ‘necessary’ for the green transition. To fund the ‘green transition’, by 2050 the EU will require sixty times more lithium for electric vehicle batteries and energy storage versus current supply. 

Electric vehicles are not the solution to our climate crisis. Our push for ‘green mobility’ is steeped in the same extractivist logic that views our planet as an inexhaustible resource to be mined and dominated by humankind. But this fails to understand the fundamental contradiction: 

 

We cannot mine our way out of the climate crisis

This contradiction is at the heart of ‘El Nombre Del Litio’. Due to the harsh conditions, only microorganisms are adapted to survive within the Salar basin. Living under the salars, colonies, or ‘forests’ of microorganisms engaging in photosynthesis, have served as a carbon sink for over 3.5 billion years, releasing oxygen and creating our ozone layer. Yet, in the name of tackling the climate crisis, transnational corporations are extracting vast quantities of water from the basin, starving and destroying the very microorganisms that allow our continued existence on Mother Earth.

A Just Transition to Accessible, Carbon Zero Transport

Rather than maintaining the status quo by switching to electric cars, a just transition requires a fundamental re-organisation of our cities and communities towards zero emission public, not private transportation. Transportation accounts for 27% of global emissions.C40 Cities argue limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius requires doubling public transport use within cities by 2030. 

Despite this, De Lijn’s latest plans will oversee the removal of 1 in 7 bus stops in Ghent – around 200 in total. Zonder Bushalte Straat, an action group campaigning against these changes, argues this will inevitably prevent older and less mobile citizens from accessing and traversing the city. 

A Just Transition to the Right to Say No

The documentary also emphasises that a just transition requires indigenous and local communities having the Right to Say No to mining. Local communities must not only have the decisive, legally binding say over the fate of mining projects, this must be respected. 

I was born in the countryside,

I am the son of a peasant

I defend my tradition,

Of all the Argentine north

My father is the Chañi mountain

My mother the white Salar

During the documentary, the indigenous communities discuss Kachi-Yupi (literal translation: salt tracks), a document they collectively produced for the consultation process.Together with international laws on Free, Prior and Informed Consent, this document demands mining companies must seek approval from all of the indigenous communities of the Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc basin before proceeding with an activity or project. Despite promises, the document was never formalised into an official decree. Instead, the Argentinian state transferred ownership of the lands to JEMSE to pursue lithium extraction for the sake of ‘development’ without consent.

“If communities aren’t participating actively in the state, the state is meaningless’ (Clemente Flores, El Moreno)

Companies also seek ‘Social Licence to Operate’ by dividing communities with false promises of jobs, development and security. In the documentary, EXAR promised lithium mining would directly and indirectly provide around eight hundred jobs to the local community for over thirty years.

Whilst large-scale mining projects may provide jobs in the short term, the long-term destruction is incomparable. The loss of water is disrupting pastoral agriculture, an activity the community has relied on for thousands of years. Once mining projects are completed, the jobs are also taken with them, leaving behind a community contaminated and fractured by violence and conflict.

“Mining is bread for today, but hunger for tomorrow” (Gil Cruz, Susques)

In response, the indigenous communities of the Salinas Grandes and Guayatayoc Lagoon mobilised to protest the violation of international law on indigenous rights, the failure to consult the collective assembly by lithium mining companies operating in Quebraleña territory and to demand an end to all mining activities in the area. 

“I give my life for the Salar. I cannot accept this.If you want, kill me first. Then you will pass through the Salar.” (Veronica Chavez, Santuario Tres Pozos)

Our transition to sustainable energy must only be green, but just. This cannot be achieved through our current path of continued extractivism, which promises nothing but destruction. We are at a crossroads. Rather than extracting lithium for electric cars, our society must be based on social and environmental justice where the extraction of non-renewable resources is no longer necessary.

Water, little water

They call me and they think of me

Water, little water,

They say to me as I pass by

Protect our place

Well chayadita my soul will remain

With the dance of the suris I’ll stop

With the trot of the vicuñas I will follow

With the condor I will fly

In the rain over the Andes I will return

Jallalla! 

