UK Report Urges GCM Resources to Respect Human Rights Standards in Bangladesh
The UK government has published a statement in September highlighting continued opposition and turmoil in Bangladesh over British company GCM Resources’ plans to build a massive open pit coal mine in Phulbari, located in the north west of Bangladesh...The investigation acknowledged that “GCM has aroused considerable opposition in Bangladesh, leading to violent protests, and an even more violent response by the authorities there...The new report urges GCM to comply with international standards for managing social and environmental impacts, and to do so before any plans for the project move forward. “GCM will need to complete its updating of its plans, including making and publishing the [Human Rights Impact Assessment] it has committed to, before it begins work to acquire land for and develop the mine...The UK government states that GCM must take into account the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which stipulates that no developments can take place on Indigenous Peoples’ land without their ‘free, prior and informed consent’.