Since 2016, CREER has been working to strengthen the capacities of the Office of the Ombudsman, Colombia’s National Human Rights Institution (NHRI), by integrating tools into its work that allow it to understand and respond to the root causes of potential human rights impacts or abuses related to the development of economic activities.
Between 2019 and 2020, the Substantive and Operational Principles of Human Rights Due Diligence were developed, with the goal of providing the Ombudsman’s Office with its own reference framework on what it means for companies to fulfill their constitutional obligation to respect human rights. With this document, the Ombudsman’s Office became the first NHRI in the region to establish an up-to-date reference on human rights due diligence, including a section on the impacts in the Covid-19 era.
Todos los derechos reservados | Desarrollado por CREER 2024 |
Report from the meeting with workers and trade unions
Testimony from workers and trade unions
The rapid expansion of critical minerals for the energy transition and other strategic industries (agriculture, defense, technology) presents us with a paradox: the decarbonization of the planet depends on an intensification of mining activity. For CREER, this rapid expansion carries critical risks regarding human rights, local economic dynamics, and ecosystem balance. Our work focuses on analyzing these dilemmas through the lens of a just transition, promoting governance frameworks that mitigate negative impacts and ensure that the mining of “minerals for the future” is carried out under rigorous standards of sustainability, equity, and respect for fundamental rights, through dialogue among different stakeholders.
We analyze the governance and sustainability challenges that arise in the implementation of decentralized generation models. Our work focuses on researching how local associative structures interact with regulatory frameworks and human rights standards. Through applied research, we assess the risks of rent capture, internal decision-making conflicts, and the conditions necessary for these self-management schemes to guarantee equitable and transparent participation in the territory.
With a focus on responsible land management and respect for local livelihoods, at CREER we apply our technical expertise in the photovoltaic sector to promote a solar transition with social integrity. Through the analysis of rural environments, the strengthening of local governance, and the design of participation mechanisms, we seek to ensure that large-scale deployment in Latin America not only contributes to the energy mix, but also strengthens the social fabric. Our purpose is to lead due diligence models that ensure solar infrastructure coexists with food security, strategic ecosystems, and the productive vocations of each community.
