5 November, 2012
A collective of indigenous organisations and local NGOs in Ucayali province in Peru have rejected Peruvian government plans to construct a highway between Peru and Brazil. The organisations highlight that the road would have major and irreversible effects on the area that includes indigenous peoples’ customary lands that remain unrecognised, the Isconahua reserve for isolated peoples and the Sierra del Divisor natural protected area. Despite this, the organisations point out that the Peruvian government has failed to comply with its own laws requiring prior consultation with affected peoples and violated obligations to uphold indigenous peoples' rights under international treaties ratified by the country. The collective of organisations is now calling on the Peruvian government to declare the project unviable.
Forest Peoples Programme & Sawit Watch
8 March, 2012
Read the Joint Submission here
8 December, 2011
Click here to read the Down To Earth Newsletter in English or in Bahasa Indonesia which includes articles on The Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE).
From the introduction...
Strong communities for a sustainable future
7 October, 2011
Indigenous leaders gathered in Manaus in mid-August for a conference organized by COICA (Confederation of the Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations of the Amazon Basin) to discuss traditional knowledge, forests and climate change, as well as the Rio+20 conference. Their final statement called for the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ rights to their territories, respect for the principle of the ‘full life’[1] (‘vida plena’) and support for Indigenous approaches to climate mitigation in forests, (referred to in the statement as “Indigenous REDD+”). Communities were also advised to be alert to the bad practices of “carbon cowboys” and avoid entering into any contracts until international obligations on rights are fully implemented.
Pusaka
Forest Peoples Programme, Rights & Resources Initiative (RRI)
9 June, 2011
New publication explores the likely impacts of the Merauke Integrated Food and Energy Estate (MIFEE) on the Malind peoples of Southern Papua in Indonesia.
7 December, 2010
While the President of Guyana was named a “Champion of the Earth” by the UN earlier this year in relation to his efforts to secure international support for forest protection and “low carbon” growth, some indigenous leaders and civil society organisations both inside and outside the country continue to expose and challenge the deep contradictions in the government’s forest and climate plans. In June 2010, the President of the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) made a strong statement to the Sixth Participant’s Committee meeting of the World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) in Georgetown, asking why key land rights issues raised repeatedly by APA have still not been addressed in the Guyana Forestry Commission’s (GFC) latest REDD+ readiness proposals.
7 December, 2010
After years of waiting, during which they suffered from violent attacks and the degradation of their ancestral lands, the Ingaricó, Macuxi, Patamona, Taurepang and Wapichana indigenous peoples of Raposa Serra do Sol received a favorable decision by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. During its last session at the end of October, the Commission issued an admissibility decision in their case against the Government of Brazil. In doing so, the Commission signaled not only that the Government’s treatment of indigenous peoples in Raposa may constitute a violation of their human rights, but that the Commission is now ready to enter its final stage of review of the case and issue a concluding report.
6 December, 2010
For over 40 years, the Costa Rican government has planned the construction of one of the largest hydroelectric dams in Central America. The plan has been modified several times due to serious criticism for its potential negative environmental and social impacts – especially on indigenous peoples. In 2008, the government of Costa Rica declared the Diquís Dam as being of public interest and national convenience, giving full support for its construction. The proposed Diquís Dam will flood more than 10% of the traditional and titled lands of the Teribe people and more than 5% of those of the Cabécar People. The Teribe people consider the Diquís Dam as a grave threat to their survival as a people, since the Teribe total around only 750 individuals.
Human Rights Clinic, University of Texas School of Law
26 October, 2010
Students from the Human Rights Clinic of the University of Texas School of Law traveled to Costa Rica in the spring of 2010 to investigate the proposed creation of the largest hydroelectric project of its kind in Central America and its impact on the indigenous Teribe people. In violation of international human rights law, the Costa Rican government is proceeding without the consultation with and the free, prior and informed consent of the Teribe people who live on the proposed site. The Human Rights Clinic published the following report in English and in Spanish: Swimming Against the Current: The Teribe Peoples and the El Diquis Hydroelectric Project in Costa Rica
20 October, 2010
A group of Brazilian advocates and indigenous organizations concerned about the large Belo Monte hydroelectric dam project in Brazil have written to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), urging them to adopt the Brazil - Raposa do Sol case, which is being assisted by Forest Peoples Programme, in this October session of the Commission.
Logging in Guyana, 2007
© FPP
Map showing the reservoir of the Diquís Dam and affected indigenous territories.© ICE adapted by A.Morales
© ICE (Costa Rican Institute of Electricity) adapted by Alancay Morales