Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) – Land Is Life https://www.landislife.org land is life Sat, 19 Oct 2024 22:12:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/cropped-land-is-life-logo-circle-1-32x32.png Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) – Land Is Life https://www.landislife.org 32 32 INDIGENOUS TERRITORY AND ISOLATED COMMUNITIES UNDER THREAT IN PARAGUAY https://www.landislife.org/indigenous-territory-and-isolated-communities-under-threat-in-paraguay-1675/ Mon, 04 Mar 2024 23:07:23 +0000 https://www.landislife.org/?p=1675 ‘Voluntary trust’ legislation discussed in Senate. While the Ayoreo Indigenous People have title to half their traditional territory, draft legislation introduced by a group of government senators would establish a Fideicomiso Voluntario or  ‘voluntary trust’ for the rest of their traditional territory. The Ayoreo-Totobiegosode were never consulted about the Trust, as is their right, and have denounced it as a threat to the existence of isolated communities, stating that it could lead to the privatization of land where they are located. In February 2016, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued precautionary measures that required the government of Paraguay to put an end to the deforestation of the ancestral territory of the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode, located in the country’s Gran Chaco area. The measures also demanded that Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact be protected from unwanted contacts. However, the IACHR measures did not have the hoped for effects; the Gran Chaco forests where the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode live, continue to suffer major levels of deforestation that show little signs of coming to an end. And at present Paraguay is the South American country with the second highest level of deforestation in the last two decades, surpassed only by Brazil, and its Chaco dry forest is disappearing faster than any other on the planet. As a result, in 2022 Indigenous organizations demanded action, warning that Ayoreo Totobiegosode communities, the only communities still in voluntary isolation outside the Amazon, were at serious risk of disappearing. The Indigenous organizations also stated that “the absolute and deliberate absence of action by the Paraguayan State” to protect and return to this community the collective ownership of their territory, which they consider “theirs by right and on which they depend to survive.” For the Ayoreo, not only has the Paraguayan state shown a total lack of interest in returning their remaining lands, the Senate is now considering a measure that could make that even more unlikely. Land is Life urges the Paraguayan Senate not to proceed with the dangerous and oddly named ‘Fideicomiso Voluntario’; to act to restore traditional territories to which the Ayoreo People have a right; and to protect the remaining Ayoreo Totobiegosode living in Isolation and Initial Contact from further encroachments and deforestation, as required by the Inter American Commission on Human Rights. Not to do so would imply complicity in a genocide. Background The Ayoreo first came into contact with outsiders in the 1940s and 1950s, when Mennonites settlers established colonies on their land, leading to clashes and deaths on both sides. Arriving in the late 1970’s, American missionaries also showed little concern for the lives of the Ayoreo; the US based New Tribes Mission helped organize ‘manhunts’ whose purpose was to forcibly evict numerous Ayoreo Totobiegosode from the forest. Constant land invasions forced other Ayoreo groups to leave the forest in 1998 and 2004. In recent years, agribusiness has replaced religion as the major threat to the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode, although the Mormons are a major force in Paraguayan agribusiness. A large part of the Ayoreo land, which is also home to groups living in Isolation and Initial Contact, is ‘owned’ by five companies responsible for much of the deforestation affecting the Indigenous People’s ability to survive. If their plans come to pass, most of the land will be stripped for cattle raising. Paraguay’s 1992 constitution guarantees the right of indigenous communities to hold land communally, but that right is mainly words on paper. And in 2005 a twelve year court case to preserve Ayoreo traditional land came to an end when the country’s Congress voted against the expropriation of 114,000 hectares from Brazilian and Argentine landowners. Paraguay, a country of a little more than 400 km2, has been the second most deforested country in South America in the last two decades, only surpassed  by Brazil, a country many times its size*. As a result, Chaco’s dry forest has been disappearing at a faster rate than any other forest on the planet. (Global Forest Watch, 2021) In 1993 the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode submitted a formal land claim to their forest, and in 2013 they requested the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to intervene. Two years later, the Commission issued urgent protection measures for the Ayoreo territory while its land claim was being considered. As a consequence, the Paraguayan and the Indigenous People entered formal negotiations in 2016, with the objective of transferring titles to their lands. The Commission acted as mediator. However, the Ayoreo pulled out of the discussions in 2021, stating they were little more than a delaying tactic that would permit the deforestation to continue; they subsequently requested the Commission to rule on their land rights case. Photo: Andrés Unterladstaette  IWGIA. The forest and agrobusiness. Soybean and corn planting increase along deforestation, to the detriment of biodiversity in the Chaco region. Further Information: https://www.iwgia.org/en/news/4435-the-ayoreo-the-last-isolated-people-outside-the-amazon.htm l https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-13/between-the-forest-and-death-in-paraguay.html https://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/ayoreo Since its founding in 1992, Land is Life has played an important role in the struggles of Indigenous peoples around the world, working in partnership with them to advance their rights locally, nationally and internationally. Please donate (see below) and help us continue supporting Indigenous Peoples such as the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode, and many others.

El cargo INDIGENOUS TERRITORY AND ISOLATED COMMUNITIES UNDER THREAT IN PARAGUAY apareció primero en Land Is Life.

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‘Voluntary trust’ legislation discussed in Senate.

While the Ayoreo Indigenous People have title to half their traditional territory, draft legislation introduced by a group of government senators would establish a Fideicomiso Voluntario or  ‘voluntary trust’ for the rest of their traditional territory.

