We, 74 representatives of communities affected by mining, non-governmental organizations and activists, from 15 countries of Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe and North America have gathered in Bali, from 24 to 27 May, 2002, to tally the impacts of the global mining industry on our communities and ecosystems and to assert, at the occasion of Prepcom IV of the World Summit for Sustainable Development, that mining as we know it today is unsustainable and runs counter to people-oriented development.

Within a context of imperialist globalization, mining, oil and gas has been a threat to the economic and social development of many of our countries and the survival of indigenous peoples and local communities. We therefore make the following demands:

• a moratorium on all new mines
• an immediate shutdown of all existing mines where communities demand it
• a ban on mining oil and gas activities in sensitive ecological and cultural areas including protected areas, small islands, mountaintops, oceans, and in conflict zones
• promote the reduction of minerals useage and develop and strengthen metals substitution, recycling, and re-use
• an end to financial support for projects related to the mining sector by the World Bank, regional development banks, Export Credit Agencies, and other financial institutions whether it be in the form of loans, guarantees, and/or insurance
• an immediate ban on destructive mining technologies, specifically open-pit mining, block-caving, cyanide heap-leaching, riverine tailing dumping, and submarine tailings disposal
• a stop to uranium mining
• scrap all existing mining laws which promote and protect the interests of mining TNCs in line with the neo-liberal policies imposed by International Financial Institutions
• that governments hold mining TNCs legally responsible to affected communities for all past, present and future activities
• respect for the rights of indigenous peoples to ancestral domains, the rights of communities to local resources, and the precedence of all laws protecting these rights as opposed to those protecting the rights of TNCs

In closing, given the staggering human and ecological destruction caused by the global mining industry to date, we demand an independent, international tribunal for the evaluation of existing mines to assess all human rights concerns, environmental impacts, and social impacts, culminating with the assignment of moral, legal, and financial responsibility for mining-related crimes and disasters, as well as the rehabilitation of mined-out areas.

DEMANDS OF THE WOMEN AND MINING GROUP

Women are among those worst affected by mining in their various countries. Therefore, it is important to look at the entire mining industry from the perspective of women. From the experiences of women miners, and women in communities affected by mining, we assert the following:

Mining is completely unsustainable for us women and offers no viable opportunities, social nor economic. We believe that there are widespread negative impacts on women's lives in all mining regions of the world.

We also believe that the mining industry has no remedial solutions, nor mitigative or preventative measures for the human rights abuses and atrocities on women who work in mines or live in mining affected communities.

Therefore, we oppose the entry of any new mining projects or expansion of existing mining projects, especially in indigenous regions. We demand a moratorium on mining in all areas containing native vegetation, particularly from the perspective of gender abuse.

We want to practise our traditional livelihood systems based on land and forests. We want economic and social progress which enhances the conservation of these resources as opposed to making for their destruction. As mining destroys our lands and forests, we demand the continuation of our traditional livelihoods, and the creative pursuit for alternatives to mining.

We demand legitimate entitlements for women with regard to land and natural resources. Where mining exists or must continue, we demand equal opportunities for women in the mining sector.

We demand wages and working conditions for women miners which strictly follow international standards and agreements and ensure equality and equity without discrimination based on gender.

We demand for abolition of child labour in all mines.

We demand a Gender Audit of all mining projects.