Category: Human Rights Due Diligence

Statement on Nornickel’s IRMA self-assessment by a coalition of Indigenous Rights leaders and non-governmental organizations

• According to Nornickel’s own claims, the self-assessment found significant shortcomings with respect to environmental and social standards, preventing a desirable, higher rating within the IRMA standard
• An international coalition of Indigenous Peoples, environmental and human rights organizations urges Nornickel to publish the results of its self-assessment and to clearly identify corrective actions

Russian mining company Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) announced in March 2023 that the company had completed a self-assessment against the IRMA (Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance) Standard. The self-assessment is an initial, necessary step to begin the assessment process under the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance. Weiterlesen

Registration by email to dachverband[at]kritischeaktionaere.de

The mining industry is under greater pressure to demonstrate that it can extract raw materials in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) places particular emphasis on the participation of mining-affected communities and respect for the rights of indigenous communities. Is this just another fig leaf for the industry to continue as before, or are there real chances to be able to implement the Right To Say No – not only for indigenous people?

However, one challenge is that communities can also articulate and implement their own alternatives. Weiterlesen

We, the undersigned organisations, welcome the European Commission’s proposalfor a new EU regulation on deforestation-free products. This proposal represents an essential step forward in global environmental governance and a huge opportunity to minimise the EU’s impacts on people and planet in line with its commitments on climate, biodiversity and human rights. It is now up to the European Parliament and Member States to preserve and improve the essential elements of the Commission’s proposal and deliver a strong and ambitious law that meets the high expectations of EU citizens. To that end, we call on the European Parliament and Member States to ensure the current proposal is strengthened to include:

1. Strong sustainability requirements based on objective criteria that ensure no goods linked to deforestation or forest degradation, as foreseen in the Commission’s proposal, but also to the conversion of other natural ecosystems or human rights violations, may be placed on or exported from the EU market.

German corporations must demand that Russian extractive company Nornickel respect indigenous rights and environmental standards – or end business deals

After more than 21,000 tons of diesel leaked from a power plant tank in May 2020, causing the largest oil spill in the Russian Arctic to date, the company responsible, Nornickel (Norilsk Nickel), had to pay Russia’s highest fine to date.

In the satellite image, diesel oil spilled in the Ambarnaya River on May 31, 2020 is easily recognizable by its red color.

But this is still a long way from repairing the damage, let alone addressing the causes. Weiterlesen