She has been spearheading campaigns highlighting the plight of indigenous communities worldwide. More recently, Bianca Jagger has been in the news for persuading the Church of England to divest its stake in the UK-based Vedanta Resources, whose proposed mining project threatens the home of tribals in Niyamgiri, Orissa. In an interview, Jagger explains her position and concerns to Anuradha Raman. Excerpts:
So you convinced the Church of England (CoE) to disinvest from Vedanta.
It would be presumptuous of me to suggest I persuaded them. Ultimately, the church followed its own process. It followed the advice of its Ethical Investmen Advisory Group. What I will say is that the Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation and ActionAid have been lobbying for the consideration of the human rights and environmental consequences of the proposed bauxite mining. Unfortunately, the matter is not over yet. The shareholding of the church was #£8,10,750. The remaining shareholders also need to ask questions and reconsider their investment.
