Indigenous People and Mining in Post-Conflict Colombia

Dr Diana Arbeláez-Ruiz is a researcher and consultant working on the social aspects of extractive projects. She has a particular interest on the dynamics of social and armed conflict in mining regions. Her PhD dealt with post-conflict mineral resource governance in Colombia. In 2017, she was a visiting Researcher at the Peace Research Institute, Oslo. Diana was Research Manager for Latin America, Research Fellow and Research Manager at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining. At UQ, Diana led collaborative projects with Indigenous and Afro-descendant organizations in Colombia, as well as research on the political and institutional dimensions of mining environmental impact study approvals in the Americas. She has been active in research on company-community conflict, the social impacts of mine closure and Indigenous employment in mining in various countries including Australia. Diana worked for nine years in progressing the sustainability agenda in Australia’s investment sector in Environmental, Social and Governance analyst roles with both Regnan and Monash University. During six of those years she concentrated solely on analysis of publicly listed mining companies. Diana also worked in environmental economics and community capacity building and development planning in Colombia. Before her PhD, Diana completed Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Industrial Engineering, a Masters of Environmental Science, and post-graduate qualifications in Anthropology and Development Studies.