Land is Life at IFIP: Women-Led Empowerment in DRC + LGBTQ Rights in the Philippines
Land is Life, along with Indigenous partners from the Philippines and the Democratic Republic of Congo, will present new initiatives next week at the 2018 IFIP Annual Funders Conference in Sante Fe, New Mexico. The panels will be moderated by supporters of the new work, the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, and Lush Charity Pot. Learn more below! Building Empowerment through Women-Led Conservation DRC: Founded in 2004 by Mbuti Pygmies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DIPY works through direct grassroots actions as well as local, national and international advocacy efforts for the well-being of Pygmies and the conservation the Congo basin. Moderated by Kai Carter of the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, DIPY founder Sinafasi Makelo and his colleague Ibula Bolondo Brunelle, will discuss the importance of Indigenous women-led initiatives and their experience working at the grassroots to improve livelihoods while conserving traditional lands and territories. The panel will present and review the findings of a recent six-month study that analyzed the potential of women-led cooperatives throughout DRC. Engaging Indigenous LGTBQ Youth and National Dialogue in the Philippines: In most Indigenous communities in the Philippines, men dominate decision-making, traditional rituals, and community affairs and look down on LGBTQ peoples. While LGBTQ issues are gaining acceptance, the older generation continues to discriminate. Very few Indigenous-rights organizations focus on LGBTQ issues due to the urgent priority of protecting land rights. Securing financial and human resources for LGBT rights work is difficult. This session will give members of Innabuyog and the Cordillera Peoples Alliance, leading Indigenous organizations dedicated to LGBT rights in the Philippines, to discuss a new initiative that will improve their grassroots operations and systems while elevating LGBTQ issues and activists into the broader Indigenous-rights movement through research, training workshops, knowledges exchanges and regional and national dialogues. Their goal is to train and empower the next generation of Indigenous LGBTQ leaders and generate a national conversation about discrimination and rights. Moderated by Lush Charity Pot, the panel hopes to generate broader ideas about how to build off this work and apply it to Indigenous- rights and LGBTQ efforts globally.
Urgent Appeal for Support for Communities Devastated by Super Typhoon Ompong
In response to an urgent request from our grassroots Indigenous partners in the central Philippines in the wake of the devastation of Super Typhoon Ompong, Land is Life is asking friends and allies from across our network to offer their support to this urgent cause. Among the worst hit is the mined-out Itogon town in Benguet province. Land is Life has visited these communities in the past and has partnered with grassroots Indigenous organizations throughout the region for many years. A massive landslide buried several homes, an old bunkhouse of the Benguet Corporation Inc. and a chapel. At least 40-50 people were staying in the bunkhouse while the chapel was attempting to evacuate during the height of the typhoon. Rescue operations and retrieval of bodies are still ongoing, with 34 dead and 42 still missing.
Stop the Attacks on Jiten Yumnam and Indigenous Human Rights Defenders!
The Land is Life network and the Cordillera Peoples Alliance support the call of various organizations for a stop to the attacks against Land is Life South Asia Coordinator, Jiten Yumnam, and other indigenous human rights defenders. As organizations working for the advancement of indigenous peoples’ rights and welfare, we strongly condemn the attacks on indigenous peoples who are dedicating their lives for the protection of our ancestral lands and the environment, and the respect of human rights. Jiten is a staunch environmental and human rights defender. Currently, the secretary for the Centre for Research and Advocacy – Manipur (CRA-Manipur) and a long-time solidarity partner of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Jiten is being subjected to harassment and intimidation by local state forces in Manipur, India. In a statement and complaint he submitted to the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of India, he narrated the harassment that the Manipur police committed at his residence on August 13, 2018 where they verbally informed his mother of a pending case against him without written documents to support the claim and that he is being summoned to the Imphal West Manipur Police Commando Complex. Jiten and his family fear that such summons could result to arbitrary arrest and detention as a repeat of what happened to Jiten in September 2009 where he was detained and tortured in the same police complex. The threat on Jiten’s safety has caused unnecessary anxiety and inconvenience for Jiten and his family. Quoting directly from the complaint Jiten submitted, “The repeated summon by police commandoes in my family also caused much tension and anxiety with my family members, including my children while disturbing my profession and creating a very deleterious impression among locals of my locality. The summon also constitutes a continued threat and harassment to human rights defenders in Manipur.” The case of Jiten is happening in various parts of the world, with the crackdown on environmental activists and indigenous human rights defenders. In the Philippines and other countries in Asia, Indigenous Human Rights Defenders are facing gross human rights violations when all they do is to stand up against the corporate plunder of their ancestral domains. There is no difference for indigenous peoples