Defender of Cerro Quilish Awarded Peru Human Rights Prize
14 December 2004
Father Marco Arana of Oxfam partner GRUFIDES wins annual award.
Peru’s National Coordinator of Human Rights, a coalition of non-governmental human rights organizations, has announced that its annual human rights award will go to Father Marco Arana, a Catholic priest engaged in resolving conflicts between a mining company and communities in the province of Cajamarca.
The National Coordinator of Human Rights said in a statement, “The National Ángel Escobar Jurado Human Rights Prize is awarded to Father Marco Arana in recognition of his work as a mediator in the social conflict taking place in Cerro Quilish, and promoting dialogue and peaceful solutions to the controversy in Cajamarca.”
Father Arana is the president of GRUFIDES, an organization that trains people in communities affected by the Yanacocha gold mine in advocacy and environmental monitoring. Oxfam America has been funding the work of GRUFIDES since 2003.
Over the last several years, communities near the mountain Cerro Quilish and the city of Cajamarca have objected to the expansion of the Yanacocha mine onto Cerro Quilish, a source of fresh water for the city and surrounding farms. In 2000 the city declared Cerro Quilish a protected area, but the operator of the mine, Minera Yanacocha (majority owned by Newmont Mining of Denver) pressed ahead with plans to explore and mine the mountain, which is thought to hold over 300,000 ounces of gold.
Demonstrations against the expansion have drawn thousands of city residents and farmers. In early September protesters blocked the entrances to the mine, forcing Minera Yanacocha to fly in workers and supplies by helicopter. In November the company announced it had requested the government of Peru to revoke its permit to explore on Cerro Quilish, opening new opportunities for dialogue between the mine and the community.
The National Human Rights prize is awarded annually by the National Coordinator of Human Rights on December 10, the day the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the General Assembly in 1948. The prize is in honor of Ángel Escobar Jurado, a Peruvian human rights activist, and recognizes contributions towards the respect of human rights and special accomplishments during the year.
This is the second time this prize has been awarded to people working in support of communities affected by mining. In 2002 it was awarded to the town of Tambogrande, for its “defense of human rights, especially their right to a clean environment” following the town’s referendum, in which citizens overwhelmingly voted against allowing a proposed mine project to be carried out in and around the town.
Both of these cases involve the emerging human right standard of “free, prior, and informed consent,” the right of communities to have a voice in determining whether and how mining projects can be carried out on their lands. Oxfam America has been assisting communities seeking to defend their rights to be consulted about mining, and other projects such as gas and oil pipelines, in South and Central America, the United States, and West Africa. Oxfam America is also partnering with Earthworks in the No Dirty Gold campaign, which is advocating for more responsible mining practices and new industry standards that require recognition of the right to free, prior, and informed consent.
