On October 7th, 2011, 168 scientists have warned on the so-called “biofuels” in a joint letter addressed to the EU. Energy derived from field crops is by no means environmentally friendly, despite the European Union’s claims.
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Ambassador Tim Martin Canadian Embassy in Colombia, Apartado Aéreo 110067 Bogotá, Colombia (011 57 1) 657 9912 bgota-td@international.gc.ca Canada, October 7th 2011
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“Mother Earth belongs to those who take care of it, territories belong to the people, sovereignty is popular.”
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M. Speaker, I was in Colombia at the end of August with a delegation organized by the Washington Office on Latin America. In Medellin, we met with the National Labor School, or ENS, to discuss the current labor situation in Colombia. Their reports on threatened and murdered unionists are internationally recognized, and because of this, ENS faces constant threats and efforts to discredit them.
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Among the many riches of Colombia are gold, silver, emeralds, coal and nickel deposits; however, safety concerns have led many to question the management of the country's mining industry.
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One of the major themes addressed October 1st in the National Congress of Lands, Territories and Sovereignties (CNTTS), was that of Peasant Economy, Popular and Self-Determined Economies, and Food Sovereignty. This theme, which featured six working groups, divided the discussion into three sub-categoires: context analysis, community conflict, and possilbe resolutions.
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The International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and & General Workers’ Unions (ICEM) condemns the cold-blooded assassination of a Colombian contract worker who was working with affiliate Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) to bring trade union rights to temporary workers at Ecopetrol’s Barrancabermeja refining and petrochemicals complex in Santander department.
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OTTAWA, Sept. 30, 2011 /CNW/ - As recognized by the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Round Tables on the Extractive Sector, strengthening community capacity and governance is a key strategy to ensuring benefits from resource extraction are maximized both domestically and abroad. CIDA's implementation of the Andean Regional Initiative (ARI) for Promoting Effective Corporate Social Responsibility announced by Minister Oda yesterday helps to do this in three countries that receive significant Canadian foreign direct investment from the mining sector.
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Colombian authorities fail survivors of sexual violence The Colombian authorities have failed to tackle the lack of justice for women and girl survivors during the country's long-running armed conflict, Amnesty International said in a new report today. “Women and girls in Colombia are often treated as trophies of war. They are raped and sexually abused by all the warring parties as a way to silence and punish them,” said Susan Lee, Americas Director at Amnesty International.
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"Complaints have been persistent, warning about the increased presence of paramilitaries in the majority of municipalities in the south of Bolivar. More than forty murders, massacres, and forced displacements in the municipalities and outlying areas of Tiquisio and Montecristo, hamlets of Malena, centre Quebrada, Tagual, Pinch, Tenche and other nearby cities have been brought to the attention of the national and departmental (state) governments. Local communities have mobilized to demand the protection of the national government.
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