{"id":21990,"date":"2021-08-04T11:31:35","date_gmt":"2021-08-04T09:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catapa.be\/?p=21990"},"modified":"2021-08-25T10:44:02","modified_gmt":"2021-08-25T08:44:02","slug":"right-to-say-no-webinar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catapa.be\/en\/right-to-say-no-webinar\/","title":{"rendered":"The Right to Say No: Insights and Experiences of the Global Struggle against Mining"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]WEBINAR:<\/p>\n

The Right to Say No: Insights and Experiences of the Global Struggle against Mining<\/span><\/h1>\n

4th August, 2021<\/p>\n

Last week <\/span>The Thematic Social Forum on Mining and Extractive Economy<\/span><\/i><\/a> explored the \u201cRight to Say No\u201d to mining projects all over the world during a global webinar. Speakers from four different continents were invited to speak about their own insights and experiences around the Right to Say No (RTSN).<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]JTNDaWZyYW1lJTIwd2lkdGglM0QlMjI1NjAlMjIlMjBoZWlnaHQlM0QlMjIzMTUlMjIlMjBzcmMlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnd3dy55b3V0dWJlLmNvbSUyRmVtYmVkJTJGZ1dnblc0VUxqM2MlMjIlMjB0aXRsZSUzRCUyMllvdVR1YmUlMjB2aWRlbyUyMHBsYXllciUyMiUyMGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyJTNEJTIyMCUyMiUyMGFsbG93JTNEJTIyYWNjZWxlcm9tZXRlciUzQiUyMGF1dG9wbGF5JTNCJTIwY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlJTNCJTIwZW5jcnlwdGVkLW1lZGlhJTNCJTIwZ3lyb3Njb3BlJTNCJTIwcGljdHVyZS1pbi1waWN0dXJlJTIyJTIwYWxsb3dmdWxsc2NyZWVuJTNFJTNDJTJGaWZyYW1lJTNF[\/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text](You can watch the full webinar on youtube <\/span><\/strong>here<\/span><\/a>)<\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

First up was Farai Maguwu from Zimbabwe (Centre for Natural Resource Governance <\/span>– <\/span>CNRG<\/span><\/a>), followed by Aung Ja from Burma, Hal Rhoades from Northern Europe (Yes to Life No to Mining \u2013 <\/span>YLNM<\/span><\/a>) and Karina from Brazil (Movement for Popular Sovereignty in Mining – <\/span>MAM<\/span><\/a>).
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\n<\/span>The Right to Say No has never been more pertinent. In the name of economic growth, mining projects are causing damage and pollution everywhere. Natural resources are being exploited and local communities are being devastated. Natural resources are being plundered and people are losing access to clean water and fertile land, which is impacting their livelihoods, health and wellbeing. The divide between rich and poor, the ones benefiting from the extractivist\/capitalist model and the ones suffering from it, is getting bigger and bigger. This in a world where there has never been more wealth and abundance. On top of that there is the urgent reality of climate change, with this model pushing the bounds of our planet.<\/span><\/p>\n

We also note the resistance of local communities who demand the ‘Right to Say No’ on these extractive activities.<\/span> During the webinar, case studies from Africa, Asia, Europe and South America were presented, in which the ‘Right to Say No’ was the focus of this collective fight against mining.<\/span><\/span>
\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”22003″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]We don\u2019t have to reinvent the wheel in the fight for our common cause. \u00a0Local communities are resisting these mining projects and asserting their Right to Say No. These local actions are providing the foundation for strategies and alternatives needed to challenge the system. There are different contexts to be dealt with but we can definitely learn from each other\u2019s struggles and victories and apply them to our own situation. As Hal pointed out during his talk, currently there is no real \u2018Right\u2019 to Say No. This is something we are asserting, not something we can (yet) claim.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Historical context<\/span><\/h2>\n

Many mining projects are a display of the historical hold of colonial power and foreign influence. Countries with a colonial past \u2013 for example the UK, which houses a lot of these large mining corps \u2013 are the same that are now putting pressure on more extraction projects. The end destination of the profits from these projects go to developed countries, the former colonizers, and not the countries that are the home to these resources. On top of that, Europe is also the main over-consumer of minerals and energy. Whether directly involved or not, these countries are the ones benefiting from it, while the countries from the Global South where these projects happen are the ones being exploited.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Current context<\/span><\/h2>\n

I<\/span>n certain countries there is the problem of limited democratic space because of repressive or military regimes. We heard from Farai and Aung Ja about the struggles people and communities face in Zimbabwe and Birma respectively. People in power are working hand in hand with corporations and investors from different countries (Australia, India, China, Bulgaria, UK,..) against their own population. The people face eviction from their lands and violence or punishments if they stand up for their rights. Protesting these actions of governments and mining corporations is an act of courage in the face of these threats. <\/span>
\n<\/span>The current European Green Deal also poses a big problem as it will incentivize and support mining expansion (read more on this subject here<\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

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Common Ground<\/span><\/h2>\n

W<\/span>e need to be plural and refrain from taking a one size fits all approach (which is an extractive, capitalist idea) \u2013 to each situation there is a specific context. The RTSN movement is a heterogeneous collection of organizations, people and cultures. But there are certain principles that give the variety of organizations that are a part of the movement common ground (derived from Hal\u2019s presentation):<\/span><\/p>\n