in Latin America where indigenous leaders are criminalized for their strong opposition to the entry of extractive industries and other so-called ‘development’ projects in their communities. The harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, extrajudicial killings and filing of trumped-up charges against indigenous human rights defenders and environmental activists are clearly meant to discredit and silence indigenous peoples’ legitimate dissent and our struggle against threats to our lives and livelihood. However, indigenous peoples will never be cowed and will continue to defend our lands, forests, rivers, and right to self-determination for the sake of future generations and the wider society. We echo the call of various civil society organizations to stop the attacks on activists, especially indigenous leaders who are in the frontlines of the struggle to defend the environment from destruction and indigenous peoples’ collective rights. We call on governments to truly recognize the decisive role of grassroots indigenous peoples in the protection of our global ecosystem. We call on the local government of Manipur and national government of India to stop all forms of arbitrary summon, harassment, degrading treatment and torture of human rights defenders, including Mr. Jiten Yumnam and to repeal emergency laws that put at risk the security of indigenous human rights defenders, such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act of 1958 and National Security Act of 1980. Stop criminalizing indigenous peoples and put an end to the exploitation and plunder of indigenous territories! For reference: Sarah Bestang Dekdeken Land is Life Asia Program Director Cordillera Peoples Alliance Secretary General
Global Day of Action: International Day Of The World’s Indigenous Peoples 2018
On this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples Land is Life stands in Solidarity with our longtime partners the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self Determination & Liberation (IPMSDL) as they unite around a GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION: “On August 9, we call on everyone to the GLOBAL DAY OF ACTION to celebrate and stand for the continuing struggle and victories of Indigenous Peoples (IP) in different parts of the world against imperialist assaults on IP rights to self-determination. In this year’s commemoration of the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE WORLD’S INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, let us unite and highlight the struggles and victories of Indigenous communities against the intensifying resource exploitation of transnational corporations (TNCs), war and militarization, and the worsening human rights situation attacking IP rights defenders and the collective action in defense of land, territory, and way of life. Together, we will amplify the voices and demands of Indigenous Peoples for the right to self-determination. Let us strengthen our solidarity and broad unity among and between Indigenous communities and all oppressed peoples! Long live the struggle of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination!”
Welcome New Members to our Global Team: Nidia, Renz, Vanessa, and Alicia!
As Land is Life continues to better serve our network of grassroots Indigenous organizations, communities and leaders and to build a more dynamic global team, we are excited to welcome the following new hires (above from left to right) Nidia Becerra, Rendilyn “Renz” Cuyop, Vanessa Barham and Alicia Waller. Read about their commitment to our mission to support the self-determination of our Indigenous partners everywhere. Nidia Becerra, Amazon Regional Coordinator Nidia is a 29-year-old Colombian Indigenous leader. She has dedicated her life to environmental activism, focusing on protecting the lands of her people, the Inga, against mining companies. Elected leader of the Inga three times, Nidia works with the Yunguillo, a reserve in the department of Putumayo, in the Colombian Amazon, to achieve the protection of its territory. Under her leadership, she has quintupled the amount of formally protected traditional Inga land. Nidia will coordinate Land is Life’s Indigenous-Led Grantmaking initiative throughout the Amazon as well as work closely on our ongoing security initiative throughout the region. “Land is Life is a comprised of a diverse, multicultural team of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous professionals dedicated to promoting the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples globally. I joined Land is Life to add new perspectives and energy to Indigenous-Led Grantmaking, an initiative that truly respects the ever-changing challenges and opportunities facing grassroots Indigenous communities.” *** Rendilyn “Renz” Cuyop, Asia Program Coordinator Renz is a 21-year-old Tuwali-Igorot from the Cordillera region, Philippines. After finishing college, she became a full-time volunteer secretariat of the Cordillera Youth Center. Her commitment to promoting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at national and international levels has led her to join Land is Life’s Asia Program team in Baguio where she will support the Asia Program Director, Bestang Dekdeken. “To actively take part in the struggle for Indigenous Peoples’ rights is important to my generation. I took on the challenge and have now joined the Land is Life team in order to lend my energy to this important mission” *** Vanessa Barham, Latin America Program Coordinator Vanessa studied Ecology and Law in Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. For the last nine years she has been working closely with environmental and human rights defenders in the Ecuadorian Amazon including the Shuar Siekopai, Siona, Waorani, Kichwa and Kofan. Part