The Ayoreo-Totobiegosode were never consulted about the Trust, as is their right, and have denounced it as a threat to the existence of isolated communities, stating that it could lead to the privatization of land where they are located.

In February 2016, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued precautionary measures that required the government of Paraguay to put an end to the deforestation of the ancestral territory of the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode, located in the country’s Gran Chaco area. The measures also demanded that Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact be protected from unwanted contacts.

However, the IACHR measures did not have the hoped for effects; the Gran Chaco forests where the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode live, continue to suffer major levels of deforestation that show little signs of coming to an end.

And at present Paraguay is the South American country with the second highest level of deforestation in the last two decades, surpassed only by Brazil, and its Chaco dry forest is disappearing faster than any other on the planet.

As a result, in 2022 Indigenous organizations demanded action, warning that Ayoreo Totobiegosode communities, the only communities still in voluntary isolation outside the Amazon, were at serious risk of disappearing.

The Indigenous organizations also stated that “the absolute and deliberate absence of action by the Paraguayan State” to protect and return to this community the collective ownership of their territory, which they consider “theirs by right and on which they depend to survive.”

For the Ayoreo, not only has the Paraguayan state shown a total lack of interest in returning their remaining lands, the Senate is now considering a measure that could make that even more unlikely.

Land is Life urges the Paraguayan Senate not to proceed with the dangerous and oddly named ‘Fideicomiso Voluntario’; to act to restore traditional territories to which the Ayoreo People have a right; and to protect the remaining Ayoreo Totobiegosode living in Isolation and Initial Contact from further encroachments and deforestation, as required by the Inter American Commission on Human Rights. Not to do so would imply complicity in a genocide.

Background

The Ayoreo first came into contact with outsiders in the 1940s and 1950s, when Mennonites settlers established colonies on their land, leading to clashes and deaths on both sides. Arriving in the late 1970’s, American missionaries also showed little concern for the lives of the Ayoreo; the US based New Tribes Mission helped organize ‘manhunts’ whose purpose was to forcibly evict numerous Ayoreo Totobiegosode from the forest. Constant land invasions forced other Ayoreo groups to leave the forest in 1998 and 2004.

In recent years, agribusiness has replaced religion as the major threat to the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode, although the Mormons are a major force in Paraguayan agribusiness. A large part of the Ayoreo land, which is also home to groups living in Isolation and Initial Contact, is ‘owned’ by five companies responsible for much of the deforestation affecting the Indigenous People’s ability to survive. If their plans come to pass, most of the land will be stripped for cattle raising.

Paraguay’s 1992 constitution guarantees the right of indigenous communities to hold land communally, but that right is mainly words on paper. And in 2005 a twelve year court case to preserve Ayoreo traditional land came to an end when the country’s Congress voted against the expropriation of 114,000 hectares from Brazilian and Argentine landowners.

Paraguay, a country of a little more than 400 km2, has been the second most deforested country in South America in the last two decades, only surpassed  by Brazil, a country many times its size*. As a result, Chaco’s dry forest has been disappearing at a faster rate than any other forest on the planet. (Global Forest Watch, 2021)

In 1993 the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode submitted a formal land claim to their forest, and in 2013 they requested the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to intervene. Two years later, the Commission issued urgent protection measures for the Ayoreo territory while its land claim was being considered. As a consequence, the Paraguayan and the Indigenous People entered formal negotiations in 2016, with the objective of transferring titles to their lands. The Commission acted as mediator.

However, the Ayoreo pulled out of the discussions in 2021, stating they were little more than a delaying tactic that would permit the deforestation to continue; they subsequently requested the Commission to rule on their land rights case.

Photo: Andrés Unterladstaette  IWGIA. The forest and agrobusiness. Soybean and corn planting increase along deforestation, to the detriment of biodiversity in the Chaco region.

Further Information:

https://www.iwgia.org/en/news/4435-the-ayoreo-the-last-isolated-people-outside-the-amazon.htm l
https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-13/between-the-forest-and-death-in-paraguay.html
https://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/ayoreo

Since its founding in 1992, Land is Life has played an important role in the struggles of Indigenous peoples around the world, working in partnership with them to advance their rights locally, nationally and internationally.

Please donate (see below) and help us continue supporting Indigenous Peoples such as the Ayoreo-Totobiegosode, and many others.

El cargo INDIGENOUS TERRITORY AND ISOLATED COMMUNITIES UNDER THREAT IN PARAGUAY apareció primero en Land Is Life.

