Review by Vale of the report “The mining and steel industry’s impacts on human rights in Açailândia, Brazil – How much are human rights worth?” Published on May 19, 2011 in the state of Maranhão by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

It is with regret that we are placed in the position of having to refute serious unfounded accusations of human rights violations made against us...We were surprised not to have been given access to the report before it was distributed to the media. We expected that a serious institution like FIDH would adopt a proactive and conciliatory approach. However we were faced with a media spectacle used to judge and convict based on unsubstantiated data. The documents presented, when analyzed under the law, do not stand. It is precisely through working together that we have made a great deal of progress in our relationships with communities, pursuing shared goals and positive results for all stakeholders. Institutions that work with this mindset have our utmost respect and we seek to support them in the challenges that we face in our operations...Main points to be clarified [listed]