In 2015 and 2019 tailings dams, holding mining waste material, collapsed, sending toxic mud into rivers and ecosystems in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Brazil is seeking membership in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which would give Brazil many economic benefits, including greater access to international financing and investment. But is Brazil ready for the international standards set by the OECD?

Recent dam collapses are just some examples out of hundreds that illustrate Brazil’s broader failure to protect the environment and human rights. The OECD should not grant Brazil membership until Brazil cleans up its poor track record on the environment and human rights.