]]> EL GTI-PIACI* RENUEVA LA LUCHA PARA PROTEGER A LOS PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS EN AISLAMIENTO VOLUNTARIO Y CONTACTO INICIAL https://www.landislife.org/el-gti-piaci-renueva-la-lucha-para-proteger-a-los-pueblos-indigenas-en-aislamiento-voluntario-y-contacto-inicial-1649/ Fri, 23 Feb 2024 00:11:39 +0000 https://www.landislife.org/?p=1649 Land is Life entrega la Secretaría Técnica después de 4 años consecutivos de intenso trabajo. Los Pueblos Indígenas viviendo en aislamiento voluntario y contacto inicial en las regiones amazónicas y del Gran Chaco de América del Sur están amenazados como nunca antes. La falta de reconocimiento en los marcos legales en los Estados, la minería, la tala ilegal de árboles, la presencia de menonitas, los misioneros, la soya y la ganadería, y ahora el narcotráfico y la violencia están haciendo incursiones cada vez mayores y más graves en los territorios de estos Pueblos. A modo de ejemplo, en el peor de los casos la infame legislación ‘Marco Temporal’ podría afectar al 95% de los Territorios Indígenas de Brazil. De ahí la importancia de la reunión anual de la organización regional GTI-PIACI, un grupo de trabajo de 20 organizaciones regionales dedicadas a avanzar los derechos de estos Pueblos Indígenas a vivir en estado natural. Desde su creación en 2019, Land is Life “ha ejercido la Secretaría Técnica aportando de forma sustancial para posicionar y promover la agenda de nuestro grupo en espacios nacionales, regionales e internacionales con compromiso, transparencia y sobre todo solidaridad con todas las organizaciones que hacemos parte de esta iniciativa.” Land is Life promovió un trabajo arduo de incidencia para avanzar en los derechos de los PIACI, como lo hizo en las Naciones Unidas, con importantes aliados como el Foro Permanente sobre Cuestiones Indígenas, el Relator sobre los derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas, el Mecanismo de Expertos sobre los derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas y la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos. La reunión anual del GTI-PIACI se lleva a cabo esta semana en la sede de la Organización de Pueblos Indígenas de Colombia, OPIAC, como parte del trabajo incesante en coordinar y fortalecer esfuerzos para proteger a los Pueblos Indígenas en Aislamiento Voluntario y Contacto Inicial en toda la región. Land is Life agradece la confianza puesta en ella por las organizaciones que conforman el GTI-PIACI, y seguirá luchando, como siempre, por los derechos de los Pueblos en Aislamiento Voluntario y Contacto Inicial. En 2024, Land is Life pasa la batuta a Amazon Conservation Team, quien asumirá la Secretaria Técnica del GTI-PIACI. * El Grupo de Trabajo Internacional sobre los Pueblos Indígenas en Aislamiento y Contacto Inicial

El cargo EL GTI-PIACI* RENUEVA LA LUCHA PARA PROTEGER A LOS PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS EN AISLAMIENTO VOLUNTARIO Y CONTACTO INICIAL apareció primero en Land Is Life.

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Land is Life entrega la Secretaría Técnica después de 4 años consecutivos de intenso trabajo.

Los Pueblos Indígenas viviendo en aislamiento voluntario y contacto inicial en las regiones amazónicas y del Gran Chaco de América del Sur están amenazados como nunca antes. La falta de reconocimiento en los marcos legales en los Estados, la minería, la tala ilegal de árboles, la presencia de menonitas, los misioneros, la soya y la ganadería, y ahora el narcotráfico y la violencia están haciendo incursiones cada vez mayores y más graves en los territorios de estos Pueblos. A modo de ejemplo, en el peor de los casos la infame legislación ‘Marco Temporal’ podría afectar al 95% de los Territorios Indígenas de Brazil.

De ahí la importancia de la reunión anual de la organización regional GTI-PIACI, un grupo de trabajo de 20 organizaciones regionales dedicadas a avanzar los derechos de estos Pueblos Indígenas a vivir en estado natural. Desde su creación en 2019, Land is Life “ha ejercido la Secretaría Técnica aportando de forma sustancial para posicionar y promover la agenda de nuestro grupo en espacios nacionales, regionales e internacionales con compromiso, transparencia y sobre todo solidaridad con todas las organizaciones que hacemos parte de esta iniciativa.”

Land is Life promovió un trabajo arduo de incidencia para avanzar en los derechos de los PIACI, como lo hizo en las Naciones Unidas, con importantes aliados como el Foro Permanente sobre Cuestiones Indígenas, el Relator sobre los derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas, el Mecanismo de Expertos sobre los derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas y la Oficina del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos.

La reunión anual del GTI-PIACI se lleva a cabo esta semana en la sede de la Organización de Pueblos Indígenas de Colombia, OPIAC, como parte del trabajo incesante en coordinar y fortalecer esfuerzos para proteger a los Pueblos Indígenas en Aislamiento Voluntario y Contacto Inicial en toda la región.

Land is Life agradece la confianza puesta en ella por las organizaciones que conforman el GTI-PIACI, y seguirá luchando, como siempre, por los derechos de los Pueblos en Aislamiento Voluntario y Contacto Inicial.

En 2024, Land is Life pasa la batuta a Amazon Conservation Team, quien asumirá la Secretaria Técnica del GTI-PIACI.

* El Grupo de Trabajo Internacional sobre los Pueblos Indígenas en Aislamiento y Contacto Inicial

El cargo EL GTI-PIACI* RENUEVA LA LUCHA PARA PROTEGER A LOS PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS EN AISLAMIENTO VOLUNTARIO Y CONTACTO INICIAL apareció primero en Land Is Life.

