Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Brazilian government on illegal gold-mining and its effects on indigenous communities in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire

We follow closely the issue of indigenous people affected by the extractive industries, including illegal gold mining, through continuous dialogue with human rights defenders in affected areas. Through our Prosperity and Bilateral Fund project work, our Embassy works closely with the Brazilian Government, business and NGOs to improve transparency and governance in the mining sector, this includes assessing the impact on human rights.

We also work closely with our EU partners in Brazil on human rights issues. The UK acts as focal point for the EU regarding human rights defenders in Brazil. Twice a year the local EU Delegation organises a mission to cities where there are concerns regarding human rights defenders. Later this month representatives from member states will accompany a small EU mission to the northern part of Brazil to show support to civil society involved with indigenous rights concerns. This includes assessing the impact on human rights and indigenous communities.