Disputed grounds: Gold mining, resistance and investment arbitration in Türkiye
Photo: Bekir Dindar / SOMO
SOMO | 13 November 2024
Disputed grounds: Gold mining, resistance and investment arbitration in Türkiye
by: Bart-Jaap Verbeek and Abdurrahman Erol
Summary
- Large-scale mining projects highlight complex tensions between states, foreign investors, and local communities, leading to environmental and social risks for communities.
- Governments are frequently caught between promoting foreign investment and local economic interests, with community concerns often side-lined.
- When governments do respond to local opposition, like in the case of the Kirazlı gold mine in Türkiye, they are often met with the threat of costly arbitration claims through Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) under international investment treaties.
- The exclusion of community voices from ISDS processes stifles their democratic and participatory rights and points to a broader need for structural reform, emphasising the importance of transparent, inclusive investment frameworks that respect environmental and human rights protections.