]]> Declaration of the International Working Group GTI-PIACI Emphasizes the Urgent Need to Protect Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation https://www.landislife.org/declaration-of-the-international-working-group-gti-piaci-emphasizes-the-urgent-need-to-protect-peoples-living-in-voluntary-isolation-1335/ Mon, 19 Dec 2022 07:24:21 +0000 https://www.landislife.org/?p=1335 From December 5-9, representatives from Indigenous Peoples’ and civil society organizations from across South America gathered in Asunción, Paraguay, for the annual meeting of the International Working Group on Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (GTI-PIACI). They gathered to analyze the current situation of the PIACI in the Amazon and the Gran Chaco, and develop joint strategies to defend their collective rights and address threats to their territories and lives. GTI-PIACI is an international working group made up of Indigenous Peoples’ representative organizations, non-governmental organizations, and academics, who are committed to the protection, defense, and promotion of the rights of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) in the Amazon and the Gran Chaco. Land is Life, as the Secretariat of the working group, brought together over 60 representatives from 25 organizations across South America. There are an estimated 185 distinct Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation in South America. Each of these peoples are exposed to extremely high vulnerability due to (illegal) mining, timber concessions, oil extraction, drug trafficking, industrial agriculture, overfishing, infrastructure construction, and climate change. States have continuously failed in protecting Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation from these threats. Land is Life and GTI-PIACI have taken a leading role in the protection of these peoples, in which their right to self-determination and to the principle of “no contact” is at the core. For them, “no contact” means freedom, and this freedom is lost if contact emerges. During the 4-day meeting, all members of the GTI PIACI working group shared the steps that they have taken towards the defense of human rights of the PIACI in their regions. Strategies for the protection of the PIACI were shared among the participants, alongside discussions on research methodologies for defining their territories. Much attention was paid to the alarming situation of the PIACI in Paraguay. The Ayoreo, who inhabit their cross-border territory in Paraguay and Bolivia, practice nomadic hunting and gathering across large distances. The fragmentation of their territory, due to industrial land use and extreme droughts, have posed an enormous threat to their culture and way of life. State borders have no meaning for the PIACI, and often their territories overlap these borders. Thus, international joint strategies for the protection of these peoples are needed. NGOs in Bolivia and Paraguay are already collaborating in collecting and analyzing data to protect the Ayoreo. “Everyone has the right to choose their way of life, and that choice needs to be respected…, we are asking the states to withdraw extractive pressures that are causing destruction in the territories of our sisters and brothers, so that they can exercise their right to live in voluntary isolation.” – Zenaida Yasacama, Kichwa woman, CONAIE “A major risk that we are witnessing is that most states are building roads that cross the territories of the PIACI, prioritizing the desires of oil and mining companies over protecting the Earth. The PIACI have their homes in those areas. These peoples have the right to live a dignified life. They need to be able to gather fruits, and to fish and hunt.” – Alicia Cahuyia, Waorani woman, CONAIE As a result of the Annual Meeting, the GTI-PIACI Working Group developed a joint declaration for the protection of PIACI. The following declaration captures the regional reflections and conclusions from organizations that took part in the gathering. (Read the Spanish version here.) 1. Comprehensively observing and respecting Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination, we ratify the principle of “no contact” as the principal guideline and a fundamental right of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation, embodied in the international standards of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. We reject all actions and initiatives that promote forced contact with these peoples. 2. We reaffirm the urgency for the recognition, demarcation and protection of the territories of the PIACI as a fundamental pillar for the exercise of the rights of these peoples. 3. We are alarmed by the regressions and lack of implementation of policies for the protection of the rights of the PIACI in the region, especially regarding the right to life, right to physical integrity, to territory, and to culture. 4. We denounce the situation of the Ayoreo People in the Gran Chaco of Paraguay and Bolivia, where the governments demonstrate lack of political will to implement their responsibilities to protect and demarcate the Ayoreo territory. We demand the governments of Paraguay and Bolivia to implement the Resolution 4-2016 and the Precautionary Measures N° 54.13, granted by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) in favor of the Ayoreo Totobiegosode. 5.  We are alerted by a Peruvian campaign promoting the proposed legislation N°3518-2022-CR, which intends to halt the process for the recognition of Indigenous territories in favor of the PIACI. Therefore, we demand the Congress of the Republic of Peru to permanently withdraw this initiative. Moreover, we stand in solidarity with FENAMAD and condemn the persecution by the logging company Tahuamanu SAC, which operates in the territory of the Mashco Piro People who live in voluntary isolation, with the full acceptance of the State of Peru. 6. Regarding Brazil, we are deeply concerned about the setbacks to the protection of the territories of the PIACI that have occurred over the past few years. Deforestation rates and the invasions of illegal miners have greatly increased in the territories of the Ituna-Itatá, Cachoeira Seca, Vale do Javari, Munduruku, Uru Eu Wau Wau, Yanomami, Piripkura, and Araribóia, among many others. We request that Brazil’s new government places the protection of Indigenous territories at the top of their agenda. We expect that the Brazilian government recognizes and enhances Indigenous initiatives towards the protection of their territories. 7. We denounce the lack of policies to safeguard the lives of PIACI in Bolivia, such as the Ayoreo, Ese Ejja, Toromona, Chiman-T´simane, Chácobo and Pacahuara, who inhabit areas threatened by the expansion of industrial agriculture, mining, fossil fuel extraction, and drug trafficking. We condemn the lack of political will to entitle lands for the Tacana II Indigenous People (CITRMD), which denies the protection

El cargo Declaration of the International Working Group GTI-PIACI Emphasizes the Urgent Need to Protect Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation apareció primero en Land Is Life.

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From December 5-9, representatives from Indigenous Peoples’ and civil society organizations from across South America gathered in Asunción, Paraguay, for the annual meeting of the International Working Group on Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (GTI-PIACI). They gathered to analyze the current situation of the PIACI in the Amazon and the Gran Chaco, and develop joint strategies to defend their collective rights and address threats to their territories and lives.

GTI-PIACI is an international working group made up of Indigenous Peoples’ representative organizations, non-governmental organizations, and academics, who are committed to the protection, defense, and promotion of the rights of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) in the Amazon and the Gran Chaco. Land is Life, as the Secretariat of the working group, brought together over 60 representatives from 25 organizations across South America.

