"Structural problems in the coal industry" in the North of Mexico
Within the framework of the 12 years since the tragedy of the Pasta de Conchos mine in the coal region of Coahuila in Mexico, on 18th February 2018 representatives of the Family Organisation Pasta de Conchos presented the report "Red coal in Coahuila: here ends the silence", in Mexico City. This publication, supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, tells "the story of the human and environmental cost that the extraction of coal has brought and left" in this northern region of the country; it also documents the struggle that the family members of the 65 miners who lost their lives 12 years ago in the mine have undertaken.
International attention given to economic, social and cultural rights defenders
12 months have passed since the last time the United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR) Committee reviewed Mexico, therefore the most recent review that took place in March of this year was extremely welcome.
PBI's Newest Publication – Defending Life, Land, Territory and Environmental Defenders At-Risk
Several national and international human rights organisms and entities have identified that those human rights defenders who work on issues of land, territory and natural resources have been historically placed at the center of social and armed conflicts. This new publication includes the participation of human rights defenders from Coahuila, Chihuahua, Oaxaca, Guerrero and Mexico State, as well as organizations that work at the national level.
National Encounter against the Extractive Mining Model
On 7 and 8 October in Malinaltepec, a municipality in the Montaña Region of Guerrero, there was a National Encounter against the Extractive Mining Model. The forum was organized by the Regional Council of Agrarian Authorities in the Montaña-Costa Chica Region, Guerrero in Defense of Territory against Mining and the Biosphere Reserve, (CRAADT) and accompanied by the Tlachinollan Human Rights Center.
EDUCA Carries Out Speaking Tour to Europe: Community Land and Territory Defenders
As part of a speaking tour, Marcos Leyva, the director of Services for an Alternative Education (EDUCA) and Rosalinda Dionicio, representative of the Network of Community Defenders of the People of Oaxaca (REDECOM) held meetings with political representatives of the European Union and four European countries, as well as with special procedures of the United Nations and other key actors from the international community.
PBI Accompanies Rights Defender Cristina Auerbach
During the week of 29 October to 3 November, PBI traveled to the Carbon Region in the State of Coahuila to accompany the Pasta de Conchos Family Organization (OFPC).
PBI and International Organizations Present Shadow Report to the UN DESC Committee
PBI and other international organizations sent a shadow report about the situation of economic, social and cultural rights defenders for the review of the Mexican State by the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. This report highlights the extreme vulnerability faced by people who defend land and territory, as well as the types of aggressions that they face, which include threats, intimidation and criminalization.
Civil Society Organizations Hold Talks about the Right to Free, Prior and Informed Consultation in Chihuahua
On 11 August in Chihuahua City, a discussion took place about the “exercise of the right to Tribunal Consultation.” The event was organized by the Sierra Madre Alliance A.C. (ASMAC), with the participation of the Community Technical Consultation (CONTEC) and the Mexican Center for Environmental Law (CEMDA).
Focal Group on Businesses and Human Rights steps away from the Creation of the National Program for Businesses and Human Rights
On 27 July the Focal Group on Businesses and Human Rights made a statement and held a press conference to announce that they were stepping away from the process of creating the National Program for Businesses and Human Rights (PNEDH) because the proposal from the Mexican government did not meet the international standards established by the United Nations Guiding Principles.