Tintaya Copper Mine
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CONACAMI: SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY MINING
CONACAMI trains local leaders how to organize communities to advocate for their rights, resolve conflicts, and generally stand up for their rights.
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| By: Diego Nebel/Oxfam |
Of the 5,660 indigenous communities in Peru, 3,200 are now affected by mining. And there are now numerous conflicts. The need for land and water for mining is at odds with many ancestral communities that rely on natural resources for raising livestock, fishing, growing crops, and hunting.
Many indigenous communities located near mines suffer from negative effects to their health and livelihood. To address this, concerned citizens formed CONACAMI, the National Coordinator of Communities Affected by Mining, a national organization with 16 regional coordinating bodies. Oxfam America supports the national CONACAMI organization with funding that helps train communities to advocate for their rights and resolve conflicts.
CONACAMI's regional organization in Cusco (known as CORECAMI-Cusco) is engaged in training community representatives in areas affected by the Tintaya Copper Mine to organize participants in the Mesa de Diàlogo, the series of consultations between the mine and communities. With help from a grant from Oxfam America, these representatives are learning how to document the problems related to the mine, including pollution and loss of land, and develop proposals for compensation.