Interviewing the EBRD about the Kumtor gold mine
May 14, 2015
This interview was conducted during the EBRD annual meeting and business forum, 14-15 May 2015 in Tbilisi. The interview was led by Ryskeldi Satke (RS) with Dr. Alistair Clark (AC), EBRD’s Managing Director Environment and Sustainability Department; Michaela Bergman (MB), EBRD’s Chief Counselor for Social Issues Environment and Sustainability Department; and Dr. Dariusz Prasek (DP), Director, Project Appraisal Environment Department.
Guest post: Plight of locals at Kumtor mine brought to Centerra Gold’s general meeting in Toronto
May 11, 2015
Journalist and researcher Ryskeldi Satke reports on Centerra Gold’s annual general meeting where mining activists presented shareholders with information on human rights violations and the negative environmental and social impacts of the Kumtor Gold mine.
Dam Spill Threats at a Gold Mine in Kyrgyzstan
February 17, 2015
In light of the Mount Polley tailings dam spill in British Columbia, Canada, environmental activists in Kyrgyzstan are ringing alarm bells over a possible scenario of a similar outburst at Petrov Lake near the Kumtor gold mine project. At Mount Polley, the tailings dam at a copper and gold mine burst in August last year, spilling 25 million cubic meters of toxic waste into nearby lakes. The British Columbia provincial government appointed a commission to probe into the disaster.
The Great Rush – The European Union’s responsibility in natural resources grabbing
October 31, 2014
Land, forests, water and raw materials are valuable resources that increasingly interest the major players of the economy of our planet. This report collects 16 case studies from around the world in order to better understand the impacts of natural resource grabbing on the local communities, clarify the responsibilities of the European Union and, in conclusion, examine actions to be undertaken to invert this phenomenon.
Kyrgyzstan: a song in the mountains
June 20, 2014
‘Kyrgyzstan: a song in the mountains’ is photographic travelogue to the source of the nomadic Kyrgyz people, their traditions and environment. The book explores people’s relationship to the Kumtor gold mine in the mountains of Central Asia, which is slowly degrading the environment of the area. The reader takes a journey past high mountain lakes, the lost caravanserai of the Great Silk Road and developing farms. Farmers and mountain locals tell the traveler secrets about the lives of their ancestors and their hopes for the future of this beautiful place.
Kyrgyzstan: Kumtor and the Environment
September 23, 2013
Your article “Is Purported Extortion Video a Bid to Boost Foreign Investor Confidence?” tacitly suggests that protests against the environmental damage caused by the Kumtor gold mine in Kyrgyzstan are disingenuous and that no reliable reports evidence this damage, citing a leaked video as proof that the company is in fact a victim, rather than a culprit.
Kyrgyzstan and the conflict over natural resources
July 29, 2013
Kyrgyzstan is a mountainous country rich in water and natural resources. The country is one of 2000 priority ecological regions of the planet with unique ecosystems and biodiversity and is considered the “water tower” of Central Asia due to its Tien Shan glacier reserves. The management of Kyrgyzstan’s natural resources is crucial to the future sustainability of the country. However in a region where poverty is widespread, the primacy placed on economic development seriously threats sustainability.
New EBRD Environmental and Social policy needs climate muscle and tightened safeguards for protected areas
May 10, 2013
If there is one sector in which the EBRD has been causing particular controversy in recent years, it is the energy sector. From lignite in Slovenia to hydropower in Georgia and nuclear in Ukraine, the bank has financed a series of projects that have incurred opposition from various quarters. Now that the EBRD is revising its Environmental and Social Policy it’s time to take a look at what needs to be learned from these projects.
Kyrgyz parliament votes to renegotiate Kumtor gold mine contract
March 7, 2013
In a landmark ruling in late February, the Kyrgyz parliament voted to renegotiate a contract signed in 2009 with the Canadian mining firm Centerra Gold Inc. for the exploitation of the Kumtor gold mine, near the border with China. The 2009 deal is the most recent form of the contract between the Kyrgyz state and Centerra that has had a presence in the central Asian republic since the late nineties.
Constant dripping wears away the stone. Kyrgyz parliament votes to renegotiate Kumtor gold mine contract.
February 21, 2013
Challenging a mining operation that generates about ten percent of GDP in a country and particularly doing so on environmental and social grounds is an intimidating task. But as the example of the Kumtor gold mine in Kyrgyzstan shows, indefatigability and scientific expertise can persuade decision-makers to defend the interests of a country and its people.
