Shifting Grounds Indigenous Peoples and Mining in West Suriname By Viviane Weitzner July 2008 The Association of Indigenous Village Leaders in Suriname and The North-South Institute The North-South Institute and The Association of Indigenous Village Leaders in Suriname The Association of Indigenous Village Leaders in Suriname The Vereniging van Inheemse Dorpshoofden in Suriname (VIDS) is an association of Indigenous village leaders from every Indigenous village in Suriname. It was established in 1992 in the aftermath of the internal armed conflict in Suriname. Its goals and objectives are to promote and defend the rights of Indigenous Peoples, to speak for Indigenous Peoples on the national and international levels, and to support sustainable development in Suriname. The VIDS has taken a leading role in promoting Indigenous rights, sustainable development and environmental protection in Suriname. It believes that all three are interrelated and all must be supported and monitored. In 2001, the VIDS established Stichting Bureau VIDS as its fulltime secretariat. The North-South Institute (NSI) is a charitable corporation established in 1976 to provide professional, 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 contents of this study represent the views and the findings of the author alone and not necessarily those of The North-South Institute’s directors, sponsors or supporters, or those consulted during its preparation. Available at: www.nsi-ins.ca. Final Project Report for Inter-American Development Bank Project: “Indigenous Peoples and Mining in Suriname – Building Community Capacity and Encouraging Dialogue” ATN/CT-8811-SU Photo credits: All photos are the property of VIDS and NSI Layout and design: Meaghen Simms © The Inter-American Development Bank, 2008 Shifting Grounds: Indigenous Peoples and Mining in West Suriname Table of Contents Acronyms and Abbreviations . .ii Acknowledgements . .iii Executive Summary . .iv Recommendations Affecting All of Suriname . .vi Recommendations Concerning West Suriname . .vii Recommendations Concerning the Role of the IDB and Canada . .x 1: Introduction: Shifting Grounds . .2 Objectives . .3 2: Project Process, Activities and Methodologies . .4 Activities, Methodologies and Outputs . .4 3: Issues Scan and Analysis: Reversing the Legacy of Exclusion . .8 Issues Affecting All of Suriname . .9 Focus on the West . .21 Key Community Concerns . .24 4: Conclusion: The Nature of Shifting Grounds and Implications . .42 The Role of the IDB in Supporting Indigenous Organizations . .42 The Role of the Government of Canada and CIDA in Suriname . .43 Towards Firmer Ground . .46 Appendix 1: Media Coverage . .48 Appendix 2: Agreement between the Indigenous Peoples of West Suriname and BHP/Billiton and Suralco NV (Draft 2006) . .50 Appendix 3: Policy and Regulations on Consultation and Consent Processes Adopted by the Indigenous Peoples of West Suriname (2006 Draft) . .53 Appendix 4: Maps . .56 Appendix 5: Recommendations from Robert Goodland’s Assessment of SRK’s Transportation Options Scoping Document . .57 References . .60 Endnotes . .65 Boxes 1. Lessons Learned Implementing this Project . .7 2. Select Facts and Figures about Mining in Suriname . .8 3. Summarized Urgent Action Decisions by CERD Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Rights and Mining in Suriname . .15 4. Recommendations Concerning All of Suriname . .19 5. Land Rights and Other Affected Peoples . .26 6. Selected Alcoa and BHP Billiton Policies on Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples . .28 7. Key aspects that need further strengthening to enable better governance and decision-making in Apoera, Section and Washabo . .37 8. Recommendations Concerning West Suriname . .39 9. Recommendations Concerning IDB Consultancy Contracts . .43 10. IAMGold’s Gross Rosebel Mine . .45 11. Recommendations Concerning the Role of Canada and Canadian Companies in Suriname . .46 i The North-South Institute and The Association of Indigenous Village Leaders in Suriname Acronyms and Abbreviations ASM: Association for Responsible Artisanal Mining ATM: Ministry of Labour, Environment and Technology BF: Bakhuis Forum BHPB: Broken Hill Proprietary & Billiton Corporation BMS: NV BHP Billiton Maatschappij Suriname CBD: Convention on Biological Diversity CANTAP: Canadian Technical Assistance Programme CARICOM: Caribbean Community CERD: UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination CIDA: Canadian International Development Agency CLIM: Committee Land Rights Indigenous Marowijne CSNR: Central Suriname Nature Reserve CSR: Corporate Social