Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Baroness Coussins (Crossbench). It was answered by Lord Howell of Guildford (Conservative) on Wednesday, 23 November 2011.

Colombia

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their discussions with the President of Colombia during his visit will include the subject of monitoring the human rights and environmental impacts of British and multinational corporations engaged in mining activities in Colombia.

Answer: My Lords, discussions covered a range of issues, including human rights. We agreed a joint declaration on human rights. We held a ““green growth”” event, in which we discussed the importance of environmental impact assessments for the mining industry. Our embassy in Colombia was a founding member of the Colombian Mining and Energy Committee, which includes government, industry and civil society observers. It looks at compliance with the voluntary principles on security and human rights.

Secondary information