Halifax Initiative

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For immediate release

Canada refuses to take responsibility for large dam disasters by ignoring World Commission recommendations

Ottawa, June 12, 2003 - Canada should implement the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams (WCD), rather than continuing to support such environmental and human rights debacles as China's Three Gorges dam and Colombia's Urra dam, argues a new report, released today by the NGO Working Group on the EDC.

Canadian miners, explorers taken to task by African NGOs

By: Rodrick Mukumbira
Posted: '09-OCT-06 10:00' GMT © Mineweb 1997-2006

WINDHOEK (Mineweb.com) --A call has been made to the Canadian government by African civil society organisations for it to regulate Canadian mining companies operating internationally.

Open Letter to Mr. James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, from 86 NGOs in 28 Countries Concerning the Chad/Cameroon Oil & Pipeline Project

July 9, 1998

James D. Wolfensohn, President
The World Bank
1818 H Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20433 Dear Mr. Wolfensohn, The 86 undersigned environment, development, human rights and religious organizations from 28 countries call upon you to suspend World Bank participation in the Chad/Cameroon Oil & Pipeline project until respect for human rights and compliance with World Bank environmental and other policies can be fully guaranteed.We are writing to draw your attention to the especially troublesome situation, including the severe violation of human rights, in southern Chad and to the inadequacy of the environmental impact assessment and environmental management plan for the project submitted to the Bank by Exxon.

Mr. Eric Siegel
President and Chief Executive Officer
Export Development Canada
151 O’Connor St.
Ottawa, ON
K1A 1K3

June 8, 2007

Re: EDC workshop on socially responsible mining practices in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Dear Mr. Siegel,

We would like to thank Export Development Canada for including the Halifax Initiative Coalition and Entraide missionnaire in its recent multi-stakeholder workshop on “how to best support the mining industry in the DRC.”  We were pleased to participate in this important discussion with representatives of the Canadian mining industry, Canadian government, consultants, international financial institutions and EDC, among others.