FPP E-Newsletter July 2010

Dear Friends

When outside agencies come onto forest peoples' lands, whether they are financiers, developers, conservationists or others, they come with their own visions and assumptions about what is important and how things need to change. Almost all these agents of change now agree, on paper at least, that in principle they must respect forest peoples' rights. But of course, what that means is that they should respect the right of forest peoples to control any interventions and ensure that they are in line with forest peoples' own visions of what is important and needs to change.

One of the first things that most forest peoples will want secured is their rights over their lands, territories and natural resources. In a world facing increasing resource scarcity, the pressure to take over lands and forests for fuel, fibre, food and conservation is mounting. The very survival of forest peoples is at risk if their basic rights are not respected.

The reluctance of outside agencies to properly recognise rights is apparent at all levels. As this issue of our newsletter shows, in Guyana the Government persists in denying the Amerindian peoples their rights to their wider territories. That should be a reason for outsiders to say: 'well, sorry, but we can't do business with you if you plan to deny your own people's rights'.

Yet, according to the President of Guyana, the Norwegian Government and the World Bank have just agreed to a clever way to avoid having to apply the 'safeguards' which the World Bank normally applies to ensure its projects do no harm. This could set a disastrous precedent for the global effort to stabilise the climate by 'reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation'. Likewise, along with our colleagues in Indonesia, we are struggling to get the World Bank's private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation, to accept that it cannot go back into funding oil palm developments in Indonesia until laws and procedures are changed to secure peoples' rights first.

The recent intergovernmental negotiations, both on climate and forests in Bonn, and on how the Convention on Biological Diversity should deal with 'sustainable customary use' and implanted protected areas, ran into the same buffers - the reluctance at the international level to insist on rights. The very same governments, which almost unanimously declared their support for indigenous peoples' rights at the UN General Assembly three years ago, are now dodging the issue in other UN fora. We must redouble our efforts.

Marcus Colchester
Director
Forest Peoples Programme

Guyana: indigenous peoples continue to be left out

6 July, 2010

During May, the Norwegian Government announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Guyana to contribute US$230 million towards the country's Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). It only remained to be decided which financial agency would act as the intermediary with the fiduciary responsibility to make sure the monies were handed over with due care. Would this be the World Bank and what standards would the World Bank follow to supply this money?

Palm Oil and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) - Update

6 July, 2010

During May and June, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank's private sector financier, finally began a long-delayed process of consultation aimed at developing a revised strategy setting out the terms and conditions for future investment in the controversial palm oil sector. The IFC produced an 'issues paper' which usefully summarised the viewpoints of the various actors, including critics of the IFC. Consultations were then held in Washington, DC; then in three places in Indonesia, followed by Ghana, Costa Rica and finally Europe. Working closely with a consortium of Indonesian NGOs, smallholders and indigenous peoples, Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) helped put together a detailed Joint Statement to the IFC setting out proposals for the IFC strategy and how it should be developed. The statement was endorsed by over 160 organisations in Indonesia and around the world and was widely cited by supportive organisations in the subsequent consultations.

Disappointment over reluctance of SBSTTA-14 to accept link between land rights and sustainable use and over the treatment of 'bush meat' issues

6 July, 2010

Our last E-newsletter (April 2010) reported that a group of indigenous experts on sustainable use issues within the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the '10(c) team', planned to highlight the link between secure land and resource rights and the protection and maintenance of customary sustainable use of biological resources by indigenous and local communities. This was to take place at the 14th meeting of the CBD's Subsidiary Body on Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-14) in Nairobi, Kenya (10-21 May). Unfortunately, in the event, delegates did not follow the indigenous experts' proposals to include concrete text on this issue in the final SBSTTA recommendations. Discussions on the use and management of wildlife ('bush meat') also caused indigenous peoples great concern and created impassioned debate.

