NO UNDP support for ecocrimes at Rosia Montana!

Bratislava Slovakia 27th February 2007. Greenpeace together with representatives of Alburnus Maior1 protested this morning in front of the Slovakian office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) against the potential involvement of UNDP in Europe's biggest gold mining project. While the demonstration was ongoing limousines arrived carrying the top management of the Canadian gold mining company Gabriel Resources together with Ms Soknan Han Jung and Mr Florin Banateanu from UNDP Romania. The meeting is about the \sustainable development plans' for the destructive project that is considered by the Romanian Academy the Hungarian government and the European Parliament as a serious ecological threat for the whole Central European region.

The people who gathered outside the building of UNDP Slovakia asked in an open letter to the director of BCR about the nature of collaboration between UNDP-UNEP and Gabriel Resources and about the relevant reports that have not been made accessible to the public and all stakeholders except for the gold mine company itself. The letter also questions the impartiality of Philip Peck who is working for two different expert commissions and is pushing for a go-ahead of the Rosia Montana mine development in both of them.2

Gabriel Resources intends to develop Europe's largest open cast cyanide leach gold mine project in Rosia Montana (Romania). The planned investment will destroy a unique environment of great natural and cultural value foresees the use of over 13 million kilograms of cyanide per year and entails significant risks with a potential transboundary impact. The Rosia Montana gold mining project is 40 times larger than the Baia Mare gold mine which caused one of Europe's largest ecological disaster in January 2000.

"The planned gold mine is one of the worst investment projects in the region. It will cause major destruction only to put in place an ecological "The project clearly violates European and international law including the European Convention on Human Rights. We consider it outrageous that a UN institution is even considering to support a project which would entail the expropriation of those refusing to leave and threaten the region with an ecological catastrophe" said Noemi Nemes Greenpeace Hungary.

"An organization that is based on and proud of its transparency and impartiality cannot hide behind close doors to celebrate a dangerous wedding with a gold mine company! UNDP must realize that Rosia Montana gold mine project can never be sold as a sustainable development just as cyanide is not safe to drink" said Stefania Simion legal councilor of Alburnus Maior.

For more information contact:

Katerina Ventusova Greenpeace campaigner Slovakia tel: +421 905921918
Juraj Rizman Greenpeace media officer Slovakia tel: +421 908729997

Stefania Simion and Stephanie Roth Alburnus Maior tel: +40 740 342104
No*mi Nemes Greenpeace campaigner Hungary tel: +36 20 4696909

For images of the action as well as a discussion between the activists and UNDP's communication specialist Mr. Zoran Stevanovic access  http://www.rosiamontana.ro/UNDP_action/

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Director
UNDP RBEC Bratislava Regional Centre Grosslingova 35 811 09 Bratislava Slovak Republic
27 February 2007

Dear Madam/ Sir

In June 2006 UNDP Romania and members of BRC came to Rosia Montana/ Romania. Here Canadian Gabriel Resources wishes to develop Europe's largest open cast cyanide leach gold mine. At Rosia Montana the UN mission met with members of Alburnus Maior a local NGO which was told that the purpose of this visit was to evaluate for Romania's minister of the Environment development possibilities in the event that the proposed open cast gold was not given the go-ahead. The UNDP website indicates several reports about this UNDP mission that are inaccessible to the public and even written prior the mission's actual visit to Rosia Montana.

It has come to our attention from Hungarian mass-media that Gabriel Resources is interested to form a partnership with UNDP Romania and BRC. Whilst we strongly oppose such partnership which would only tarnish UNDP's reputation we would for the sake of transparency like to receive concrete answers to the following questions:
1. Is UNDP-UNEP working on a sustainable development project at Rosia Montana? If yes what is the nature of this project?
2. According to the Hungarian press (Saturday 24 February Nepszabadsag) an UNDP-UNEP team is considering a 20 million USD partnership with Gabriel Resources. Is this accurate?
3. What is negotiated/desired partnership/collaboration between UNDP-UNEP and Gabriel Resources? Is there co-financing involved/ considered? If yes from whom?
4. To what extent is Philip Peck involved in the report giving that he came with the fact finding mission to Rosia Montana?

According to our information Gabriel Resources has not only being access to the resulting reports but has also been left free to edit the documents. Civil society stakeholders on the other hand have not even been given access to these documents. For the sake of transparency and impartiality we herewith request UNDP to publish all reports on Rosia Montana including:
- The sustainable development perspectives of the Rosia Montana community in the light of the possibility of a major investment in gold mining; May 2006
- Sustainable development at Rosia Montana (Romania) * back to office report by Hachemi Bahloul;
- UNDP/BRC Fact Finding Mission Report on Sustainable Development Pathways for Rosia Montana (Mission Report)

Thank you very much in advance for kind cooperation

Eugen David President Alburnus Maior
Berk Street No 361 Rosia Montana Alba County Romania

Katerina Ventusova Greenpeace Toxic Campaigner
Vancurova 7 P.O.BOX 58 814 99 Bratislava

P.S. We hereby inform you that copies of this letter have been sent out to the international media.



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