ATM brings Philippine campaign against mining in international forum

ATM Press Statement | October 20, 2023

Alyansa Tigil Mina joins a diverse group of civil society, indigenous and local communities, unions, and faith-based organizations from Africa, Asia, Oceania, Latin America (LATAM), the Middle East and North Africa, North America, and Europe at the Global Thematic Social Forum on Mining and Extractive Economy (TSF-Mining) in Semarang, Indonesia from October 17-20.

Jaybee Garganera, ATM National Coordinator, said “this is a great opportunity to globally bring attention to the experiences of mining-affected communities in the Philippines and the overall struggle against large-scale mining.”

The TSF-Mining has as one of its main themes the “Right to Say No Campaign.” It is based on the principle of free prior and informed consent and echoes civil society efforts to regulate Transnational Corporations (TNC) internationally through the adoption of the United Nations binding treaty on business and human rights.

“By being part of an international campaign, we are strengthening local resistance against destructive large-scale mining and affirming the communities’ right to FPIC. No mining should be allowed without the free, prior and informed consent, especially of indigenous groups,” said Garganera. “Mining companies circumventing the FPIC process should be penalized and agencies tolerating this must be held accountable.”

According to the TSF-Mining website, the Right to Say No has applications at national, regional, and international levels using case law to argue for the development of national legislation and international protocols that enshrine the right to say no.

“It is a permanent process of mobilization and affirmation of a territory’s desire to remain free from mining and extractive activities,” says the website.

TSF-Mining seeks to strengthen the voices of mining-affected communities and workers by nourishing a platform for solidarity and collaboration;

“TSF Mining believes that there is an urgency to recognize and institute territories free from mining and extractivism. Saying No to mining means saying Yes to multiple imaginings and alternatives of production and sociocultural diversity, ecosystems and biodiversity. It means ensuring water, food, land, territory and forests that provide life are protected and preserved for generations to come,” the group said in its concept note.