One year after the disastrous collapse of a mining dam in Brazil, UN experts called [press release] on the Brazilian government, Samarco, Vale, and BHP Billiton [corporate websites] Friday to refocus recovery efforts. The statement urged officials to act on issues concerning the environmental harm and human rights impact brought about by the catastrophe. While the UN acknowledged the steps that have already been taken to resettle affected communities and clean up the water-ways, the organization criticized the authorities for their slow progress. “The measures they are currently developing are simply insufficient to deal with the massive extent of the environmental and human costs of this collapse, which has been described as the worst socio-environmental disaster in the country’s history.”

In January Brazil’s Federal Police accused [JURIST report] seven people and the three companies of environmental crimes in its probe into the major Fundão dam collapse that occurred on November 5, 2015. Brazil’s Minster of Natural Environment said in November that the country’s government planned to sue [JURIST report] BHP Billiton Ltd., Vale SA and Samarco Mineração SA for USD $5.24 billion for damages caused by the dam collapse at an iron ore site. The Special Rapporteurs sent by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported [press release] that the “steps taken by the Brazilian government, Vale and BHP Billiton to prevent harm were clearly insufficient” and that “this disaster serves as yet another tragic example of the failure of businesses to adequately conduct human rights due diligence to prevent human rights abuses.”