Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina

China UPR: Cease overseas mining and power plant construction and urgently address human rights violations

Posted on by fredsaxo

Instead, China must urgently focus on providing remedies for communities harmed by Chinese-backed mining and power plant projects and prevent future abuses and violations of the right to food and nutrition.

Despite President Xi Jinping's 2021 pledge to support green and low-carbon energy development in developing countries, and China's promise to halt the construction of new overseas coal power projects, numerous local communities worldwide continue to endure the devastating impacts of Chinese-backed coal mines and thermal plants. These projects compromise their access to food, nutrition, and related rights, revealing a glaring inconsistency between China's commitments and the harsh realities on the ground.

Coal mining projects frequently involve forcible land acquisitions, leaving affected communities with no choice but to sell their agricultural land, often without adequate compensation. In Sahiwal, Pakistan, communities faced a coercive government land acquisition process and many farmers were forced into selling their agricultural lands to make way for a Chinese-funded coal-fired power plant. Multilayered pollution is already affecting local food production — damaging agricultural land and crops, contaminating water used for irrigation and domestic purposes, and altering food consumption patterns.

In parts of Serbia, people can no longer grow food for their own consumption and are forced to rely on supermarkets, straining household incomes. The severe pollution of air, water, and soil caused by coal thermal plants has taken a significant toll on human health in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Authorities did not do anything to stop the pollution generated by the old coal power plant and ash disposal sites. The pollution will continue for decades to come without any consequence for the authorities, while people continue to fall ill,” says Denis Zisko from the Aarhus Center.

FIAN’s joint submission to the UPR highlights glaring irregularities in community consultation and environmental impact assessment procedures. In Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, authorities renewed an environmental permit for the Tuzla 7 thermal power plant, despite complaints from civil society groups that emission values were not prescribed in line with the European Industrial Emission Directive during the impact assessment process. This exemplifies flagrant violations of national laws and policies.

“Although the Chinese side was aware of the fact that it could not deliver the equipment produced by General Electric – which was listed as a technical obligation in the contract between China Gezhouba Group Company Limited and Elektroprivreda BiH – it still put pressure on BiH authorities to continue with the project and insisted that this equipment be replaced by an alternative one, produced by a Chinese company,” laments Denis Zisko from Aarhus Center in BiH.

“This shows the contractor's complete lack of interest in withdrawing from the Tuzla 7 project and thereby fulfilling China’s pledge to support green and low-carbon energy development in developing countries.”

In Serbia, the Kostolac B3 in Drmno was constructed without legally obtained permits.

“We have challenged this before the Aarhus Convention, which proves that none of the coal capacities can be legally constructed. This situation highlights how China, in collaboration with Serbian authorities, is systematically undermining legal security in Serbia,” says Zvezdan Kalmar from the Center for Ecology and Sustainable Development (Centar za ekologiju i održivi razvoj, CEKOR).

While this leniency in enforcing existing policies and laws by national governments is concerning, China's actions constitute a breach of its human rights obligations beyond its borders (extraterritorial human rights obligations). China has also disregarded the 2023 recommendations (Concluding Observations) of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which specifically called for a halt in ongoing financing for coal-fired plant construction abroad and for China to ensure that business entities are held accountable for violations of economic, social, and cultural rights, with particular attention to peasants’ land rights, environmental impacts, and expropriation.

These recommendations echo demands made by several states during the UPR China review, including the Marshall Islands (suspension of ongoing financing for coal-fired power plants), Ecuador (measures to ensure that companies and financial institutions operating abroad respect human rights in all their activities), and Mexico (implementation of the recommendations on business and human rights made to China by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights).

Signed:

Aarhus Center BiH

Center for ecology and sustainable development, CEKOR

FIAN International

Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee PKRC

For more information or media interviews, please contact Tom Sullivan, FIAN International Communication and Campaigns Coordinator: sullivan@fian.com

Coal Power Ecological Destruction in the Western Balkans

Posted on by fredsaxo

The Western Balkans has some of Europe‘s highest air pollution levels. Both countries source most of their energy from fossil fuels, especially domestically produced coal, with little regard for its impact on local communities.  

A recent expansion has been funded by controversial Chinese-backed investments, often without environmental impact assessments and despite China’s commitment to cease funding coal power.

This has exposed local communities and farmers to pollution, land erosion and loss of livelihood.

Many have fought for years to be re-located or fairly compensated. They have lost their land and livelihoods, seen their houses and farm buildings crumble around them and their health deteriorate.

In a new report Coal Power Ecological Destruction in the Western Balkans FIAN International and local civil society groups highlight the harm inflicted by coal power and call for justice for affected communities and for Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to phase out coal power in line with their international human rights obligations, the Paris Agreement, and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. 

The report was compiled with the Center for Ecology and Sustainable Development (Centar za ekologiju i održivi razvoj, CEKOR) in Serbia, the Center for Environment (Centar za životnu sredinu, CZZS), and the Aarhus Center (Aarhus Centar) in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

English full report, Executive Summary, and Key Recommendations.

Serbian full report, Executive Summary, and Key Recommendations. 

