DRAFT RESOLUTION FOR THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ON THE IMPACT OF THE NUCLEAR INDUSTRY ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

Ria Verjauw
rverjauw@dma.be
October 25, 1997

Proposed in connection with the visit of the Uranium Tour of Indigenous Peoples to the European Parliament in Bruxelles, October 1997.

Considering the rights of Indigenous Peoples as recognised in the ILO Convention 169 and the Covenant on Social, Economical and Cultural Rights as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and that Human Rights recognise Indigenous Peoples as groups of human beings with the right to be treated as such, rather than just groups of non-persons,

Whereas 70% of the world's uranium resources are located on the lands inhabited by Indigenous Peoples in Africa, Asia, Australia and North and South America.

Whereas for each ton of uranium oxide, approximately 40,000 tons of 'tailings' remain behind as low level radioactive waste. and whereas these tailings hold up to 85% of the ore's original radioactivity, and whereas uranium mill tailings remain highly radioactive for at least 300,000 to 700,000 years,

Whereas mining activities leave dumpsites unprotected enabling the spreading of carcinogenic dust from the tailings to the surrounding water, air and soil, and thus also contaminating agricultural and animal meat by-products and foods for human consumption, as well as human lungs, and whereas proper provision is not made for land restorations and /or reclamation,

Whereas traditional Indigenous Peoples landrights are violated by maldevelopment policies, serving only the interests of transnational corporations and not those of the local communities,

Whereas part of the mined uranium is used in nuclear reactors in the European Union (EU) and has also been used as the raw material for nuclear weapons programmes including nuclear weapons testing, in connection with the defence policy of certain EU Member States, which has led to the injuring of Indigenous Peoples and the productive capacity of their lands throughout regions of the world,

Whereas the mining and concentration of nuclear raw materials produces considerable quantities of greenhouse gases, partly in the country of origin, contrary to the current misconception that nuclear power per se does not produce greenhouse gases,

The European Parliament

* We use the title "Solar Energy" instead of "Renewable or Sustainable" because wind, biomass, ocean wave, and other like technologies derive their energy potential directly from the sun. There is a similar proposal put forward by the NGO EuroSolar.


The Uranium Tour is organized by For Mother Earth.
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