Second FAPI Statement on the current political and social situation in Paraguay, 11 July 2012

Read FAPI (Federation for the Self-Determination of Indigenous Peoples)'s second statement on the current political and social situation in Paraguay below:-

FAPI’s second message to the national and international public

The legitimate representatives of 13 indigenous organizations in both regions of the country, members of Federation for the Self-Determination of Indigenous Peoples (FAPI), held a plenary session on 4 July in Asunción with the aim of analysing and discussing the current political, social, economic and environmental climate in our country, and we agreed the following by consensus:

1. - First, we fully reaffirm all the points raised in the first message, issued by our federation at the end of June, both at the national and international level.

2. - Likewise, we manifest that our fundamental individual and collective rights are recognized and incorporated into the National Constitution, the Agrarian Code, Law 234/93 that ratifies the ILO Convention 169 concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, Law No. 904/81 “Statute of Indigenous Communities”, as well as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted on 7 September 2007. This entire legal framework is binding in our country. Therefore we also request the unrestricted implementation of all the environmental legislation in order to protect our communities, territories and forests.

3. - The process of legalization of lands and territory is a priority for the Indigenous Peoples and Communities, that is why we support all the activities undertaken by our brothers and sisters of the Indigenous Coordination Team, established and appointed at the First Meeting of Indigenous Organizations that took place in Asunción on 21-22 February this year to cooperate with the Paraguayan Indigenous Institute (INDI) with the aim of advancing the work to secure lands and territories.

4. - We denounce the threat to our traditional way of living, especially to our right to food, from the promotion of transgenic seeds for the benefit only of transnational companies. We hope that, through its authorities, this Government established by Parliament takes the necessary measures to protect our traditional seeds and thus ensure our traditional knowledge and our survival as indigenous peoples. We also voice our concern over the drive to promote the establishment of international companies, with a sad history of noncompliance with environmental and social standards, in our country. We believe that the Paraguayan State must be demanding in terms of compliance with the rules and duties in our country.

5. - We reaffirm that the social State governed by the rule of law must be in place in our country without discrimination or privileges, and therefore we remain hopeful that the rights of Indigenous Peoples will be respected and consolidated.

We attach the names, surnames and signatures of the representatives of the indigenous organizations, as members of FAPI that participated in our plenary session.HIPÓLITO ACEVEIPresident of the FAPI

Avda. Rodriguez de Francia 1187, Brasil e/Tte.Rojas Silva – Telef. 232723 Asunción.