Justice in Mining

Global Ignatian Advocacy Network (GIAN) Initiative on Justice in Mining

Inspired by Ignatian spirituality and the call of Laudato Si´, the Justice in Mining Initiative is a global network of Jesuit organizations and social centers that discern and promote socio-environmental justice in conflicts related to mining.

The large-scale extraction of minerals is usually justified by the need for ores, metals, and other rare-earth elements to develop new technologies. However, the increasing demand for these raw materials is driven by a distorted, unsustainable development process.

The current business model for mining activities often causes huge environmental damage and forced displacement. It represents a threat to many fragile communities (e.g., indigenous peoples, peasants, coastal communities). For this reason, our network seeks to critically address mining, posing questions about the sharing of costs and benefits of these activities. In doing so, it is important to consider both the planet's ecological limits and the perspectives of those who live at the margins of the system.

GIAN Justice in Mining aims:

Analysis and discernment

● Develop and apply a rigorous and interdisciplinary approach to mining, grounded in Ignatian discernment, to assess the socio-environmental, cultural, and human rights implications of this activity before, during, and after its operation.
● Prevent and address potential negative impacts on health, livelihoods, and ecosystems, drawing on the research capacities of Jesuit universities, social centers, and allied communities.

Accompaniment and participation

● Collaborate with other networks and faith-based organizations involved in promoting integral ecology and sustainable livelihoods in contexts affected by mining.
● Ensure that decision-making processes in mining projects respect the voices and human rights of those most affected, and that affected communities are accompanied in their own deliberations and self-determination.

Advocacy and accountability

● Promote responsible business practices and robust corporate regulations in mining to improve the lives of marginalized people and protect the environment, our common home.
● Denounce unethical behavior by mining companies and governments across the full lifecycle of mining projects, and ask for the end of the impunity of those extractive industries that commit socio-environmental crimes.

GIAN Justice in Mining Core Group

● Sergio M. Cabrales Domínguez (CPAL) Leader
● Toussaint M. Kafarhire SJ (JCAM) Co-Leader
● Guillermo Otano (JCEP)
● Jenny Cafiso (JCCU)
● PM Antony SJ (JCSA)
● Iliana Isabel Rodríguez Ruano (CPAL)
● Paulo Valencia Valdivia SJ (CPAL)
● Gladys Arrobo Gómez (CPAL)