En El Nombre del Litio is produced by Calme Cine & FARN, and directed by Tian Cartier, Martín Longo and Pía Marchegiani. You can read more about the film and indigenous communities fighting against lithium mining on their website: https://enelnombredellitio.org.ar

*This documentary was screened as part of Cinema Belmundo 2022. Cinema Belmundo is a collaboration between various organisations that show films to make an impact. This year, the collaboration consists of Studio Skoop Cinema, 11.11.11, Amnesty International, BOS+, Broederlijk Delen, Dierenartsen Zonder Grenzen, FOS ngo and JEF.

Written by Catapista Connor Cashell

Sources:

An Van Bost (2021) ‘Ghent action group fights to preserve bus stops in and around Ghent with symbolic action’, VRT, 21 June. Available at: https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2021/06/21/een-deel-bushaltes-in-en-rond-gent-dreigt-te-verdwijnen/ [Accessed 30 March 2022].

Bankwatch Network (2021). Raw Deal: Does the new EU development model mean more of the same destructive mining? Available at: https://bankwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/RAW_DEAL.pdf [Accessed 30 March 2022].

C40 Cities, International Transport Workers’ Federation (2021). Public transport global coalition statement. Available at: https://www.c40.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Global-coalition-statement-ENG.pdf [Accessed 30 March 2022]

En El Nombre Del Litio (2021) Directed by T. Cartier, Longo. M and Marchegiani.Pía [Film]. El Salvador, Argentina: Calme Cine.

European Commission (2020) ‘Critical Raw Materials Resilience: Charting a Path towards greater Security and Sustainability’. Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0474 [Accessed 30 March 2022]

European Environmental Bureau, Friends of the Earth Europe (2021) 

‘Green mining is a myth’: the case of cutting EU resource consumption. 

Available at: https://eeb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Green-mining-report_EEB-FoEE-2021.pdf 

[Accessed 22 March 2022].

FARN & Calma Cine (2021) En el Nombre Del Litio. Available at: https://enelnombredellitio.org.ar/home-2-en/. [Accessed: 30 March 2022].

Kachi-Yupi (2015) Salt Traces: Free, Prior and Informed Consultation and Consent Procedure for the Indigenous Communities of the Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc Basin. Available at: https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Kachi-Yupi-Huellas.pdf [Accessed 30 March 2022]. 

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs: Indigenous Peoples (2016) Free Prior and Informed Consent – An Indigenous Peoples’ right and a good practice for local communities – FAO. Available at: https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/publications/2016/10/free-prior-and-informed-consent-an-indigenous-peoples-right-and-a-good-practice-for-local-communities-fao/ [Accessed 30 March 2022]

Zonder Bushalte Straat (2022) [Facebook]. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/zonderbushaltestraat/ [Accessed 30 March 2022].

Speakers Tour 2022 Overview

SPEAKERS TOUR 2022 OVERVIEW

The Speakers Tour was a big success! Thank you all so much for making this happen! What a wonderful edition. This year, two environmental defenders, Mirtha and Rosas from Cajamarca, Perú, were invited by Catapa to raise awareness and to talk about their struggle.

They shared their story fighting big scale mining in Perú and talked about how standing up for their rights comes with the risk and fear of being intimidated, stigmatized and prosecuted. During their visit they talked to students, local and european politicians, press, civil society organisations and interested citizens.

Let’s recap everything we did:

Finally the day has arrived: our guests will arrive in Belgium. In times of Covid, this is not an easy task. When Rosas, Mirtha and Maxime are supposed to board their first plane in Cajamarca, Perú, to Lima, Mirtha and Maxime are refused entry. Rosas is able to pass and does the transcontinental journey all by himself. Luckily, we manage to find flights to get Maxime and Mirtha on a plane the next day. At night we go to pick up Rosas at Brussels Airport. But, he does not come through arrivals at the expected time! Then we find out his flight from Lima has been delayed and he missed his connection flight. Four hours later than planned, he finally arrives! What an adventure, welcome to Belgium Rosas, so curious to hear all your stories and the wisdom you will share with us.

Arrival Mirtha & Maxime: Good news, we heard Mirtha and Maxime were able to start their journey this time and will arrive in the evening. With Rosas we already start preparations for the presentations he will give during his time here. It seems he brought the sun, because since he arrived we have only had clear blue skies and sunshine. He has so much to tell us and many questions to ask too. At night at last Mirtha and Maxime are picked up at Ghent station. We celebrate by eating a mountain of Belgian fries. Our speakers are finally reunited, the tour can start! 

