Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
According to an article by the media outlet Erbol, the Provincial Unified Center of Indigenous Communities of Nor Lípez (CUPCONL) expressed its rejection of the lithium exploitation contract awarded to the Chinese company CATL BRUNP & CMOC (CBC), stating that prior consultation was not carried out and that the project could negatively impact water sources.
The CUPCONL stated that it has already sent various letters to entities of the People's Republic of China, including one to the Chinese embassy in Bolivia, warning that they will continue with international legal actions if the right to prior consultation is not upheld.
Specifically, CUPCONL reported that it sent letters and requests to the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals & Chemicals Importers & Exporters (CCCMC), the Chinese embassy in Bolivia, and the companies that are part of the Hong Kong CBC Investment Limited consortium.
According to CUPCONL, among the letters and requests sent to these Chinese entities is a popular legal action currently under review by the Plurinational Constitutional Court (TCP).
Regarding this mechanism, CUPCONL emphasized that if the TCP issues a ruling against their requests, they will take the case to the international legal arena, turning to the Inter-American Human Rights System.
On the other hand, CUPCONL stated that it had already warned the aforementioned Chinese entities that if the court’s ruling is in favor of the communities’ petitions, the contract in question will be rendered invalid and will jeopardize the legal security of the investments the Chinese company is making in the country.
Last but not least, CUPCONL released an official statement declaring that they will oppose any type of national or international megaproject that could affect their water sources and that does not have the consent of the legitimate owners of those territories.
* Original text in Spanish. Translated by Large Language Model (LLM) technology.
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