“You’ve got fishermen that are losing their livelihoods, that can’t make their payments. There are men in tears in the food stamp lines because the fishing areas are already closed. We’ve got to be helping those men. There’s got to be more government oversight of what BP is doing to make sure the communities’ interests are protected,” said Rev. Tyronne Edwards, director of Zion Travelers Cooperative Center in Phoenix, LA.
Rev. Edwards and others are extremely concerned about how businesses will sustain themselves in the short and long term. Zion Travelers is working closely with fishermen who need to keep safe from toxins as they support the oil cleanup. Zion is also advocating for employing as many local and small business owners to assist in the recovery process as possible. And, while coastal organizations know the impact will be significant, no one knows yet just how big it will be – but are bracing for the worst.
“I can’t fathom the impact this is going to have, I can’t begin to imagine the impact on the fishing industry,” said Courtney Howell, Director of Bayou Grace Community Services in Chauvin, LA. “This is much larger than the aftermath of the hurricanes.”
Oxfam America has been working in these communities since the first days after Hurricane Katrina. According to a recent Oxfam study, Exposed , many of these communities are among the most vulnerable regions of the country, with the least ability to respond to disasters, and few avenues to make their voice heard in the recovery process. It is imperative that residents on the coast are heard now and throughout the recovery process.
“For the second time in less than five years, Oxfam’s friends and partners on the coast are facing monumental disasters from forces beyond their control. Oxfam will do all it can to ensure that the most vulnerable populations in the region will be heard and attended to as the disaster and recovery process unfold,” Oxfam America President Raymond Offenheiser said.
For the people who depend on the coastal waters for a living, the oil spill may have serious consequences for more than a decade. As the oil spill now reaches land, the closure of oyster beds (already started) may expand. The shrimp harvest, which generates about $962 million in annual retail sales, is also in jeopardy. Recreational fishing, too, is a major source of income for the economy generating about $1 billion in retail sales a year in the state. Nearly eight thousand jobs rely on saltwater sport fishing which produces about $757 million in annual economic impact in Louisiana, while sustaining more than 7,700 jobs. In addition, secondary jobs in restaurants, services, hospitality and tourism all depend on clean beaches and environmental bounty.
Community organizations like Bayou Interfaith Shared Community Organizing, (BISCO) Bayou Grace Community Services, Zion Travelers Cooperative Center, and the Steps Coalition are responding on numerous fronts, including environmental impact, coastal erosion, mental health needs, hazardous materials, livelihoods and information sharing. As they did after Hurricane Katrina, these community groups are filling crucial gaps between the official response from state, federal and BP officials and needs on the ground.
“This oil drilling disaster only reinforces our passion for our work to address the environmental, social and economic issues of our coast, our issues of coastal land loss and the dangers created when we see industrial and commercial interests creating long term negative impacts in our own community and neighboring communities along the coast,” said BISCO Executive Director Sharon Gauthe.
In coastal Mississippi, the Steps Coalition is also rededicating itself to recovery, gathering member organizations to determine needs and response strategies.
“The Steps coalition is spearheading efforts to coordinate advocates’ work in response to the BP oil spill and is partnering with local organizations to create forums where community residents can voice their concerns and fears,” said Steps Coalition director Roberta Avila.
]]>Last month, Newmont released the results of an independent review, which provides information about the company's community relationships and important recommendations for improving operations on the ground. The review, the first of its kind by a major mining company, came at the request of shareholders, led by New York-based Christian Brothers Investment Services, concerned about protests and environmental problems at Newmont's mining projects around the world. The company will formally present the results of the report to shareholders at the annual meeting.
"We commend Newmont for conducting a critical assessment of their community relationships. As shareholders gather this week, plans for urgent action to improve relations with the communities living near its operations should be at the top of the agenda," said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America.
Recommendations from the report include handling community conflicts at an earlier stage, holding management accountable for community relations, and establishing effective grievance processes at all sites. The report indentifies problems with Newmont's community interaction at several locations, including sites in Ghana and Peru.
Nearly 10,000 villagers, mainly poor farmers, were displaced by the Newmont's Ahafo mine in Ghana. The report identified the long-term success of the resettlement as one of the greatest risks confronting the project and called on Newmont to actively monitor the implementation of resettlement. Newmont and the World Bank (IFC) will be conducting an audit of the resettlement program this year. Oxfam urges Newmont to make the audit process transparent and participatory.
Newmont's Yanacocha mine in Peru has been the site of repeated protests and violence in recent years. In 2007, local mining activists were the targets of harassments and death threats.
"The report identified an atmosphere of fear and intimidation among local residents at the Yanacocha mine, who worry about speaking out against the company out of fear of harassment by the mine's security forces," said Offenheiser. "It is very troubling that people are afraid to peacefully express their concerns. Newmont must address this situation immediately."