EEB Event

Our Peruvian environmental defenders, alongside indigenous representatives from Russia and Guatemala, meet with MEP’s to share their stories of fighting on the frontlines to defend their communities from destructive mining projects. 

They demand tougher battery and due diligence legislation that centres the voices and experiences of impacted communities. Under the ‘social licence to operate’ (SLO), a non-binding voluntary commitment to ‘good practice’, corporations are able to greenwash their operations. International voluntary standards on responsible corporate conduct have failed to have an impact on environmental and human rights abuses along supply chains.

The delegation emphasised the importance of retaining copper, bauxite and iron within proposed due diligence obligations. They also brought attention to the need to include obligations towards climate impacts.

You can read the full article here

Public action

El pueblo reclama el agua que es vida, porque la minera ensucia y contamina…”

When one thinks of Cajamarca, one thinks of Carnival. As the Carnival capital of Peru, it isn´t a surprise we can also recognize this Carnival culture in the activists´ fight against mining companies. There are dozens of carnival songs written about the defense of water and human rights. Art is one of the most powerful forms of protests, and has been during hundreds and hundreds of years. Murals, songs, tales, poetry, paintings, all forms of art can be powerful ways of protesting. Think of the impact Máxima Acuña had when she sang her story when she won the Goldman Environmental Prize instead of telling it…

And it´s that bit of Cajamarcan culture, and art as a powerful way of protest, that we brought to Sint-Pietersplein in Ghent on the first Friday of our Speakers Tour. We sang typical carnival resistance songs from Cajamarca about the defense of their rivers, lakes and land as an opening of our tour and out of solidarity with Cajamarca. ¡Agua si, oro no! 

 

KICK-OFF

After our public action our Speakers Tour could really start! In a nice setting in the Sint-Pietersabdij, we all got together to really get to know our guests for the first time. After some nice introductions by Truike, part of the organization of the Speakers Tour, Charlotte, as partner coordinator, and Maxime as GECO in Cajamarca, we finally got the chance to hear the stories of Mirtha and Rosas first hand! 

Mirtha, director of our partner GRUFIDES, told us about the beauty of Cajamarca, a district in the northern Andes of Peru, and how it suffers under mining activities. 23.9 per cent, almost a quarter of Cajamarca, is already sold to mining companies! Mirtha told us about the impacts of these mining activities in her region, in a very emotional speech, and showed all of us why we should keep fighting against mining projects.

Then it was Rosas turn. Rosas comes from the Valley of Condebamba in Cajamarca. He told us about how he dedicated his life fighting against formal, informal and ilegal mining projects in his region, how he spent months up in the mountains amongst thousands of his compañeros and made the mining company leave, about how he has already been denounced 5 times for defending his land. He told us about how the products from his Valley are completely contaminated by heavy metals, and how these products are exported and sold even in Carrefour in Belgium! This shows us once again that the fight against mining activity isn´t something from far away, it´s something that impacts all of us, we are also eating these contaminated avocados. ¡La lucha es de todxs!

Breakfast with a Rebel

The first public event of the tour! A traditional one: our annual Breakfast with a Rebel/Ontbijt met een Rebel, part of the Gentian Belmundo Festival! Together with partners FOS, GAPP, Linx+ & Cubanismo we placed 6 rebels around seperate tables. The rebels all had an interesting personal story with a link to human and nature rights. Participants could enjoy a Palestinian brunch, while listening to these inspiring stories. Two of those rebels were Rosas & Mirtha! Their enriching stories showed the strong interlinkedness between human and nature rights, from a Peruvian perspective. 

 

Tourist trip in Ghent

The guides Alberto and Silke were showing Mirtha and Rosas around in Ghent. Both were very interested in how the city is changing into a more friendly for pedestrians and bikers. And how the water system in Ghent was reconstructed towards recreative and sustainable goals. We had a hot chocolate and some Belgian waffles to warm up! 

Bel-LATAM Network 

Mirtha participated in her first Bel-LatAM Network meeting at the office of 11.11.11. She was surprised by the many people knowing Grufides and having worked before with Mirtha Vasquez. Mirtha was very eager to share the movie where Maxima Acuña is filmed in Cajamarca in Dec too, making the connections with screening here in Brussels. Mirtha ended the meeting with sharing many stories and anecdotes about the analphabetic populations affected by mining and being very vulnerable in how to protect themselves having no access to the Spanish Language, documents or data. And how mining is framed as needed for the so-called “green transition” but really affected again their territory.  Our international support is more than ever needed. 

