Faith leaders around the world urge El Salvador to retain ban on metal mining to protect clean water for communities
On December 1, 153 prominent faith organizations from 25 countries released a powerful letter (available under Downloads below) that urges El Salvador's historic 2017 metals mining ban to remain in place. In 2024, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele overturned the ban.
The full list of signatories represents local, regional, and national expressions of faith communities, denominations, and related agencies in El Salvador, the United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, Zambia, and Palestine, among others.
El Salvador faces multiple challenges and environmental threats that would be exacerbated by large-scale industrial mining. On March 29, 2017, El Salvador’s legislature voted unanimously to prohibit all metals mining in order to save its rivers and water. That momentous decision was the result of powerful sustained organizing by ordinary community members in El Salvador, and supported by communities around the world. The faith community played a huge role in that historic victory to defend water and land resources.
“The Salvadoran precautionary approach banning metal mining is essential to protect drinking water and aquatic ecosystems, given the irreparable damage that has been done by irresponsible mining around the world,” says Professor Susan Lea Smith of the Ecumenical Water Network of the World Council of Churches. “El Salvador had made a difficult but wise choice in banning metal mining. Clean water is a gift from God, and so, for the sake of clean water and the rest of Creation, we work together for the common good. We pray that they will not abandon their determination to prevent heavy metal pollution from mining.”
“In an age when extraction of hard rock metals is intensifying, and when regulatory and climate mitigation guardrails are disappearing, it is incumbent upon us to take care of God’s creation. It is imperative to protect communities from the long-term harms created by these toxic, contaminated sites. When we commit to care for each other and for the planet, and to spiritual transformation, even small efforts can move mountains,” says Bishop Ciriaco Q. Francisco of the Ecumenical Bishops Forum of the Philippines.
In the letter, signatories expressed steadfast support for the people of El Salvador and their church institutions and leaders, who are struggling to maintain the historic ban on metal mining so all Salvadorans can continue to enjoy the right to clean water.
“Salvadoran church leaders remind us that access to water is a fundamental human right and that clean water is not a commodity, but a shared inheritance entrusted to all people by God. Ending the mining ban is fueling egregious rights violations against those organizing to protect their water and land from destruction,” reads the letter. “We join their call that the Government of El Salvador not threaten, stigmatize or persecute people and organizations that are ‘carrying out their duties’ to protect water, land and communities, and support their call for the immediate dropping of charges against water defenders and human rights lawyers.”
“Through this declaration, faith communities from around the world have affirmed their solidarity with faith leaders in El Salvador as they carry out their duty to protect water as a sacred inherited trust, a human right meant to be shared by all,” said the Rev. Dr. Japhet Ndhlovu, Executive Minister for the Church in Mission Unit of The United Church of Canada.
After the announcement in 2024 of Bukele's intent to reverse the mining ban, the Roman Catholic Church in El Salvador called upon the president not to lift the country’s ban on gold mining. The former and current Archbishops of San Salvador, Fernando Sáenz Lacalle and José Luis Escobar Alas, both spoke eloquently about the dangers of cyanide in mining and advocated for the prohibition of mining. Archbishop Escobar Alas, the Bishop’s Conference of El Salvador, and the Central American Bishops Conference have all expressed concerns about Bukele’s intention to revert the mining prohibition.
Read the full letter below.
The signatories will highlight the release of the letter in a virtual webinar for the press on December 1 at 1 pm El Salvador time, or 2 pm ET. Click here to register to attend.