Further to President Trump’s proposal to row back on reforms designed to curb irresponsible US business practices, Europe’s role in cleaning up the trade of conflict minerals is now more important than ever,
14/11/2016 – I write in advance of the 17 November donors’ Conference on the Central African Republic (CAR) in Brussels, to urge you to lead efforts of the European Union (EU) and its member states to put accountability, the consolidation of the rule of law and the reconstruction of the penal chain at the centre of discussions at the conference.
27/06/2016 – On 7 June 2016, the European Commission published a Communication, calling for the establishment of migration “compacts” between the EU and a range of countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The document is a striking example of precisely what has precipitated the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War.
An Amnesty International researcher visited a mine in the Carnot region in May 2015. Children as young as 11 were engaged in mining work instead of attending school. © Amnesty International
17/11/2015 – Amnesty International is calling on the EU to boost its political engagement for human rights defenders, journalists and civil society at risk in Burundi, in line with the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders.
With the EU seemingly intent on enlisting African nations as proxy gatekeepers, the Valletta summit is likely to result in a one-sided border control contract dressed up as a cooperation agreement. Refugees and migrants deserve and are entitled to better
09/07/2015 – Amnesty International wishes to urgently draw your attention to the risk of imminent forced evictions in Nairobi, Kenya, which risks taking place under the European Union (EU) funded ‘Missing Link 15 B’ road construction project. Over 1000 families residing in the Deep Sea settlement in Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya, are at risk of human rights violations in the absence of adequate human rights safeguards, and ahead of the evictions that would start from 8 July 2015 onward, as announced by the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA).
18/06/2015 – Amnesty International calls on you to lead European Union (EU) efforts to speak out about the grave human rights violations taking place in Nigeria today and to engage the Nigerian authorities to address them.
26/05/2015 – On the occasion of the forthcoming International Conference on Central African Republic (CAR) on 26 May 2015 in Brussels, Amnesty International calls on you and all participants to ensure that the European Union (EU) and its member states give full political and material support to human rights and efforts toward justice, through the EU Trust Fund Bêkou and their wider engagement there.
A Congolese artisan mine worker shows a small peice of gold found after water processing, in Chudja, Democratric Republic of the Congo (DRC). The UN reveals that a lot of gold is still financing armed groups in DRC. Credit: EPA
It is shameful for a mining giant to lie and deny people justice. It is time for them to finally come clean and compensate the villagers for what they lost.