There are an estimated 185 distinct Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation in South America. Each of these peoples are exposed to extremely high vulnerability due to (illegal) mining, timber concessions, oil extraction, drug trafficking, industrial agriculture, overfishing, infrastructure construction, and climate change. States have continuously failed in protecting Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation from these threats. Land is Life and GTI-PIACI have taken a leading role in the protection of these peoples, in which their right to self-determination and to the principle of “no contact” is at the core. For them, “no contact” means freedom, and this freedom is lost if contact emerges.

During the 4-day meeting, all members of the GTI PIACI working group shared the steps that they have taken towards the defense of human rights of the PIACI in their regions. Strategies for the protection of the PIACI were shared among the participants, alongside discussions on research methodologies for defining their territories.

Much attention was paid to the alarming situation of the PIACI in Paraguay. The Ayoreo, who inhabit their cross-border territory in Paraguay and Bolivia, practice nomadic hunting and gathering across large distances. The fragmentation of their territory, due to industrial land use and extreme droughts, have posed an enormous threat to their culture and way of life. State borders have no meaning for the PIACI, and often their territories overlap these borders. Thus, international joint strategies for the protection of these peoples are needed. NGOs in Bolivia and Paraguay are already collaborating in collecting and analyzing data to protect the Ayoreo.

“Everyone has the right to choose their way of life, and that choice needs to be respected…, we are asking the states to withdraw extractive pressures that are causing destruction in the territories of our sisters and brothers, so that they can exercise their right to live in voluntary isolation.” – Zenaida Yasacama, Kichwa woman, CONAIE

“A major risk that we are witnessing is that most states are building roads that cross the territories of the PIACI, prioritizing the desires of oil and mining companies over protecting the Earth. The PIACI have their homes in those areas. These peoples have the right to live a dignified life. They need to be able to gather fruits, and to fish and hunt.” – Alicia Cahuyia, Waorani woman, CONAIE

As a result of the Annual Meeting, the GTI-PIACI Working Group developed a joint declaration for the protection of PIACI. The following declaration captures the regional reflections and conclusions from organizations that took part in the gathering. (Read the Spanish version here.)

1. Comprehensively observing and respecting Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination, we ratify the principle of “no contact” as the principal guideline and a fundamental right of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation, embodied in the international standards of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. We reject all actions and initiatives that promote forced contact with these peoples.

2. We reaffirm the urgency for the recognition, demarcation and protection of the territories of the PIACI as a fundamental pillar for the exercise of the rights of these peoples.

3. We are alarmed by the regressions and lack of implementation of policies for the protection of the rights of the PIACI in the region, especially regarding the right to life, right to physical integrity, to territory, and to culture.

4. We denounce the situation of the Ayoreo People in the Gran Chaco of Paraguay and Bolivia, where the governments demonstrate lack of political will to implement their responsibilities to protect and demarcate the Ayoreo territory. We demand the governments of Paraguay and Bolivia to implement the Resolution 4-2016 and the Precautionary Measures N° 54.13, granted by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) in favor of the Ayoreo Totobiegosode.

5.  We are alerted by a Peruvian campaign promoting the proposed legislation N°3518-2022-CR, which intends to halt the process for the recognition of Indigenous territories in favor of the PIACI. Therefore, we demand the Congress of the Republic of Peru to permanently withdraw this initiative. Moreover, we stand in solidarity with FENAMAD and condemn the persecution by the logging company Tahuamanu SAC, which operates in the territory of the Mashco Piro People who live in voluntary isolation, with the full acceptance of the State of Peru.

6. Regarding Brazil, we are deeply concerned about the setbacks to the protection of the territories of the PIACI that have occurred over the past few years. Deforestation rates and the invasions of illegal miners have greatly increased in the territories of the Ituna-Itatá, Cachoeira Seca, Vale do Javari, Munduruku, Uru Eu Wau Wau, Yanomami, Piripkura, and Araribóia, among many others. We request that Brazil’s new government places the protection of Indigenous territories at the top of their agenda. We expect that the Brazilian government recognizes and enhances Indigenous initiatives towards the protection of their territories.

7. We denounce the lack of policies to safeguard the lives of PIACI in Bolivia, such as the Ayoreo, Ese Ejja, Toromona, Chiman-T´simane, Chácobo and Pacahuara, who inhabit areas threatened by the expansion of industrial agriculture, mining, fossil fuel extraction, and drug trafficking. We condemn the lack of political will to entitle lands for the Tacana II Indigenous People (CITRMD), which denies the protection of these people living in voluntary isolation. We recommend that the Bolivian authorities implement norms favoring Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation with due diligence, to guarantee their right to life and self-determination.

8. In Colombia, problems associated with illegal economic activities at the border, such as drug trafficking and illegal gold mining in the Río Puré National Park, pose an enormous risk to the Yuri-Passé People who live in voluntary isolation, due to the contamination, degradation, and erosion of ecosystems that the Yuri-Passé depend on. The ongoing invasion in their territory will potentially result in severe violations of their rights as well as increase the probability for contact. With this in mind, we support the demands for the government to take effective measures to implement the decree for the protection of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation (Decreto N° 1232, 2018).

9. We are deeply concerned about the ignorance of the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Suriname. Particularly we call for the recognition of the existence of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation, in accordance with the testimonies of Trio (Tiriyó) and Wayana Elders.

10. In Ecuador, despite taking the first steps in the institutional progress regarding the protection of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation, we note that these peoples are exposed to severe threats, such as road construction, the expansion of oil drilling and, above all, the institutional erosion that slows down any advancements regarding the protection of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation. The failure to implement the Precautionary Measures 91/06 of 2006, in favor of the Tagaeri-Taromenane resulted in the IACHR referring the case N° 12.979 to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in September 2020.

