Newmont in Context
A number of foreign mining companies have held exploration and exploitation permits in Haiti since 2006. The most well known is Newmont, the largest gold mining company in the world. Between 2006 and 2009, the government of Haiti granted Newmont–at times with its former joint venture partner, Eurasian Minerals (now EMX Royalty Corp) –51 permits to explore for gold in Haiti. Newmont conducted exploration activities in Haiti until 2014, when they put their projects on care and maintenance status. These activities included surface sampling and drilling and core sampling. To learn more about risks that Newmont would assume if it proceeds in Haiti, read the Global Justice Clinic’s Newmont Investor Brief (2023).
Newmont’s Future in Haiti
According to Haitian law, prospection permits, which Newmont held, are only valid for 2 years. However, the Office of Mines and Energy has made it clear that companies that hold permits in Haiti, including Newmont, will be able to restart activities once the new mining law is passed. As discussed here, the law, drafted with support from the World Bank, has not been voted on by Parliament or passed by decree.
Newmont Does Not Have a Social License to Operate in Haiti
As this section shows, Newmont lacks a social license to operate in Haiti. In the years since Newmont activities ceased, communities have built resistance to mining. To mark Newmont’s Annual General Meeting, community organizations in Haiti released a letter in 2020: On the Occasion Newmont’s Annual General Meeting, Communities in Haiti Say NO to Gold Mining. In 2023, community organizations reiterated their opposition to Newmont. Residents in areas affected by Newmont in Haiti have built relationships with organizations in Ghana and Peru that have, for a long time, fought for the human rights of affected people and their lands.
Company Profile
Newmont, headquartered in the state of Colorado in the United States, is the largest gold mining company in the world. Newmont earned this status in 2019 when it purchased the Canadian company Goldcorp. In 2020, Newmont’s sales totaled over $11.4 billion dollars. The company has held permits to explore for and excavate for gold in Haiti since 2006. Many have observed that Newmont’s ongoing presence in Haiti elevates the country’s profile as a potential site of gold and other resource exploitation, thus making it strategic for the kanpe min movement to target Newmont and advocate for its departure.
Newmont describes itself as a mining corporation committed to principled environmental, social, and governance practices. Newmont has affirmed its stance on sustainable development through internal environmental and social commitments. It has signed onto a number of international sustainability frameworks, including the U.N. Global Compact, the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, and the International Council on Mining and Metals’ Principles of Sustainable Development.
Newmont’s operations in Haiti between 2011 and 2014 fell short of Newmont’s own principles and international law commitments. According to local residents, their exploration activities failed to respect the rights to information, informed consent, and participation.
Shareholders
Newmont is primarily owned by institutional investors. The following institutional investors collectively hold a controlling majority as of early 2022:
BlackRock Inc.
The Vanguard Group, Inc.
Van Eck Associates Corporation
State Street Corporation
Deutsche Bank
FMR LLC
First Eagle Investment Management
Flossbach von Storch AG
Geode Capital Management, LLC
Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc.
Newmont in Haiti
Although some have recognized the company over the years for its environmental and human rights policies and practices, some communities affected by Newmont operations describe a different experience.
Newmont entered the Haitian mining industry in 2006. In 2008, Newmont created a joint venture with Eurasian Minerals, a Canadian mining company operating in Haiti, and went on to secure 51 mining permits. This joint venture ended in November 2015. Although Newmont’s permits in Haiti have, according to Haitian law, expired due to surpassing the years allocated for prospection, the Office of Mines and Energy has said that their permits would reactivate if and when the mining law – which was submitted to Parliament - passes.
Newmont-Eurasian conducted exploratory activities in Haiti from 2010 to 2014. One of the areas of exploration is called La Montagne, in Haiti’s Northwest Department. In order to access peoples’ land for digging trenches and drilling, Haiti’s mining law requires mining companies to obtain informed consent by landowners and/or land occupants via land access agreements. In La Montagne, there is substantial evidence from local residents that Newmont-Eurasian obtained land access agreements through methods that were coercive and violated the principle of informed consent.
Residents’ experiences in La Montagne show that Newmont-Eurasian failed to respect the rights of community members. Many community members reported that they did not know or understand the content of the agreement prior to signing it. Some said because they do not read, and no one had explained the text; others said because they did not have proper time to review the agreement prior to signing; and yet others because they received misinformation from Newmont-Eurasian staff about the contents. There is also evidence that Newmont-Eurasian obtained land access agreements that were signed by third parties rather than landowners and/or land occupants.
Land Access Agreement. Photo: Ellie Happel, 2014.
Newmont has faced considerable opposition from communities in Haiti. Residents have denounced Newmont operations and declared that Newmont is not welcome to return. Leaders have spoken out on Haitian media, protested, and joined communities from other countries affected by Newmont to collectively resist.
Newmont’s Principles
Newmont states that it is committed to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) best practices and that it is a signatory to numerous external initiatives which require mining companies to respect human rights. The company was the first extractive company to adopt the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and notes that its core values include positive long-term relationships with affected communities as well as responsible environmental management.
However, Newmont’s activities in Haiti appeared to have violated some of these principles. Newmont’s failure to obtain properly informed consent from community members to use their land infringes upon residents’ right to access to information. Newmont’s future mining activities in Haiti–as well as those of any other mining company–have the potential to further infringe upon Haitians’ right to access food and health. Haitian people are understandably concerned that gold mining in Haiti threatens environmental and human rights.