by Jennifer Stein, Greengrants Intern
January 23, 2005
Greengrants applauds Father Marco Arana, winner of Peru’s National Human Rights Award for 2004, awarded by the National Coordinator of Human Rights (NCHR), a coalition of non-governmental human rights organizations.
Arana is a Catholic priest and president of GRUFIDES, which has helped communities in the Cajamarca province of Peru in their struggle with Minera Yanacocha, Latin America’s largest gold mining operation. Father Arana has withstood intense criticism and personal and political pressure in his support of local people and their campaign to prevent mine expansion. As an advocate of nonviolent protest, Father Arana and has helped train local people in environmental monitoring and effective methods of advocacy and conflict resolution.
In awarding the prize, NCHR announced, “The National Ângel Escobar Jurado Human Rights Prize is awarded to Father Marco Arana in recognition of his work as a mediator in the social conflict taking place in Cerro Quilish, and promoting dialogue and peaceful solutions to the controversy in Cajamarca.”
Minera Yanacocha is a joint venture of Newmont, a Denver mining corporation; Buenaventura, a Peruvian company; and the International Finance Corporation, a branch of the World Bank. Newmont is now the main shareholder in the mine, which has been operating near Cajamarca for 20 years. Conflicts between the mining company and the community have escalated over the past few years as Yanacocha has tried to expand onto the nearby mountain, Cerro Quilish, a sacred place for local people and the main source of fresh water for the city and surrounding farms.
Greengrants assisted Arana and GRUFIDES in the campaign against Yanacocha with two grants to another non-profit Peruvian organization, Guarango Cine y Video. Guarango produces and distributes independent films and videos on environmental issues. With funding from Greengrants, Guarango produced an award-winning documentary about a 2000 mercury spill by a Newmont subcontractor. A second grant allowed Guarango to train GRUFIDES members to produce and distribute their own videos so they could increase awareness about the struggle over Cerro Quilish. (For more, see related article, Newmont Relents on Mount Quilish).
Due, in part, to Arana’s efforts, Newmont backed down on plans for expansion. The company even cited community opposition as part of its reason to stop exploration on Cerro Quilish and acknowledged errors in its past dealings with the community. We congratulate Father Arana on his well-deserved award and commend Peru’s National Coordinator for Human Rights for drawing public attention to Arana’s courage and effectiveness.