Bosnian full report, Executive Summary, and Key Recommendations. 

Governments must halt coal power ecocide and make amends in Western Balkans

Posted on by fredsaxo

The Western Balkans has some of Europe‘s highest air pollution levels. Both countries source most of their energy from fossil fuels, especially domestically produced coal, with little regard for its impact on local communities.  

A recent expansion has been funded by controversial Chinese-backed investments, often without environmental impact assessments and despite China’s commitment to cease funding coal power. 

Lost land and livelihoods

This has exposed local communities and farmers to pollution, land erosion and loss of livelihood.

Many have fought for years to be re-located or fairly compensated. They have lost their land and livelihoods, seen their houses and farm buildings crumble around them and their health deteriorate. 

“It is high time the authorities take actions to protect the interest of the population, rather than those of the polluters,” says Denis Žiško from Aarhus Center in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In a new report published today Coal Power Ecological Destruction in the Western Balkans FIAN International and local civil society groups highlight the harm inflicted by coal power and call for justice for affected communities and for Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to phase out coal power in line with their international human rights obligations, the Paris Agreement, and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. 

The report was compiled with the Center for Ecology and Sustainable Development (Centar za ekologiju i održivi razvoj, CEKOR) in Serbia, the Center for Environment (Centar za životnu sredinu, CZZS), and the Aarhus Center (Aarhus Centar) in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Sinking village

It investigates the impacts of coal mining and related activities throughout the coal cycle on people’s right to adequate food and nutrition and to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. There is a particular focus on local struggles and resistance to the impacts of coal power in three locations: the villages of Klicevac and Drmno, near Drmno mine and Kostolac power plant in Serbia; Kamengrad mine and Kamengrad village, in the municipality of Sanski Most in Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Ugljevik power plant and coal mine, also in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“The mine is destroying not only their livelihoods but also their properties,“ says Zvezdan Kalmar from CEKOR, about the impact of Drmno mine on the nearby village of Klicevac in Serbia.

“We expect that in a few years time … part of the village will actually sink,“ he adds.

Testimonies gathered from local people and civil society groups highlight clear indications of ecological destruction. These include polluted and disrupted groundwater supplies, which leads to waterlogging, water shortages and diminished agricultural yields. There are also reports of plant diseases, flooding and subsiding of homes and farm facilities and increased instances of respiratory illness, allergies, and other severe health issues.

Laws must be respected

Despite this, the governments of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have yet to act. There is a shocking lack of transparency, participation, and local democracy in both countries combined with repeated failures to conform to national and international legal frameworks. Local communities are rarely consulted and there is little evidence of credible environmental impact assessments. 

“Policies and laws are there to be respected and duly followed. What is the point of having them if they are simply ignored? Says Dragan Osti? from the Center for Environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“We need to keep our environment clean, alive, and for people and communities to be able to live on their land for as long as they wish to.”

FIAN International joins local civil society groups, CEKOR, CZZS, Aarhus Center, and the communities in demanding urgent action from the governments of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovia to address these serious rights violations. They must establish proper remedy mechanisms to compensate and resettle affected people, stop support to coal-fired power and set ambitious coal phase-out goals in line with their international human rights obligations and the Paris Agreement.

They should also do more to safeguard, respect, and restore biodiversity, with a particular focus on the human right to adequate food and nutrition, and the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

Read in English the full report, the Executive Summary, and the Key Recommendations.

Read in Serbian the full report, the Executive Summary, and the Key Recommendations. 

Read in Bosnian the full report, the Executive Summary, and the Key Recommendations. 

For more information or media interviews please contact Clara Roig Medina, FIAN International Digital Communications: roig@fian.org

EU Must Act to Stop Coal Power Ecocide in Western Balkans

Posted on by fredsaxo

The Western Balkans has some of Europe’s highest air pollution levels. Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina source most of their energy from fossil fuels, especially domestically produced coal, with little regard for its impact on local communities. 

Most of the coal power plants were constructed during the Yugoslavia era, but a recent expansion of this polluting energy source has been funded by controversial Chinese-backed investments, often without environmental impact assessments and despite China’s commitment to cease funding coal power.

Local communities have fought for years to be re-located or fairly compensated for the impact of pollution and land erosion from mines and power stations. They have lost their land and livelihoods, seen their houses crumble around them and their health deteriorate due to coal-related diseases..

In a new briefing paper for EU institutions, EU must act to stop coal power ecocide in Western Balkans, FIAN International and local civil society groups highlight the harm inflicted by coal power and call for justice for the affected communities, including resettlement, compensation and the implementation of the EU's Green Agenda for the Western Balkans.

Read the briefing paper here.

EU must act to stop Balkan coal power ecocide

Posted on by fredsaxo

The Western Balkans has some of Europe’s highest air pollution levels. Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina source most of their energy from fossil fuels, especially domestically produced coal, with little regard for its impact on local communities. 

Most of the coal power plants were constructed during the Yugoslavia era, but a recent expansion of this polluting energy source has been funded by controversial Chinese-backed investments, often without environmental impact assessments and despite China’s committment to cease funding coal power.