11. In some regions, especially in Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, the occurrence of forest fires continues, which is deeply tied to the severe impacts of climate change as well as the loss of water resources and livelihoods of Indigenous Peoples and the PIACI.

12. There are many Indigenous Peoples and PIACI who inhabit the borderlands of our countries. We consider that attention needs to be paid to these cross-border realities, to bolster action towards the recognition of these territories by the states in question. Of particular concern is the situation of the Yanomami People and the invasion of their territory.

13. We are deeply concerned about the situation and the rights to life as well as bodily and cultural integrity of Indigenous leaders and defenders of PIACI rights in the region. Of special concern are the murders of Indigenous Defenders by militias of industrial cattle and soy farmers, loggers, drug traffickers, and land grabbers, among others, that constantly take place in this region.

We join the demands for justice for these victims, such as Paulino Guajajara, Bruno Araújo Pereira and Dom Phillips. We also condemn the criminalization of Indigenous leaders and those who defend the rights of Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation.

14. It is crucial to emphasize that Indigenous Peoples in Initial Contact are exposed to extremely high vulnerability due to the continuous violations of their rights to free, prior, and informed consent, to territory, and to self-determination.

15. The above-described situations demonstrate the lack of political will of governments to implement the Guidelines on the Protection of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and in Initial Contact by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the resolutions of the Inter-American Human Rights System. Meanwhile, political will persists to bolster the extractivist development model and the construction of megaprojects in Indigenous territories in the region.

16. We are deeply committed to strengthening the GTI-PIACI Working Group, with the objective to enhance the protection of, and the prevention of threats towards the PIACI at the international, regional, national and local levels. We acknowledge the importance of effective participation of Indigenous Peoples and their organizations in the protection of the PIACI and their territories.

In the context of severe setbacks and the expansion of illegal, private and state-led activities, we reaffirm our collective commitment to the defense of the rights and the protection of the territories and lives of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact, in order to prevent an imminent genocide.

We call on international bodies and organizations as well as the civil society at national and international levels, to join forces on this collective objective. We urge states to take all effective measures to protect the PIACI and guarantee their rights.

Signatories
Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana – AIDESEP
Associação do Povo Indígena Arara – APIA
Amazon Conservation Team – ACT
Associação do Povo Indigena Uru Eu Wau Wau – Jupaú,
Central Indígena de Comunidades Tacana II del Río Madre de Dios – CITRMD
Central Indígena de la Región Amazónica de Bolivia – CIRABO
Confederación de Organizaciones Indígenas del Ecuador – CONAIE
Coordenação das Organizações Indígenas da Amazônia Brasileira – COIAB
Consejo Machiguenga del Río Urubamba – COMARU
Centro de Trabalho Indigenista – CTI
Centro de Estudios Jurídicos e Investigación Social – CEJIS
EAMI Paraguay
Equipe de Apoio aos Povos Indígenas Livres, Eapil – CIMI
Federación Nativa del Río Madre de Dios y Afluentes – FENAMAD
Fondo Ecuatoriano Populorum Progressio – FEPP
Guardiões da Floresta
Iniciativa Amotocodie – IA
Instituto Maira
Land is Life
Nacionalidad Waorani del Ecuador – NAWE
Organisatie van Inheemsen in Suriname – OIS
Observatorio dos Direitos Humanos dos Povos Indígenas Isolados e de Recente Contato – OPI
Organização Indígena dos Manchineri da Terra Indígena Mamoadate – MAPPHA
Organización de los Pueblos Indígenas de la Amazonía Colombiana – OPIAC
Organización Payipie Ichadie Totobiogosode – OPIT
Organización Regional AIDESEP Ucayali -ORAU
Organización Regional de los Pueblos Indígenas del Oriente – ORPIO
Unión de Nativos Ayoreo del Paraguay – UNAP
Grupo Socioambiental – WATANIBA
União dos Povos Indígenas do Vale do Javari – UNIVAJA

El cargo Declaration of the International Working Group GTI-PIACI Emphasizes the Urgent Need to Protect Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation apareció primero en Land Is Life.

