Legal & human rights

A new report from the Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana shows that less than 1% of the territory of Venezuela has been recognised as indigenous lands. The illustrated study compares the situation in Venezuela with neighbouring Colombia where more 34 million hectares making up nearly 30% of the national territory have been recognised as self-governing indigenous territories (resguardos).

(non-official translation into English by Earth Peoples) - To read this declaration in Portuguese click here.

PEOPLES’ SUMMIT FOR SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AGAINST COMMERCIALIZATION OF LIFE, IN DEFENSE OF THE COMMONS

LETTER OF RIO DE JANEIRO
FINAL DECLARATION OF FREE LAND CAMP IX – LIVING WELL / HEALTHY FULL LIFE
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 15 to 22 June 2012

The Ogiek of Mount Elgon, Kenya, are on the verge of reaching a legal agreement that will have their ancestral lands returned to them. However, they urgently need financial help (around £5,000) in order to make these last steps possible. This is an extraordinary opportunity for them to regain their land and continue their sustainable livelihoods, an extraordinary opportunity for them to gain legal recognition so that they are no longer threatened with eviction.

The recent assassination of a Yukpa leader demanding recognition of his people's rights to their lands in the Sierra de Perijá in western Venezuela has been denounced by the Yukpa and by concerned academics who note that the worsening situation is a result of the government's refusal to recognise indigenous peoples' rights guaranteed by the Constitution.