106 - The International Resource Journal

FEBRUARY 2013 The International Resource Journal19company’s performance. And even if an individualcompany is perceived in a positive light, the sectoras a whole suffers when one company doesnot fulfil its social promises and legal obligations.These challenges are exacerbated by thegrowing disconnect between the agendas ofnational governments and the needs of localcommunities. In places like Mexico’s San LuisPotosi state, as well as Guatemala, Peru, Ecuadorand Bolivia, indigenous people are assertingtheir rights to land and resources, even as theirnational governments issue exploration permitsto companies without community consultations,much less explicit consent. While each of thesegovernments have ratified international conventionsand enacted laws to reverse the centuriesof social and economic exclusion of indigenouspeoples, none of the governments have doneCommunity frustrations with mining companies– related to allegations of poor environmentalperformance, lax worker safety and humanrights abuses – coupled with a lack of trust ingovernment to enforce social and environmentallaws have contributed to a critical movementagainst mining in Latin America. Bad news travelsfast, and the widespread use of mobile phonesand social media mean that a community in Chileconsidering a potential mining project will tap itsnetwork in other countries to inquire about themuch to help these communities learn abouttheir rights and negotiate fair terms for local development.The countries experiencing the highestnumber of mining-related violent conflicts areusually those that lack the institutional structuresto enforce laws or offer extra-legal space to negotiateterms of engagement between governments,companies, and host communities.Until recently in Bolivia, the government promotedforeign investment in extractive activities,even as it encouraged communities to assert their