2016 October 2016 - Conectas

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Oct 4, 2016 - the lives of approximately 25,000 people. ... North America and Africa. ... The territory claimed by CIPS
Universal Periodic Review of the United Nations Human Rights Council – 2016 The Implantation of the Industrial Port Complex Governor Eraldo Gueiros (CIPS). Pernambuco-Recife, Brazil.

Adoption of effective means of safeguarding traditional ways of life and ensuring the fundamental rights and wellbeing of the population within the area of influence of the CIPS.

Main categories: a) Human rights violations by State agents b) Minorities and traditional communities c) Businesses and human rights d) Free, prior and informed consultation e) The environment – ecocide

Submitted by: Conectas Human Rights (11) 3884-7440 – http://www.conectas.org Fórum Suape – Espacio Socio-ambiental http://www.forumsuape.ning.com

This document was translated in collaboration with Alexander Cavan and Loni Thorson, online volunteers mobilized through www.onlinevolunteering.org.

October 2016

1.

Contextualization of the Case: I.

The implantation region of CIPS The coastal region of Pernambuco state, located in the northeast of Brazil, is home to a richly diverse landscape with reef ecosystems, mangroves, estuaries, restinga forests and the Atlantic Forest. Historically, the region has been home to traditional communities, including fishers, female seafood harvesters, and farmers. The natural beauty of the beaches and the countless possibilities for leisure activities attract tourism from all over the world and drive a large sector of the state’s economy. The region has undergone profound transformations as a result of the installation of the CIPS, a state-owned, mixed-economy enterprise. The negative consequences in the social, economic and environmental spheres cannot be overlooked. There have been countless human rights violations committed against traditional communities and temporary workers, hired by the thousands and drawn from other regions, by CIPS construction projects.

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The Industrial Port Complex Governor Eraldo Gueiros – CIPS

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The CIPS consists of a union of mixed-economy port and industrial mega-enterprises. It is implanted around 40km south of the city of Recife, capital of Pernambuco state, in the northeast of Brazil. Referred by authorities as the ‘Engine of the state’, ‘el Eldorado’ and the ‘Jewel in the Crown’, the CIPS makes up a vast area of more than 13,500 hectares and affects the lives of approximately 25,000 people. The majority of the families, many of which have already been affected, are characterized as traditional communities, distributed in regions referred to as ‘ingenios’. This term comes from ingenios azucareros, referring to the time of their grandparents and great-grandparents working on the large sugar plantations or, in the coastal regions, as fishermen in the seaside and river regions. According to the CIPS official website,1 The complex has more than one hundred companies installed "including chemical, metal-mechanical, naval and logistics industries, which will strengthen the power generation centers, bulk cargoes of liquids and gases, food and wind power, as well as opening spaces in other segments such as grains and logistics. In total, the aforementioned exceeds R$40BN in investments2.” Among other mixed-economy projects is the NALR - Northeast Abreu and Lima Petroleum Refinery. The port of Suape is considered one of the main investment centers in the country and has a strategic location, in relation to the main maritime routes, connected to more than 160 ports on every continent and with direct connections to Europe, North America and Africa. The official website highlights the rapid expansion of the

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Available at: www.suape.pe.gov. Accessed 4th October 2016 Official IPCG website: