Communities, social and political organizations,
environmentalists, workers of the Colombian mining and energy sector, handicraftsmen,
indigenous people, students, educators, human rights defenders and other
participants in the GRAND FORUM IN DEFENSE OF THE BRUNO STREAM, HEALTH AND THE
ENVIRONMENT, held on 4 and 5 March 2015 in Riohacha, make public to the
Colombian society and peoples of the world the following conclusions:
Carbones del Cerrejón Limited, in its P40 expansion
project, which aims to "increase production from 32 to 40 million tons of
coal per year starting from 2015" and in complicity with the government of
Juan Manuel Santos, plan to divert the Bruno stream, one of the main
tributaries of the Rancheria River. Since over 80% of La Guajira territory is
semidesert and its water supply is very fragile, changing the course of this
stream can result in the loss of biodiversity, accelerated and increased
sedimentation, and severe alterations of evapotranspiration, and a probable
death of the stream.
Resulting from the neoliberal policies being
implemented in the country since the 90s of last century by successive national
government and particularly the two of Juan Manuel Santos, we Colombians have
lost sovereignty over natural resources and food, allowing multinationals to
now have control of their use, for the benefit of mining and energy businesses
as stated in the FTAs. Through this process, the institutional framework has
been supplanted by the "Corporate Social Responsibility"; public
sector companies were sold; those that survive do so under the neoliberal
logic; environmental, labor and tax rules are relaxed to generate
"Investor Confidence"; the prior consultations were accommodated to
those interests; and the protests against such measures have been criminalized.
These policies have plunged La Guajira in the worst
crisis in its history, given the fact that agriculture has been changing
mining, which although occupies 60.9% of the departmental GDP, it only generates
2.9% of jobs. In addition, the 65.2 % of the population has unsatisfied basic
needs; 53.4% of the Guajiros survive with less than 200000 pesos a month, a coverage
rate of 51.2% in the aqueduct (just under Choco); illiteracy is 37%; 25% of
children live chronic malnutrition; and its hospital network is in bankrupt.
Similarly, mining has depleted soils; has disappeared a dozen if tributary
streams of the Rancheria River; has polluted surface and groundwater; has affected almost 12,000 hectares of
tropical dry forest; has displaced more
than 20,000 peasants from their own territories; and destructed more than 10
villages.
We announced that we will not allow any foreign
multinational corporation determine our future. The Guajiro people has the
right to decide on their territories and assets of nature existing here without
interference, pressure or deception that threatens our economic systems, life
projects and cultural systems. Therefore, we demand from the state and
multinationals respect for traditional authorities, laws and customs of the
Wayuu indigenous peoples and those of the Sierra Nevada, as well as those of
afro-descendants and Guajiros in general. Therefore, we demand the national
government not to carry out any mining and energy entrepreneurship in our
department, without prior consultation and community self-determination.
The defense of the River Rancheria taught us that
only by building and strengthening the wider unity of all peasants through
social mobilization can we defeat this nonsense of Cerrejón and the Government
of Santos to divert the stream. For this, the entire society must be linked in
this debate on the diversion of the stream and large-scale mining in La Guajira.
It is necessary for all critical sectors to contribute from environmental,
ethnic, cultural, rights, academic, productive, political and labor
perspectives so we can be together involved in the definition of a different
future for the nation and La Guajira .
Thus, we propose:
1. To perform the Departmental great March in the Defense
of the Bruno Stream, together with other social sectors, on Thursday 19 of
March in the city of Riohacha.
2. The organization of community forums in Maicao,
Barranca and Albania in April.
3. We call on the peasants to create favorable
conditions for the organization and social mobilization for a Civic Strike in Defense
for the Bruno Stream.
4. To perform the Grand International Forum on the
effects left by Cerrejon Mining in La Guajira, in the city of Vienna in June,
with the collaboration of international NGOs.
5. To take advantage of the the realization of the
forum in Europe to visit and report to parliaments and political parties in the
main European countries to report the damage and environmental, social, cultural
and economic abuses of Cerrejón for over 30 years.
6. To prepare a request for precautionary measures
to the UN and Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for the right to water
of the Wayuu communities and Afro-descendants.
7. To organize a meeting with all political
organizations of the department to set positions against this attack to life
and the environment.
8. To request consequential parliamentarians of the
department and the country for the realization of a debate in Congress.
Signing
organizations:
Comité Cívico por
la Dignidad de la Guajira, Sintracarbon, Comité Cívico por la Defensa del Rio
Ranchería y el Manantial de Cañaverales, Reclame, Movimientos Fuerza de Mujeres
Wayuu, Fecodemigua, Censat- Agua Viva, Cinep, Cedetrabajo, Mane Guajira, Aceu,
, Oce Guajira, , Comité Departamental de los Servicios Públicos Domiciliarios,
Centro de Estudios del Carbón, Resguardo indígena Zahino, Resguardo
indígena de Caicemapa, Centro de Estudios del Carbón, Mi planeta
Azul, Delegación Pueblo Zenu, Coochopen L.T.D.A, J.A.C Oreganal, Resguardo
Indígena Rodeíto el Pozo, Sintrabienestar, Asociación de Estudiantes de
Secundaria de la Guajira, CUT- Guajira, Fundación Ayatain, Comité de Servicios Públicos Domiciliarios del
Barrio los Esfuerzos de Riohacha,Comité de Servicios Públicos Domiciliarios del
Barrio Santo Domingo de Riohacha, Comité de Servicios Públicos
Domiciliarios del Barrio Taguaira de Riohacha, Comité de Servicios Públicos
Domiciliarios del Barrio Cristo Rey de Riohacha, Comité de Servicios Públicos
Domiciliarios del Barrio las Mercedes de Riohacha,Junta de Vivienda del Barrio
1 de Marzo, Junta de Acción Comunal del Barrio Santo Domingo,Junta de Acción
Comunal del Barrio San Judas, Riohacha, Junta de Acción Comunal del Barrio
Villa Sharid, Riohacha, Polo Democrático Alternativo. PDA
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