Indigenous peoples raise concerns over failure to meet protected area participation and benefit-sharing targets at Convention of Biological Diversity's SBSTTA-14 and in response to Global Biodiversity Outlook 3

1 July, 2010

Most of the world's biodiversity targets have not been met. This is the key message of the third edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3), presented at the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD)'s 14th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA-14). The report does, however, choose to highlight the expansion of protected areas as a positive accomplishment. For indigenous peoples this is a cause for concern - not a success - as the establishment and expansion of protected areas still largely takes place without their participation and consent. This concern was underlined in the conclusions of the in-depth review of the implementation of the CBD's Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA).

REDD+ Partnership launched amid concerns over indigenous peoples' rights while UN negotiations resume

1 July, 2010

The Interim REDD+ Partnership was launched in Oslo on 27 May before United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) talks resumed in Bonn between 31 May and 11 June. Fifty delegates from REDD and donor countries' governments adopted a declaration including the principles and modalities of work of the new Interim REDD+ Partnership initiative. Respect for indigenous peoples' rights and support for the implementation of safeguards still under discussion at the UNFCCC are not among the Partnership's principles, and the process so far has been evidently lacking in terms of transparency and participation.

African Commission concerned with the violations of indigenous peoples' rights in Cameroon

1 May, 2010

Cameroon's periodic State report to the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) was presented at the 47th Ordinary Session held in May 2010 in Banjul, The Gambia, May 2010. A network of Baka, Bakola, Bagyeli and Bedzang peoples submitted an alternative report which broadly fed into the discussions and the Concluding Observations adopted by the Commission.

African Commission's Concluding Observations (0.4 MB)

Bangladesh - Cyclone Aila: continued suffering one year on

1 July, 2010

Cyclone Aila hit the south-western coastal belt of Bangladesh, more specifically the Satkhira and Khulna Districts, on 25 May 2009, affecting almost 2.3 million people and immediately killing 325. The tidal surge, which measured 10-13m, inundated the region and washed away huge numbers of houses, livestock, crops and other resources within a very short time.

Baka and Bagyeli leaders highlight forest issues to media and wider public

25 May, 2010

Three indigenous leaders, Margrite Akom, Jeanne Noah and Mathilde Zang, from a remote forest near the UNESCO World Heritage Dja Reserve, Cameroon, were key figures in the development and construction of a Rainforest Garden at Chelsea Flower Show, London, from 25 to 29 May 2010. This garden highlighted their communities' traditions and concerns to the international media and wider public. At the event, the leaders spoke with the Queen, press and public, eloquently explaining the pressures they face including the discrimination and violation of their rights, the impact of industrial expansion and deforestation, and the loss of access to forest biodiversity upon which communities rely. Maps, developed by the Baka illustrating their traditional use of the forest for subsistence, were also incorporated into the garden. Margrite, Jeanne and Mathilde work with the African Indigenous Women's Organisation (AIWO) in Yaounde, Cameroon and were assisted by Aisha Aishatou from AIWO.

World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group finalises its review of safeguard and sustainability frameworks in the World Bank Group

1 July, 2010

The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) of the World Bank has been conducting a review of the safeguard and sustainability frameworks in use by the Group. This includes the Operational Policies of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)/International Development Association (IDA) and the Performance Standards and related documents of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). The review covers the World Bank standards from 1999 (when they were introduced) through until 2008 and the IFC/MIGA standards since 2006 (their year of adoption) through to 2008.

The review will be completed shortly and any organisation or person wishing to provide the IEG with information from their experiences with World Bank, IFC or MIGA projects should contact the IEG as quickly as possible.

FPP has provided the IEG with a written submission based on our experiences with the safeguard and sustainability frameworks and the experiences of our partners and colleagues. For further information please contact Helen Tugendhat.

International Finance Corporation enters final round of consultations on 3-year review of its safeguard and sustainability framework

1 July, 2010

As announced in our e-newsletter of November 2009, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) is conducting an on-going review of their use of the Performance Standards, the Sustainability Policy and the Information Disclosure Policy. They are now entering their second commenting and review period and have released to the public their proposed changes to all Performance Standards and other policies.

Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) will be providing comments in due course and would welcome any input from indigenous peoples' organisations. Please contact Helen Tugendhat.