Responsibility EIA: Environmental Impact Assessment EIS: Environmental Impact Statement EMP: Environmental Management Plan ESIA: Environmental and Social Impact Assessment ESIR: Environmental and Social Impact Report FPP: Forest Peoples Programme FPIC: Free Prior Informed Consent FTAA: Free Trade Area of the Americas GDP: Gross Domestic Product HSEC: Health, Safety, Environment and Community (BHP Billiton Management Standards) IACHR: Inter-American Court on Human Rights IBA: Impact Benefit Agreement ICMM: International Council on Mining & Metals IDB: Inter-American Development Bank IDRC: International Development Research Centre IFC: International Finance Corporation IIRSA: Regional Infrastructure Integration in South America/ Integración de la Infrastructura Regional en Sur América IUCN: International Union for the Conservation of Nature Km: Kilometres MAS: Maritime Authority of Suriname MoU: Memorandum of Understanding MRN: Mineração Rio do Norte MW: Megawatt NCE: National Council on the Environment NGOs: Non-governmental organizations NIMOS: Nationaal Instituut voor Milieu en Ontwikkeling in Suriname NMR: Nationale Milieu Raad (National Council for the Environment) ii Shifting Grounds: Indigenous Peoples and Mining in West Suriname NSI: The North-South Institute, Canada OIS: Organization for Indigenous People in Suriname OP: Operational Policy PRI: Private Sector Department SEA: Strategic Environmental Assessment SIA: Social Impact Assessment SRK: SRK Consulting Suralco: Suriname Aluminum Company LLC TCP: Technical Cooperation Profile USD: United States Dollars VIDS: Vereniging van Inheemse Dorpshoofden in Suriname (Association of Indigenous Village Leaders in Suriname) WWF: World Wildlife Fund Acknowledgements This final report owes its existence to the team of people whose work it synthesizes. I cannot under- score enough how thankful I am for the dedication and many hours of hard work put into this proj- ect by the staff at Bureau VIDS, particularly project coordinator Carla Madsian, community development specialist Josee Artist and Executive Director, Loreen Jubithana. Caroline de Jong and Ellen-Rose Kambel provided rigorous support and expert advice through their trainings on land rights and community-based research regarding traditional use and occupation. Caroline de Jong’s collaboration with Carla Madsian on collating and editing the traditional use and occupation study led to a document that the communities of West Suriname are very proud of and will use for years to come. Robert Goodland has further endeared himself to everyone in West Suriname through his very clear training on international standards for ESIA, reconnaissance on the likely impacts from the Transportation Options, and ongoing support. At the NSI, Bente Molenaar coordinated this project while I was on maternity leave, and pro- duced a well-researched comprehensive issues report which feeds into this one. Meaghen Simms provided excellent coordination, research and design support. Ann Weston provided project man- agement support and feedback throughout. I am extremely grateful to Fergus MacKay, Ellen-Rose Kambel, Carla Madsian, Bente Mole- naar, Meaghen Simms and Robert Goodland for your valuable comments on the various drafts of this paper. At the IDB, thank you to Kristyna Bishop, for seeing the value in this project and enabling it to become a reality; and to Nancy del Prado for working with us to try to resolve a variety of issues around this project, and for your feedback on the substance of this work. Thank you also to Warren Pedersen of Suralco, John Sew A Tjon of BHP Billiton, and to Chair Marny Daal and other mem- bers of the government negotiations team for participating in the presentations and discussions of the preliminary results of this work. Last but not least, “Danki da bong!” to the people of West Suriname. Community-based re- searchers Marcia Jarmohamed (Apoera), Els Lingaard (Washabo), Dina Romalo (Washabo), Henk James (Section) and Sandra Jeffrey (Apoera) worked hard to document their communities’ tradi- tional use and occupation, and gathered valuable information to help strengthen decision-making processes at the community level. Chiefs David Carlo Lewis (Apoera), Nado Aroepa (Section) and Ricardo Mac-Intosh (Washabo) provided ongoing advice and guidance to the project team. We hope the outcomes meet your expectations. iii The North-South Institute and The Association of Indigenous Village Leaders in Suriname Executive Summary In 2003, Indigenous communities in West Suriname learned a deal had been struck between the Government of Suriname and BHP Billiton and