]]> Rights Violations of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation Heard for the First Time in the Inter-American Court https://www.landislife.org/rights-violations-of-peoples-living-in-voluntary-isolation-heard-for-the-first-time-in-the-inter-american-court-1245/ Fri, 26 Aug 2022 14:06:41 +0000 https://www.landislife.org/?p=1245   This past Tuesday, August 23rd, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) held a historical public hearing in Brasilia, regarding severe rights violations by the State of Ecuador against the Tagaeri and Taromenane Indigenous Peoples. Taromenane and Tagaeri are two of the last known Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) in Ecuador. They inhabit the Yasuní region, in the eastern part of the Ecuadorian Amazon. In this historic case of Tagaeri-Taromenane vs. Ecuador, the Inter-American Court heard the first case regarding the rights of PIACI. The PIACI are holders of human rights in a situation of extreme vulnerability, and among the few who are unable to advocate for their own rights. Indigenous peoples from across Ecuador and Brazil, as well as delegates from several organizations, including Land is Life, took part in the hearing to express solidarity and to defend the rights of the Taromenane and Tagaeri.     Growing pressure over the use of natural resources in Yasuní has been ongoing since the beginning of Ecuador’s oil boom in the 1970s. Yasuní is not only one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth but it also has some of Ecuador’s largest oil reserves. Despite it being designated a national park in 1979, oil companies have been increasingly entering the area and expanding their drilling operations in Indigenous territories. This has led to displacement of Indigenous peoples, forced contact, diminished territories, and contamination of rivers. Even though the State of Ecuador permanently protected part of Yasuní as the “Tagaeri Taromenane Intangible Zone”, an area where extractive industries are supposed to be prohibited, the Zone does not actually follow the boundaries of the territories of these Peoples. The Intangible Zone is too small and has allowed the oil industry to have major impacts on the rights and livelihoods of the Taromenane and Tagaeri, whose ancestral ways of life necessitate the ability to move across and use their entire territory. The Court Hearing was an attempt to determine whether the State has violated the rights of the Tagaeri and Taromenane by allowing extractive industries to enter their territories. The case also considered the killings of Indigenous peoples in Yasuní that took place in 2003, 2006, and 2013, when conflicts between different tribes escalated due to extractive pressures on their territories. Even though the State was informed about a heightened risk of violence, it did not take any measures to intervene, nor did it fulfill its responsibility to appropriately investigate these devastating cases. Leonidas Iza, President of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), who testified in support of the victims, stated in his testimony: “Indigenous peoples take care of their territories for the reproduction of life. We take care of the rights of Mother Nature, not only for the benefit of Indigenous Peoples but of the entire humanity. Indigenous territories are continuously threatened by state policies that favor extractive industries. That has forced us to organize ourselves to resist. – – Oil drilling keeps destroying the Amazon and the ways of life of Indigenous peoples living in isolation. These Peoples, their culture, and their spirituality, are integrally dependent on their territories. They are the guardians of their forests, taking care of and protecting them. If these Peoples die, or are forced to leave, the balance that sustains life in the Yasuní, will break down. Humanity will lose one of the most biodiverse places in the world if we do not act in time. That is why we demand that oil companies are kept out of these territories and that the self-determination of the Taromenane and Tagaeri is guaranteed. The State must respect the life and the rights of these Peoples.”   After working for the defense of the rights of the PIACI for more than 20 years, Land is Life hopes that this case will make a strong precedent for future cases. As the Secretariat of the GTI PIACI Working Group, we demand justice for the Tagaeri and Taromenane and call for their right to self-determination and to remain in voluntary isolation, to be fulfilled. Any extractive operations on Tagaeri and Taromenane territories must be halted.

El cargo Rights Violations of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation Heard for the First Time in the Inter-American Court apareció primero en Land Is Life.

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This past Tuesday, August 23rd, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) held a historical public hearing in Brasilia, regarding severe rights violations by the State of Ecuador against the Tagaeri and Taromenane Indigenous Peoples.

Taromenane and Tagaeri are two of the last known Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) in Ecuador. They inhabit the Yasuní region, in the eastern part of the Ecuadorian Amazon. In this historic case of Tagaeri-Taromenane vs. Ecuador, the Inter-American Court heard the first case regarding the rights of PIACI. The PIACI are holders of human rights in a situation of extreme vulnerability, and among the few who are unable to advocate for their own rights. Indigenous peoples from across Ecuador and Brazil, as well as delegates from several organizations, including Land is Life, took part in the hearing to express solidarity and to defend the rights of the Taromenane and Tagaeri.

 

 

Growing pressure over the use of natural resources in Yasuní has been ongoing since the beginning of Ecuador’s oil boom in the 1970s. Yasuní is not only one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth but it also has some of Ecuador’s largest oil reserves. Despite it being designated a national park in 1979, oil companies have been increasingly entering the area and expanding their drilling operations in Indigenous territories. This has led to displacement of Indigenous peoples, forced contact, diminished territories, and contamination of rivers. Even though the State of Ecuador permanently protected part of Yasuní as the “Tagaeri Taromenane Intangible Zone”, an area where extractive industries are supposed to be prohibited, the Zone does not actually follow the boundaries of the territories of these Peoples. The Intangible Zone is too small and has allowed the oil industry to have major impacts on the rights and livelihoods of the Taromenane and Tagaeri, whose ancestral ways of life necessitate the ability to move across and use their entire territory.

The Court Hearing was an attempt to determine whether the State has violated the rights of the Tagaeri and Taromenane by allowing extractive industries to enter their territories. The case also considered the killings of Indigenous peoples in Yasuní that took place in 2003, 2006, and 2013, when conflicts between different tribes escalated due to extractive pressures on their territories. Even though the State was informed about a heightened risk of violence, it did not take any measures to intervene, nor did it fulfill its responsibility to appropriately investigate these devastating cases.

Leonidas Iza, President of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), who testified in support of the victims, stated in his testimony:

“Indigenous peoples take care of their territories for the reproduction of life. We take care of the rights of Mother Nature, not only for the benefit of Indigenous Peoples but of the entire humanity. Indigenous territories are continuously threatened by state policies that favor extractive industries. That has forced us to organize ourselves to resist. – – Oil drilling keeps destroying the Amazon and the ways of life of Indigenous peoples living in isolation. These Peoples, their culture, and their spirituality, are integrally dependent on their territories. They are the guardians of their forests, taking care of and protecting them. If these Peoples die, or are forced to leave, the balance that sustains life in the Yasuní, will break down. Humanity will lose one of the most biodiverse places in the world if we do not act in time. That is why we demand that oil companies are kept out of these territories and that the self-determination of the Taromenane and Tagaeri is guaranteed. The State must respect the life and the rights of these Peoples.”

