First steps
DIALOGUE
The Renova Foundation has listening, dialogue and social participation as guiding practices for its actions with the affected communities.
Engagement actions are fundamental for building the joint path. By December 2019, around 110 thousand people had attended collective dialogue meetings.
The Renova Foundation provides permanent channels of communication and interaction with society through fixed, virtual and toll-free call centers, which work to ensure that responses are provided within the established period, in accessible, appropriate and understandable language to interested parties.
Ombudsman
To register complaints or reports of cases which have violated moral and ethical principles, the Renova Foundation has an Ombudsman. Transparency and respect for the protester’s privacy are guaranteed. It also investigates allegations of misconduct, disrespect for human rights and non-compliance with laws and obligations.
REGISTRATION
The Integrated Register is the basis for recognizing the losses suffered by each individual.
It is essential to create the database that defines the repair initiatives. Through this system, it becomes possible to characterize the extent of the impact for each person and to identify those affected and their material and economic losses. It is a comprehensive form that identifies material damage.
The completion is voluntary and the affected person may be accompanied by a lawyer or legal counsel.
EMERGENCY RESGITRATION
Soon after the 2015 dam failure, the emergency registration started and was carried out until May 2016, when the Renova Foundation took over the process.
Mariana
On July 24th, 2019, the first indemnity agreements were approved with 83 families affected in Mariana (MG). In November 2019, those affected were receiving final compensation. In the municipality, the payment of indemnities went through a process which was different from the rest of the impacted region, due to several factors, including the evaluation of Public Civil Action by the Public Ministry and the decisions of the affected people, who chose that the registration to be carried out by the Caritas Technical Advisor.
The Renova Foundation respected the decision of those affected that the registration should be carried out by Cáritas and, therefore, it did not initiate the process of indemnities payment in the region before an agreement under the Public Civil Action. The agreement was ratified by the Court of Justice of Minas Gerais (TJMG) and by the Judicial Center for the Resolution of Conflicts and Citizenship (Cejusc) in the Mariana district.
INDEMNITY
Indemnity for directly affected people is a core task in the repair process.
Until December 2019, R$ 2,11 billion were allocated to the indemnity and emergency financial aid processes, which reached around 320 thousand people across the region impacted by the Fundão dam failure. To create an alternative to a judicial process, the proposal for the Mediated Indemnity Program (PIM), a free voluntary membership program, was collectively developed.
PIM works on two indemnity fronts: Water Damage, for people who lived in cities and districts that had their water supply interrupted for more than 24 hours, and General Damage, aimed at people who lost their income or material goods.
It was necessary to develop guidelines and policies in order to repair those who are entitled to financial compensation considering the diversity of damages, the high informality and the individuality of each process. Fair indemnity presupposes knowing the extent of the damage and impact for each individual.
*PAYMENTS CONCLUDED UNTIL DECEMBER 2019
MEDIATED INDEMNITY PROGRAM - PIM
More than 500 professionals are distributed in 22 Mediated Indemnity Centers located throughout the impacted territory.
Water damage
The Water Damage was aimed at all people who lived in cities and districts which had no water supply and distribution for more than 24 hours uninterrupted due to the Fundão dam failure, in November 2015.
Scheduling: Contact for scheduling the presentation of indemnity proposals
Reimbursement: People who lived in cities and districts that had their water supply interrupted for more than 24 hours, due to the dam failure
Proposals: Simplified proof of impact – proof of residence
General damage
Integrated registration: Application of interviews and integrated form
Compensation: Moral damages, material damages and loss profits
Damage Matrix: Definition of a damage matrix set with more than a thousand items
Value criteria: The criteria of indemnity values for general damages were previously discussed with impacted communities, representatives of public authorities and technical entities. Indemnity is calculated individually for each affected party or group of affected parties and considers the particularities of each party.
EMERGENCY FINANCIAL AID
Renova Foundation pays a monthly emergency financial aid to more than 32 thousand people who have suffered a direct impact on their economic or productive activity due to the dam failure.
The amount, previously discussed with representatives of the Public Ministry of Labor (MPT), public authorities and technical entities, corresponds to a current minimum wage, plus 20% for each of the dependents and increased by an amount equivalent to a basic basket (reference from Dieese).
FISHERMAN IN FACT
The highly informal environment that prevails in the territory affected by the Fundão dam tailings is one of the greatest challenges of the Renova Foundation for the payment of indemnities. To overcome the challenge, the Foundation listens to communities and experts in pursuit of developing solutions.
The Fisherman in Fact pilot project came in this context. The goal is to identify those who fished professionally, but did not have the professional document (General Fishing Registry – RGP) with the public authorities at the time of the dam failure.
The Fisherman in Fact project candidate can take two professional fishermen, who are documented by the Federal Government, to be witnesses of his craft. In addition, the fisherman must answer a questionnaire and submit secondary documents or, in the absence of them, make a self-narrative of his/her “life story” as a fisherman.