Is There Gold In All That Glitters? Indigenous Peoples and Mining in Suriname Prepared for a project funded by the Inter-American Development Bank’s Canadian Technical Assistance Program (CANTAP) funding By Bente Molenaar The North-South Institute November 1, 2007 The North-South Institute (NSI) is a charitable corporation established in 1976 to provide profession- al, policy-relevant research on relations between industrialized and developing countries. The results of this research are made available to policy-makers, interested groups, and the general public to help generate greater understanding and informed discussion of development questions. The Institute is independent and cooperates with a wide range of Canadian and international organizations working in related activities. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect views held by the Inter-American Development Bank or The North-South Institute. Omissions and mistakes are entirely the responsibility of the author. Corrections and comments can be sent to
[email protected]. The draft of this report was completed November 1, 2007. Available at: www.nsi-ins.ca Layout and design: Marcelo Saavedra-Vargas (
[email protected]) Photo Credit: Viviane Weitzner The North-South Institute Association of Indigenous L’Institut Nord-Sud Village Leaders in Suriname © The Inter-American Development Bank, 2008. IND I GENOUS PEO P LES AND MI N I NG I N SUR I NA M E Table of Contents Abbreviations and acronyms. ii Acknowledgements. .1 Executive summary. .2 Introduction . .3 1. Setting the scene: a brief overview of the actors, history, country information and politics.