 

After working for the defense of the rights of the PIACI for more than 20 years, Land is Life hopes that this case will make a strong precedent for future cases. As the Secretariat of the GTI PIACI Working Group, we demand justice for the Tagaeri and Taromenane and call for their right to self-determination and to remain in voluntary isolation, to be fulfilled. Any extractive operations on Tagaeri and Taromenane territories must be halted.

El cargo Rights Violations of Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation Heard for the First Time in the Inter-American Court apareció primero en Land Is Life.

]]> The Kichwa People of Sarayaku Hold the First Meeting of the Kawsak Sacha https://www.landislife.org/the-kichwa-people-of-sarayaku-hold-the-first-meeting-of-the-kawsak-sacha-1239/ Fri, 26 Aug 2022 14:05:49 +0000 https://www.landislife.org/?p=1239 In the Kichwa language, kawsari refers to a type of awakening, specifically the awakening to life. The Kichwa Indigenous People of Sarayaku thus named their First Meeting of the Peoples of the Living Forest (Kawsak Sacha) accordingly, held on their territory between the 25th and 27th of July. The Kawsari brought together Indigenous peoples from the Ecuadorian, Colombian and Peruvian Amazon with the aim to refine their proposals to sustain life on Indigenous territories of the Amazon, share experiences regarding their self-determination and autonomy, and commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Inter-American Court ruling (Sarayaku vs. Ecuador case) that determined the mandatory standards for the exercise of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and marked an enormous victory for Indigenous territories threatened by extractive activities. The Kichwa People of Sarayaku have called for a need to multiply the actions to defend and promote the self-determination and self-governance of Indigenous peoples as the most effective mechanism to secure the rights of nature and to face the challenges of environmental justice of the 21st century. From the work of Sarayaku, the world has been reminded that in Indigenous worldviews, forest is an immense living organism where animals, plants, human beings, and spiritual beings coexist and protect all forms of life of the Living Forest, or Kawsak Sacha in the Kichwa language. With this in mind, the Sarayaku people continue to develop political and legal tools to defend the Living Forest. One of these tools is their autonomous protocol of free, prior and informed consent that was published in the Kawsari gathering. The protocol is first of its kind in Ecuador. It is the first normative framework, autonomously developed by an Indigenous people, to regulate the ways in which they wish to be consulted and to give or withhold their consent to projects that affect their territories. The protocol is the result of almost two years of meetings, assemblies, working groups, research, and discussions around Indigenous peoples’ right to free, prior and informed consent. We at Land is Life are honored to have supported the Kichwa People of Sarayaku with technical and financial assistance in the design of their autonomous FPIC protocol. Given the challenges faced by Indigenous peoples in realizing this right, Land is Life is working with communities in the development of community-led protocols for the proper implementation, monitoring and review of FPIC processes. The Kawsari gathering reminded its attendees that the integral respect for Indigenous peoples’ rights, their territories, and their own forms of government, constitutes the correct path and the best mechanism to preserve life in the Amazon, in all the territories of the Indigenous peoples of the continent.

El cargo The Kichwa People of Sarayaku Hold the First Meeting of the Kawsak Sacha apareció primero en Land Is Life.

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In the Kichwa language, kawsari refers to a type of awakening, specifically the awakening to life. The Kichwa Indigenous People of Sarayaku thus named their First Meeting of the Peoples of the Living Forest (Kawsak Sacha) accordingly, held on their territory between the 25th and 27th of July.

The Kawsari brought together Indigenous peoples from the Ecuadorian, Colombian and Peruvian Amazon with the aim to refine their proposals to sustain life on Indigenous territories of the Amazon, share experiences regarding their self-determination and autonomy, and commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Inter-American Court ruling (Sarayaku vs. Ecuador case) that determined the mandatory standards for the exercise of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and marked an enormous victory for Indigenous territories threatened by extractive activities.

The Kichwa People of Sarayaku have called for a need to multiply the actions to defend and promote the self-determination and self-governance of Indigenous peoples as the most effective mechanism to secure the rights of nature and to face the challenges of environmental justice of the 21st century.

From the work of Sarayaku, the world has been reminded that in Indigenous worldviews, forest is an immense living organism where animals, plants, human beings, and spiritual beings coexist and protect all forms of life of the Living Forest, or Kawsak Sacha in the Kichwa language.

With this in mind, the Sarayaku people continue to develop political and legal tools to defend the Living Forest. One of these tools is their autonomous protocol of free, prior and informed consent that was published in the Kawsari gathering. The protocol is first of its kind in Ecuador. It is the first normative framework, autonomously developed by an Indigenous people, to regulate the ways in which they wish to be consulted and to give or withhold their consent to projects that affect their territories. The protocol is the result of almost two years of meetings, assemblies, working groups, research, and discussions around Indigenous peoples’ right to free, prior and informed consent.

We at Land is Life are honored to have supported the Kichwa People of Sarayaku with technical and financial assistance in the design of their autonomous FPIC protocol. Given the challenges faced by Indigenous peoples in realizing this right, Land is Life is working with communities in the development of community-led protocols for the proper implementation, monitoring and review of FPIC processes.

The Kawsari gathering reminded its attendees that the integral respect for Indigenous peoples’ rights, their territories, and their own forms of government, constitutes the correct path and the best mechanism to preserve life in the Amazon, in all the territories of the Indigenous peoples of the continent.

El cargo The Kichwa People of Sarayaku Hold the First Meeting of the Kawsak Sacha apareció primero en Land Is Life.

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