Local communities have fought for years to be re-located or fairly compensated for the impact of pollution and land erosion from mines and power stations. They have lost their land and livelihoods, seen their houses crumble around them and their health deteriorate due to coal-related diseases..

In a new briefing paper for EU institutions, “EU must act to stop coal power ecocide in Western Balkans”, FIAN International and local civil society groups highlight the harm inflicted by coal power and call for justice for the affected communities, including resettlement, compensation and the implementation of the EU's Green Agenda for the Western Balkans.

“Apart from its impact on climate change, coal power jeopardizes internationally agreed human rights, notably the right to a healthy environment, the right to water, the right to health and the right to adequate food and nutrition,“ says FIAN International's Angelica Castañeda Flores.

 

“This ecological destruction shows how closely ecological health is intertwined with human life and wellbeing.” 

FIAN International has met affected people in several locations dominated by largescale coal mining and highly polluting coal power plants, notably Klicevac and Drmno villages, in eastern Serbia; Sanski Most in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina; and Ugljevik power plant and coal mine in the country’s northeast. 

“Most people living next to the mine are demanding resettlement and to get arable lands … to receive real compensation, to live somewhere else, to save their children, their lives and their health from the impossible living conditions,” says Zvezdan Kalmar from Serbia’s Center for Ecology and Sustainable Development (CEKOR).

 

 

Ecological destruction  

Testimonies, combined with observations by FIAN International, point to clear signs of ecological destruction, with devastating consequences for local people.  

This includes waterlogging, water shortages and lower agricultural yields. Air and water pollution and changes to wind patterns from large scale excavations were also reported, as well as crop diseases, damage to people’s houses and farm buildings and increased instances of respiratory illness, allergies and other serious health issues.   

Despite this, the governments of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have yet to act. There is a shocking lack of transparency, participation, and local democracy in both countries combined with repeated failures to conform to national and international legal frameworks. Local communities are rarely consulted and there is little evidence of credible environmental impact assessments.  

This is a clear breach of the states’ international human rights and environmental obligations and commitments including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.  

FIAN International joins local civil society groups, CEKOR, CZZS, Aarhus Center in Bosnia and Herzegovia, and the communities in demanding urgent action from the governments of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovia and the EU to address these serious environmental and human rights violations and to establish proper remedy mechanisms to compensate and resettle affected people.   

These two EU candidate countries must fully respect their national and international environmental and human rights obligations and commitments. And the EU must do more to address the sizeable challenges related to coal power in the region, and to implement the European Union Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, not least by making any future EU funding conditional on demonstrating respect for environmental and human rights.  

Read the briefing paper here.

For more information or media interviews please contact Tom Sullivan, FIAN International Communication & Campaigns: sullivan@fian.org / WhatsApp: +46 73 046 2753  

FIAN welcomes UN recommendations on China’s human rights obligations

Posted on by fredsaxo

The expansion of China’s business and activities outside its territory has been accompanied by a considerable increase in human rights abuses and detrimental environmental impacts affecting local communities’ ability to feed themselves. FIAN and several civil society organizations strongly urged the CESCR to call on China to respect and protect the human rights of people affected by its overseas investments and business activities. Some organizations have also addressed the alarming fact that China continues to finance and construct new coal power plants abroad – despite a 2021 pledge to stop – to the detriment of local communities’ human rights.

The committee shared these concerns. It also noted the lack of adequate and effective measures to ensure that companies do not abuse ESC rights and called on China to hold its business entities, including sub-suppliers and financiers  to account for violations of ESC rights. It further called for the establishment of follow-up and monitoring mechanisms to investigate and sanction such harmful activities.

“The Concluding Observations clearly depart from those issued in 2014. There is a much stronger emphasis on human rights accountability, beyond due diligence,” for corporations said Stephan Backes, FIAN’s Extraterritorial Obligations Coordinator.

“FIAN also welcomes the committee’s effort to oblige China to guarantee access to remedy for people suffering from ESC violations caused by its breaches of human rights obligations overseas.”

The Committee recommended that China adopts necessary measures (both legislative and administrative) to ensure the legal liability of business entities, including subsidiaries and sub-suppliers and to be guided by the committee’s General Comment 24 which highlights states’ human rights obligations in the context of business activities.

And on the controversial issue of China continuing to fund coal power plants, the committee’s recommendation is straightforward: Suspend the construction of new power plants and stop ongoing financing of construction.

“These CESCR recommendations support RERI’s claims made over the past several years regarding the activities of Chinese companies in Serbia, specifically Zijin Copper DOO and Linglong Tire's Factory,“ said Hristina Vojvodi?, Senior Legal Officer at the Renewables and Environmental Regulatory Institute (RERI).

“As strategic partners of the Serbian Government, these companies enjoy a privileged position in the market, often avoiding labor and environmental regulations,“ she added.

“We hope these recommendations will encourage and persuade China to adopt appropriate measures which will guarantee protection from harmful effects stemming from Chinese business activities in Serbia.“

For media enquiries please contact Milena Dragovic milena.dragovic@reri.org.rs or Tom Sullivan sullivan@fian.org