“Lip-Service But Little Action on U.N. Business and Human Rights Principles in Latin America” – 21 March 2015

- “I would tell institutions and companies that are aware of the enormous damage they do to the soil, plants and the environment, to respect the decisions of the people. They are attacking life and health,” complained Taurino Rincón, an indigenous Mexican...[who] belongs to the Nahua people and is a member of the Indigenous Council for the Defence of the Territory of Zacualpan…[that] is fighting Gabfer SA de CV, a Mexican company planning open air mining exploration on their communal lands…This case is an example of the multiple conflicts between corporations and the communities affected by their operations which are flaring up in many economic sectors in Latin America, where slight regard has been paid to the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights…The Global Atlas of Environmental Justice, coordinated by the Science and Technology Institute at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona…has identified 99 environmental conflicts in Colombia, 64 in Brazil, 49 in Ecuador, 36 in Argentina, 35 in Chile, 33 in Peru and 32 in Mexico…“In the Latin American region, the discourse on corporate social responsibility is still very repetitive, and there is reluctance to understand the situation in terms of human rights,” complained Colombian researcher Amanda Romero of the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre [BHRRC]...In spite of the Guiding Principles and other initiatives, “impunity is increasing” in Latin America, according to the researcher from [BHRRC], which is based in London and launched its first report on the region in 2013…On Feb. 25 [BHRRC] launched two interactive platforms to assess actions taken to meet the Guiding Principles by companies and governments. Questionnaires were sent to 100 governments and 180 corporations…Romero proposed that the Guiding Principles should be made national law; the binding treaty should be supported; and activists should continue to engage the agencies that act as guarantors for human rights treaties..