Communities affected by mining projects should have a role in decision-making about how the project will affect their lands and livelihoods. The report recommends an action plan that includes clarification of Newmont's commitment to the principle of free, prior and informed consent for communities.
"Newmont's endorsement of the principle of free, prior and informed consent for communities would be an important step forward," said Offenheiser. "The key now is to engage with local communities and apply this principle to company practice. We are pleased that Newmont's board of directors has accepted the report's analysis and recommendations and directed management to engage with affected communities on the report's findings."
The Newmont report also highlighted community concern about lack of access to information about the revenues the company pays to local and national governments, leaving communities unable to hold their governments accountable for how mining revenues are used.
"Newmont has been a leader in committing to greater transparency and can help address community concerns about revenue sharing by recommitting to disclose all payments made to host governments," said Offenheiser. "Endorsing mandatory public disclosure policies like the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act would be an important first step."
Oxfam advocated passage of the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act, legislation that would require all mining, oil, and gas companies registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose the payments made to foreign governments. The bill, which was introduced by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) in the 110th Congress, is expected to be reintroduced shortly.
]]>"I feel privileged to be here," he said. "To bring together 50 smart, energetic young people to talk about injustice: where I come from, that doesn't happen. It could never happen."
Alicante had come to Eastern Nazarene College, just outside Boston, to speak to the newest participants in Oxfam America's CHANGE Initiative. This national program transforms US college students into social justice activists by providing them with the tools to implement Oxfam advocacy campaigns on campus. At the start of each year's program, a week-long training helps the students (known as CHANGE Leaders) hone their leadership skills, advocacy skills, and knowledge of Oxfam's work. During sessions like Alicante's, they have a chance to meet the real people behind the issues.
Alicante began by describing his home country Equatorial Guinea: a small nation in west central Africa, rich in oil but suffering some of the world's most intense poverty. He contrasted photos of the degraded living conditions in the capital, Malabo, with the president's fleet of private planes and multi-million dollar California estate.
In Equatorial Guinea, he said, the vast majority of the country's oil wealth flows into its leaders' pockets, while its people lack adequate schools, sanitation, or healthcare. Kept in the dark about oil profits, the people have no way to claim their fair share.
"My country defines the term 'resource curse,'" Alicante said. "We're rich in resources, but we see few of the benefits."
Growing up, Alicante saw the government use intimidation, kidnapping, and even murder to keep people in line. When his family's home was destroyed, his father told him that there was nothing they could do about it—they just had to go on.
"That's when I realized I didn't want to live in a country where there's nothing you can do to change the situation," Alicante said. "I came to the US to mobilize. Things have got to change."
For two years, Alicante said, his organization has worked with Oxfam and like-minded groups on the Extractive Industries Transparency Disclosure Act. Now introduced in the House of Representatives (H.R. 6066) and Senate (S. 3389), this piece of legislation would require oil, gas, and mining companies registered in the US (including the oil companies operating in Equatorial Guinea) to disclose the amount and type of the payments they make in the countries where they operate.
"People need information about what oil, gas, and mining companies are doing in their communities," Alicante said. "If I know how much money is coming in, I can go to the local chief and ask, where is the money going? How does it meet our needs?"
Now, Alicante said, the CHANGE Leaders would help make this legislation a reality by writing letters to their legislators urging them to support the bill. "We're asking US students to express this injustice," he said, "and show the connection between my country and yours."
"Your representatives will decide the fate of this bill, and we know that they read handwritten letters," added his co-presenter, Oxfam organizer Paul Bugala. "Nothing replaces the power of the pen."
The students bent forward and began to write?hesitantly at first, then with growing confidence.
As they wrote, students received encouragement from 2006 CHANGE Leader Lisa East, a recent graduate of Tennessee Tech and a facilitator at this year's training. East urged the students to host their own letter-writing parties on campus.
"It's important for us students to be political," she said in a strong, clear voice. "Don't be afraid to talk to your representatives; make them accessible. If you're disillusioned about the political process, then take it back."
Afterward, East emphasized the importance of the CHANGE Leaders in showing other students how to make a difference.
"Students always sit up in their dorm rooms late at night, talking about issues, about injustice—but there has to be a next step," she said. "If you're willing to talk about it, but you're not ready to go out there and take action, you're still within those four walls."
Alicante, who has accompanied Oxfam on several campus speaking tours, agreed with East's assessment. "Students sometimes come up afterward and ask: 'I live in Texas; what can I do there to help?' I know the message has reached them when they realize that their actions matter—even to communities on the other side of the world."
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