These are the key legal documents (laws, decrees, political documents) that govern Venezuelan Amazonia and specifically prohibit mining in Protected Areas in Venezuela. Most importantly, the ORGANIC LAW OF THE FRESHWATER MEGARESERVE & BIODIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH OF THE ORINOCO & AMAZONIA (Sanctioned by the National Assembly on November 27, 2018) proposes a territorial reorganization in the entire Southern region of Venezuela – Bolivar and Amazonas state – and ratifies that all mining in the Arco Minero and in Protected Areas is illegal.
The two countries have an interest in curbing armed groups’ activities to reactivate joint energy projects along their shared border, but the window of opportunity to do so is likely to close soon.
The undersigned Venezuelan and international civil society organizations, led by SOSOrinoco,
take note of the decision by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets
Control (OFAC) to issue General Licenses 51A, 54, and 55, authorizing expanded activities
involving Venezuelan-origin minerals, including gold, as well as services and prospective
investments in Venezuela’s mining sector. These measures significantly broaden the scope of
prior authorizations under General License 51, which already permitted transactions involving
Venezuelan gold, including those tied to Venezuela’s state mining company, Minerven, and its
affiliates.
Civil society organizations and environmental and human rights defenders warn that Venezuela’s proposed Organic Mining Law poses a serious threat to ecosystems and communities. They argue the draft would legitimize ongoing environmental destruction—particularly in the Amazon and Guiana Shield—while weakening transparency, environmental safeguards, and Indigenous rights. The law allows excessive government discretion, fails to require mandatory environmental impact assessments, and opens the door to mining in vulnerable and partially protected areas. It also promotes militarization of mining zones and falls short of international standards on free, prior, and informed consent.
March 23, 2026
Organizations call for suspending the law’s approval and incorporating key protections, including transparency mechanisms, mandatory impact assessments, stronger environmental and labor standards, respect for Indigenous rights, and clear frameworks for remediation and accountability.
GENEVA (July 4, 2020) A UN human rights report published today urges the Government of Venezuela to take immediate, concrete measures to halt and remedy the grave violations of economic, social, civil, political and cultural rights documented in the country.
La solicitud presentada por la Asociación Hutukara Yanomami y el Conselho Nacional de Direitos Humanos se refiere a los miembros la Tierra Indígena Yanomami, constituida por 321 aldeas que incluyen pueblos de contacto reciente y algunos en aislamiento voluntario. Las personas beneficiarias se encontrarían en una situación especial de riesgo ante la pandemia de COVID-19.
Our position on
the Orinoco Mining Arc
The purpose of SOSOrinoco is to shed light on the existing body of work regarding the situation in the Amazonia and Orinoquia regions of Venezuela, to raise awareness of the tragedy that is occurring and to outline some urgent measures that need to be taken in order to halt the unfolding human and environmental disaster.