Michael Monclou Chaparro

External Expert in Human Rights, Transitional Justice, Land, and Climate Justice

PhD candidate in Global Studies at the University of British Columbia, Lawyer from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, and Master in History from Universidad de los Andes.

He was selected as a Sustainability Scholar (2023) and worked with the Indigenous Research Support Initiative (IRSI) at the University of British Columbia. He has served as a researcher at the Center for the Study of Law, Justice and Society – Dejusticia, and as coordinator of the National Agrarian Fund team at the National Land Agency. He has also worked as a contractor for the Early Warning System of the Ombudsman’s Office and the Unit for Victims, and as a researcher at the Corporación Excelencia en la Justicia.

He is the editor of the Regulatory Compilation on Victims of the Armed Conflict (Legis Editores S.A.) and has been a professor at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and Universidad de los Andes.

More recently, he has begun exploring, learning, and conducting research on the intersections between human rights, digital rights, and technology.

Working Sector

Report from the meeting with workers and trade unions

Testimony from workers and trade unions

Closures and multi-stakeholder dialogue

Full document

Executive summary

Transitional minerals

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.

Energy Communities

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.

Solar

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.

Resources for Territorial Planning

Peacebuilding, Citizen Participation, and Human Rights

Transformative Perspectives for a Just Energy Transition