Haitian mining industry needs to change to benefit the poor

Despite all these problems, the international watchdogs believe there is still time to fix the Haitian mining industry. But it will be necessary to follow some rules. One of them is to promote a genuine cooperation between the government, the mining and energy office, the mining industry, the World Bank and Haitian civil society. “There must be more transparency and opportunities for public participation in decisions about possible mining deals between companies and the government”.

Also, “communities must have the right to free, prior and informed consent to any use of their land by mining or other companies. We also need environmental impact studies, companies must be responsible for paying for work to prevent and clean up all the harm that they do”.

Finally, the Haitian civil society must be given “a genuine say in how the government spends the payments it receives from the mining industry – and how those payments are distributed across the country, taking into account which communities are most affected by mining activities”.

http://www.911metallurgist.com/blog/haitian-mining-industry-needs-to-change-to-benefit-the-poor