Student Event Leuven 

Rosas travelled to KU Leuven to deliver a striking testimony about the impact of several mining projects on his community and their collective resistance. In the second half of the event, students were challenged to question the links between extractivism and their university.

You can read the full article here

Strategic meeting Perú WG

The members of the Peru WG met all together for the first time in person!!! We had the chance to listen directly from Rosas the current situation in the valle de Condebamba where the communities are threatened by informal mining and we listened to Mirtha updating us about the new threats of the subterranean mining that Yanacocha wants to start. We then brainstorm about further activities that the WG can put in placed to support the fight of our friends.

Round Table

On March 8, on the occasion of International Women’s Day,  we listened to the testimony of defensoras from Peru, Colombia and The Netherlands/Bolivia. They shared stories about climate activism and their experiences and struggles within the defense of their territories, in order to promote solidarity and to connect different struggles for justice. They also talked about the vital role of women in activism.

Student event in Antwerp

Rosas gives a powerful testimony to students of the University of Antwerp. After a Q&A, the students take part in a citizen council, in which they take a critical view on the link between mining and their university. Willy guides Rosas through Antwerp, and they have dinner in the restaurant Via Via.

Meeting with Quinoa

Mirtha met with Quinoa, one of Grufides partners, to present the ongoing projects of Grufides, update about the current situation in Cajamarca and discuss the programme of the Quinoa summer project for a group of Belgian volunteers

 

Farm visit

Rosas met with farmers from Boerenforum, a collective of farmers organisations utilising a range of agroecological methods within Flanders, to exchange knowledge and practices. Agroecology is a not only a practical science involving zero use of chemicals and pesticides, but also a social movement. Agroecology calls for the complete dismantlement of the industrial food system and green revolution, with it’s focus on food production and profits over access and the rights of nature. 

The delegation visited several farms across the region, including a bio-dairy farm which creates a variety of agroecological products, including it’s own delicious ice cream! The delegation shared their experiences of working within a variety of farm systems and environments. They also discussed several barriers preventing the further scaling up of agroecology within both the European Union and Peru, including access to technical knowledge and expertise, financial support, land, water and harmful legislation that continues to prioritise destructive industrial agriculture over the environment. 

H-LEP and NEMO 

Mirtha and Rosas participated in a High-Level Expert panel (H-LEP) on recycling mining waste organised by EU Horizon 2020 NEMO project. People from academia, industry, civil society, the European Commission and the United Nations sat together with our Peruvian guests at the table looking for a global perspective on the revalorisation of mining tailings. Mirtha was invited as a speaker and presented the mining waste reality and the community’s struggles in Cajamarca. She ended her presentation with four recommendations for the European Commission: protect Human Rights, provide meaningful community participation, empower the community to recognise and revindicate indigenous knowledge. After Mirtha’s presentation, the other three speakers presented a proposal of recycling mining waste in Bolivia, the Recycling of mining waste in Sweden, and the Life Cycle Assessment to evaluate the impact of recycling mining waste. 

Following the presentations, Mirtha and Rosas participated in round tables to bring their perspectives and experiences further. Meeting them was, for many, a reality check of the situation at the beginning of our metal supply chain.  

 

Yes to Life No to Mining network 

Mirtha met like-minded civil society activists from the Yes to Life No to Mining network (YLNM) in the afternoon and evening. It was an international hybrid meeting, with people joining from Brussels, the UK, Finland, Spain, Belgium, Ireland, Bolivia, Peru, and many more European and non-European countries. The objective of the meeting was to align understandings and strategies on the Right to Say No (RTSN). Mirtha painfully described the absence of the RTSN in Cajamarca and Perú in general and vividly described the consequences of this gap. Our understanding of the RTSN is growing fast, just as the demand for more metal for the green transition to fighting Climate Change. We still need to learn many things, but we know for sure that communities like Cajamarca, and people like Mirtha and Rosas, need to be in the driving seat when it comes to deciding on mining their resources and quality of life. They need to have the Right to Say No. 

