From November 17 to 21, Brussels hosts a new edition of Raw Materials Week, bringing together governments, companies, EU institutions, and civil society organizations to discuss the future of critical minerals such as lithium, copper, and nickel for the energy transition.
At Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN), we are traveling to Brussels to bring the voice of the Global South, highlighting the socio-environmental impacts and human rights violations associated with lithium and other critical mineral extraction in Latin America. We call for a truly just energy transition that protects people, ecosystems, and communities.
If you’re attending Raw Materials Week, make sure to save the dates for the events we’ll be part of:
From global standards to local realities: How to safeguard rights and nature in Latin America
- Monday, November 17 | 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
- Thon Hotel Brussels City Centre (Av. du Boulevard 17, Brussels)
This panel explores the social and ecological challenges of the energy transition through the lens of critical mineral extraction in the High Andean Wetlands.
Discussions will address shortcomings in Environmental Impact Assessments, Free, Prior and Informed Consent, and the designation of no-go zones, highlighting governance gaps in Latin America and regulatory rollbacks in Europe.
The session calls for reducing material demand and ensuring that decarbonization efforts align with human rights and environmental standards to achieve a truly just and sustainable transition.
Speakers:
- MEP Saskia Bricmont, Greens/EFA
- Iber Sarapura, representative of the Salinas Grandes and Laguna de Guayatayoc community.
- María Laura Castillo Díaz, FARN.
- Jorge Campanini, CEDIB.
- Mirtha Villanueva, GRUFIDES.
- Yovana Mamani, CooperAcción.
- Chris Baker, Wetlands International Europe.
Deregulation in the name of economic competitiveness – a pathway for a sustainable and globally just future?
- Thursday, November 20 | 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- Marivaux Hotel (Boulevard Adolphe Max 98, Brussels)
The event delves into global trends in Business and Human Rights and the risks of deregulation and privatization of implementing human rights and environmental standards for areas impacted by mining, with a specific focus on Latin America
After years of promoting sustainable policies, the EU is now pushing for deregulation of human rights, social, and environmental standards under the guise of economic competitiveness. This threatens to undermine the purpose of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) — preventing human rights abuses and environmental harm along global supply chains.
Meanwhile, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has called on States to regulate and on companies to implement due diligence measures across their value chains.
Speakers:
- Fernanda Hopenhaym, UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights.
- Alejandro González, SOMO.
- Teresa Hoffmann, FARN.
- Verónica Gostissa, PUCARA Assembly.
- Julie Ruaud, Assistant to Majdouline Sbai, MEP, Greens/EFA.