Widespread harms at the Cerrejón coal mine, Colombia

Supporting Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities fight back against the extensive harms from the infamous Cerrejón mine

Case summary

Alongside Colombian partners and Christian Aid, GLAN has filed a legal complaint against Anglo American, a UK-based multinational, for its role in environmental destruction and human rights abuses at the Cerrejón coal mine in La Guajira, Colombia. The complaint was submitted to the UK’s National Contact Point (NCP) under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Despite Anglo American co-owning the mine for over 20 years, the UK NCP refused to investigate, claiming lack of jurisdiction after the company sold its stake in 2022. GLAN argues this decision misapplies the OECD Guidelines and allows companies to evade accountability simply by divesting. The case calls on the UK government to correct this failure and ensure corporate accountability for overseas harms.

Case background

The Cerrejón Mine is one of the largest open-pit coal mines in the world. Its operations have caused:

Forced displacement of Indigenous Wayúu and Afro-Colombian communities
Severe air and water pollution
Widespread health impacts and human rights violations

Alongside our partners, GLAN has documented these harms and submitted complaints against Anglo American, BHP, Glencore, and Ireland’s state-owned energy provider ESB. Despite clear evidence, the UK NCP has failed to issue a final statement or engage meaningfully with the complaint. The case highlights the urgent need for stronger mechanisms to hold multinational corporations accountable for environmental and human rights abuses abroad, and warns that the UK risks becoming a safe haven for corporate impunity.

Case Timeline

19 January 2021

GLAN files simultaneous complaints to the NCPs in UK, Switzerland and Australia where Cerrejón’s parent companies are based.

We also file two complaints to the Irish NCP about Irish energy company ESB’s relationship with Cerrejón and the sales wing of Cerrjon known as CMC which is operates from Dublin. We argue that the mine must progressively closed down and its impacts remedied.