Lunch with the city of Ghent

We had a lunch meeting today with people of the city of Ghent, including a deputy minister of international cooperation! 

Pago a la tierra

On our last Saturday morning, a sunny morning anouncing spring is finally on its way, we took a bus and a tiny little ferry to visit the natural reserve of Levende Leie and end our Speakers Tour with an intimate ceremony, a pago a la tierra. In Peruvian culture during these pagos a la tierra you thank the Earth for all its given you and ask to continue helping you in the future. We circeled around some typical peruvian foods, seeds from Cajamarca, flowers, natural products, and Cajamarcan instruments, and expressed our gratitude for these last two weeks, for all we´ve learned and shared, and vouched that we will always continue this fight together.

Trip to Brugge

Rosas and Mirtha visited Bruges and were fascinated by the charm of this small town in Flanders: the historic centre, the cobbled streets… We had a nice lunch and shared a waffle afterwards! It was a very nice day in which we shared anecdotes from the tour.

 

Restart Party

CATAPA, together with Bos+, Repair&Share, De Transformisten and Avansa, gave a preview of what a system without growth would look like, at the Restart Party in Antwerp. 

While repairers at the Repair Café tried to get electro-appliances working again, our workshop went deeper into the dangers of planned obsolescence for people and the environment. We dwelt on the actions needed to wake up politicians and businesses to push that reset button. Rosas and Mirtha shared their story and afterwards we went to @Circuit’s cozy Kringwinkel.

 

End of the Tour

The tour is finally over. Thank you all so much for making this happen! What a wonderful edition. Thanks to all of you who all helped in many different ways. What a privilege to have had them here for this time and what a joy to have it shared with so many. 

THANK YOU ALL WONDERFUL CATAPISTAS!!!! For the amazing organization! And the super leuke activities and initiatives!!!

Speakers Tour Student Event Ku Leuven

Speaker’s Tour Student Event – Citizens Council: Extractivism and KULeuven

Speaker’s Tour Student Event – Citizens Council: Extractivism and KULeuven

We do not eat gold, we do not drink oil.

(Rosas Duran Carrera, KULeuven Student Event)

During this year’s Speaker’s Tour CATAPA organised several events in student campuses across Flanders. On Monday 7th March Rosas travelled to KULeuven to deliver a striking testimony about the impact of several mining projects on his community and their collective resistance. 

In the second half of the event, students were challenged to question the links between extractivism and their university. For example, KULeuven’s SIM2 Institute works on ‘environmentally friendly’ mineral and material extraction and recycling. The institute works with various extractive companies, such as Nyrstar and Umicore, with a history of environmental and human rights violations and ties to Belgian colonialism.

Speakers Tour Student Event Ku Leuven

The enthusiasm in the room was electric. Students brainstormed several strategies around how we could take collective action to force KULeuven to divest from mining and provide greater transparency. We then planned a further meeting to turn these ideas into a concrete  campaign.

This event was part of the Speaker’s Tour 2022.

Written by catapista Connor Cashell.

Sources:

KULeuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals (2022) Industrial Sounding Board,
Available at: https://kuleuven.sim2.be/industrial-sounding-board/
[Accessed 22 March 2022]. 
 
KULeuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals (2022) Mission and Vision.
Available at: https://kuleuven.sim2.be/mission-vision/
[Accessed 22 March 2022].
 
Sanderson, Henry (2019) ‘Congo, child labour and your electric car’, Financial Times, July 7 2019.
Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/c6909812-9ce4-11e9-9c06-a4640c9feebb
[Accessed 23 March 2022]. 
 
Shepherd, Tony (2021) ‘In the shadow of Port Pirie’s lead smelter,
parents fight a losing battle against contamination’, Guardian, 3 September 2021.
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/sep/04/
[Accessed 23 March 2022].
Summary MEP day speakers tour 2022

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS MEET WITH MEP’S

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS, INDIGENOUS REPRESENTATIVES OF COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY MINING MEET WITH MEP’S REGARDING EU DUE DILIGENCE LEGISLATION

Our Peruvian environmental defenders, alongside indigenous representatives from Russia and Guatemala, met with MEP’s on Thursday 4th March to share their stories of fighting on the frontlines to defend their communities from destructive mining projects. 

