Summary

Cerro de Pasco is a mining town located on the high plateau of central Peru. Numerous Peruvian governmental authorities and NGOs, as well as international organizations, have reported that Cerro de Pasco is exposed to extreme levels of environmental pollution caused by mining which impacts on the health of the town’s inhabitants. Cerro de Pasco’s mines are owned and operated by the Peruvian company Volcan Compañía Minera S.A.A. (“Volcan”). In November 2017, Glencore acquired additional shares from Volcan and is now holding 55.03% of Volcan’s voting shares. In February 2019, the Council invited the Center for Climate Crime Analysis (“CCCA”) to provide a report on the situation in Cerro de Pasco, including an analysis of any “responsibilities of the company” for the human and environmental harm caused. The Human Rights Center’s Investigations Lab conducted open source investigations and analysis to support this project. Many environmental, social, health, and economic impacts were found to result from Volcan’s involvement in Cerro de Pasco. CCCA determined that Volcan is responsible for the environmental contamination in Cerro de Pasco and for the direct impact that this has on the physical and mental health of many people of Cerro de Pasco, and in particular of the children of Paragsha.