International voluntary standards on responsible corporate conduct have failed to have an impact on environmental and human rights abuses along supply chains.

They demanded tougher battery and due diligence legislation that centres the voices and experiences of impacted communities. Under the ‘social licence to operate’ (SLO), a non-binding voluntary commitment to ‘good practice’, corporations are able to greenwash their operations. International voluntary standards on responsible corporate conduct have failed to have an impact on environmental and human rights abuses along supply chains.

Our Peruvian defenders were part of a delegation that met with the assistants of French MEP Manon Aubry - GUE/NGL (pictured above) and Dutch MEP Antonius Manders (EEP)
Our Peruvian defenders were part of a delegation that met with the assistants of French MEP Manon Aubry - GUE/NGL (pictured above) and Dutch MEP Antonius Manders (EEP)

The delegation emphasised the importance of retaining copper, bauxite and iron within proposed due diligence obligations. They also brought attention to the need to include obligations towards climate impacts.

Current Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence proposals only require EU mining companies with more than 250 employees and an annual turnover of 40 million euros to prevent human rights and environmental abuses along their supply chains. This applies to less than 0.2% of EU companies. 

Companies will also only be required to prevent the impact of so-called ‘established’ business partners. This fails to cover short-term relationships, incentivising companies to regularly switch suppliers to avoid liability. 

The proposed law also fails to remove serious legal hurdles that prevent transnational cases being brought against companies, such as costs, short time-limits, lack of access to evidence and a disproportionate burden of proof. 

Beyond corporate sustainability, our environmental defenders pushed for a fundamental transformation of our society and relationship with nature. Our current linear model of consumption and production is a driving cause of the climate crisis. In this “throwaway” model, the pursuit of limitless growth, production and consumption are destroying our biodiversity, polluting our rivers and killing those who defend us.

Overconsumption in the EU is directly tied to destructive mining projects in Peru and Latin America. The EU’s material footprint is 14.5 tonnes per capita (of which 20% is imported from outside of the EU). This is double the just limit of consumption and is using up to 97% of the planet’s ‘safe operating space’. 

After visiting the EU Parliament, our environmental defenders met with other indigenous representatives, CSOs and MEPs for dinner to build and strengthen links of solidarity between their fights for justice.

This meeting occurred in collaboration with the EEB, as part of the Speaker’s Tour 2022.

Written by catapista Connor Cashell.

Sources: 

Business and Human Rights Centre Resource Centre., (2019). 
Brumadinho dam collapse: lessons in corporate due diligence and remedy for harm done. 
Available at: https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/blog/brumadinho-dam-collapse-lessons-in-corporate-due-diligence-and-remedy-for-harm-done/ 
[Accessed 22 March 2022].

Cockburn, H. (2020) ‘Climate crisis: 
global temperature rise of 2C ‘would release billions of tonnes of soil carbon’, Independent, 2 November 2020. 
Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/soil-carbon-climate-crisis-global-warming-b1534409.html 
[Accessed 22 March 2022].

European Commission (2021) ‘Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council 
on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937’. 
Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/1_1_183885_prop_dir_susta_en.pdf 
[Accessed 22 March 2022].

European Environmental Bureau, Friends of the Earth Europe (2021). 
Green mining is a myth’: the case of cutting EU resource consumption. 
Available at: https://eeb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Green-mining-report_EEB-FoEE-2021.pdf 
[Accessed 22 March 2022].

MEP Antonius Manders (2021), Report on the liability of companies for environmental damage (2020/2027(INI)) 
Committee on Legal Affairs. 
Available at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2021-0112_EN.pdf 
[Accessed 22 March 2022].

OECD (2011), Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (2011 update), 
Available at: https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264115415-en 
[Accessed 22 March 2022].

United Nations (2011), Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: 
Implementing the United Nations ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ Framework. 
Available at https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesBusinessHR_EN.pdf 
[Accessed 22 March 2022].
Thank you volunteers!

Volunteers’ Week

This week it’s Volunteers’ Week in Belgium, a time to think about and thank the work of all the volunteers who have been collaborating for years to make the CATAPA project possible.

Thanks in a million!!!!

As every year, we have the opportunity to welcome two volunteers in the framework of the European Solidarity Corps, a programme funded by the European Commission that brings young people the opportunity to volunteer around Europe in social and environmental projects. It offers an inspiring and empowering experience for young people who want to help, learn and develop.

Currently, in Belgium, there are a large number of volunteers working on multiple projects, which are managed by JINT (Nationaal Agentschap voor Erasmus+ Jeugd).  

Our two 2021-22 ESC volunteers, Connor and Laura, were invited to participate these days in a gathering with them. A space for volunteer training, to explore the interculturality of the group, to meet international people and to have a meaningful and educational experience.

During the training, bonding activities took place among the volunteers as well as reflection sessions about the volunteer tasks in order to learn from each other.

Do you have nice #catapistas pictures yourself? Send them to communication.sc@vzw.catapa.be! Or share them via social media with #catapistas & don’t forget to tag us on Instagram @catapa_vzw or on Facebook @catapa.belgium.

Are you a catapista yourself? We’d love to hear what you would like us to organise in the future! Share your ideas via this form.

Become a Catapa Volunteer!

Thanks a lot & see you soon!

Speaker’s Tour 2022 – Overview activities

CATAPA’s next Speakers Tour is coming up!

From the 3rd until the 13th of March we have two Peruvian guests visiting us in Belgium: Rosas Duran Carrera, a farmer and activist from the Valle de Condebamba in Cajamarca, and Mirtha Villanueava, director of our partner organisation GRUFIDES. 

Their days will be filled with awareness raising, networking and lobbying events. They are here to share their struggle against large-scale mining in Peru and how standing up for their rights comes with the risk and fear of being intimidated, stigmatized and persecuted. During their visit, they will talk to students, local and European politicians, the press, civil society organizations and interested citizens. 

Here you can find an overview of activities in which you are able to meet them personally:

 

4.03: Kick-Off Speaker’s Tour + Public Action

4 March 2022, 18h45, Ghent. 

We start with an internal reception to give a warm welcome to our speakers with our movement, as well as a celebration to kick-off the speaker’s tour. Old and new Catapistas and CATAPA’s partners are invited. Didn’t inscribe yet? Fill in this form: https://forms.gle/v1DBtAh72NNGLqFw8

The Kick Off starts at 19h30, but before that (at 18h45) we already gather at Sint-Pietersplein in Ghent for a public action! During this action we will sing Cajamarcan protest songs, play music and call for the protection of our environmental defenders and for the implementation of the Right to Say No! If you register for the kick off, you will receive all the information about the action too. 

 

06.03: Ontbijt met een Rebel 

6 March 2022, 9h30, Ghent

It has become a tradition, our annual Breakfast with a Rebel! After a coronabreak last year, we are going for it again this year! Come and listen to five rebels on 6 March with inspiring stories from all corners of the world, while you can feast on the vegetarian breakfast buffet.

More information here.

 

8.03: Round Table: DEFENSORAS. Tierras que resisten en manos de mujeres

8 March 2022, 19h30, Brussels

Being a woman and defending the land is the double threat faced by women environmental defenders all over the world.

On March 8, we will listen to the testimony of defensoras from Peru, Colombia and The Netherlands/Bolivia. They will share stories about climate activism and their experiences and struggles within the defense of their territories, in order to promote solidarity and to connect different struggles for justice. They’ll also talk about the vital role of women in activism.

Join our cozy round table conversation and get strengthened by stories of hope and resistance of these inspiring Defensoras!

More information about the event here.

 

 

7, 9 & 10.03: Student events 

Our guests will go to three universities to talk in four events about their experiences with students. All these testimonies will be followed by an interactive session, in which we will determine some links between the universities and issues related to mining. Together we will brainstorm about solutions and think of ways to present these solutions to the rector!

Three of those four events are public! Also non-students are welcome to take part. Here’s an overview: 

 

12.03: Re-Connect Restart Party

12 March 2022, 14h, Antwerp

Rosas & Mirtha will share their testimonies at the Re-Connect Restart Party on the 12th of March! This is a Repair Café with all kinds of interesting workshops and sessions, which takes place at Circuit in Antwerp. Rosas & Mirtha will explain why the Right to Repair and going towards a more circular way to produce and consume metals is important to reduce our need for newly extracted raw materials. 

More information here. 

 

This year CATAPA is collaborating with Gent Fair Trade for the Speaker Tour activities that take place in Ghent. 

LINK TO ALL EVENTS