of her work has involved the training of grassroots activists in human and environmental rights issues, litigation against oil companies, the development of legal strategies in human rights cases and the research of environmental and human rights violations. In collaboration with our program team and grassroots partners, Vanessa will coordinate all of Land is Life’s programs in Latin America “Land is Life is not the type of NGO that imposes its own agenda to the communities they work with. We create a long-term partnership with the communities we work with and allow them to decide in which approaches they prefer. We respect the right to self-determination of Indigenous Peoples, a principle that is all too rare.” *** Alicia Waller, Operations Assistant Alicia is a practicing performing artist whose work centers around the use of artistic collaboration for the facilitation of intercultural understanding that transcends national, cultural, and social boundaries. She is a recent graduate of the M.A. program at the NYU Gallatin School for Individualized Study. Alicia brings new energy to Land is Life’s efforts to build a strong institution. “One of the things that most struck me prior to joining the Land is Life team is the organization’s unique approach to issues of representation in the NGO/Indigenous Rights sphere. Land is Life has proved adept at ensuring that Indigenous leaders drive, organize and prioritize the issues that they themselves know to be most prescient within their own communities. I am so pleased to be a part of this organization for identifying the value of this approach, and also for its mission to actualize this grassroots strategy in the core of its foundational structure.”
Arctic to the Amazon Indigenous Women Demand Protection for their Lands at the United Nations
Last week, Land is Life convened Indigenous women leaders from the Arctic and Amazon at the 17th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) to raise awareness about the threat of oil exploration to their lands, cultures and livelihoods. Gwich’in leaders from Alaska and Canada raised awareness on their shared fight against new efforts to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration, threatening their traditional lifestyle, specifically the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd. Leaders from the Ecuadorian Amazon discussed their experiences working together across communities to defend their collective territory against oil developments. Together, we hosted an official side event and a panel discussion at New York University, sharing their message, connecting with new allies and building solidarity with other Indigenous Peoples and organizations from across the globe. “It was an honor to stand with our sisters from Ecuador and to learn about the issues they are facing. I look forward to working in solidarity as Indigenous women leading this fight to protect our territories, rights and ways of life.” – Bernadette Demientieff, Executive Director, Gwich’in Steering Committee This proved to be a timely event, as news broke the Trump Administration issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to initiate the environmental review process for oil and gas leasing on the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Gwich’in Steering Committee leaders Bernadette Demientieff (Executive Director) and Lorraine Netro (board member) brought the voice of the Gwich’in Nation to the UN, officially calling on the United States and Canadian governments to uphold their human rights, land rights and food sovereignty by protecting their ancestral homelands. “As this unfortunate news came out, it was a very important time to be at the United Nations with our brothers and sisters from around the globe, sharing in our common efforts to protect our ancestral homelands.” – Lorraine Netro, Board Member, Gwich’in Steering Committee During this first stage of the leasing process, there will be a 60-day public comment period that will provide the first opportunity to emphasize that no oil and gas development activities should be allowed on the Coastal Plain, and to draw attention to the rushed process while reinforcing the values of the Refuge. While the Gwich’in discussed their efforts to protect their land amidst new threats, the President of the Kichwa community of Sarayaku in Ecuador, Mirian Cisneros, presented and promoted their community’s Indigenous-led conservation plan—Kawsak Sacha (living forest)—to collectively manage their territory and resources, as highlighted in a recent New York Times piece. Together, they have demonstrated that from the Arctic to the Amazon, Indigenous women are leading the fight to protect their lands and way of life.
International Declaration In Support Of Kawsak Sacha Proposal By Sarayaku
Land is Life recently visited the Kichwa community of Sarayaku to show solidarity and support for Kawsak Sacha, the community’s plan to manage their lands, territories and resources (originally published in Spanish). As part of our ongoing commitment to building alliances and strengthening networks across Latin America, partners from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines and Venezuela—along with the traditional council of Sarayaku—signed a declaration in support of the plan. Yesterday, they gathered in Puyo to hold a press conference announcing the declaration, an important step as they prepare to formally present the plan to the Ecuadorian President in July 2018. Kawsak Sacha is an important development not only for the people of Sarayaku, but for Indigenous Peoples in Latin America and around the world, as it represents an Indigenous-led model for the protection and conservation of the environment that was developed from their own perspectives and based on their traditional values. Delegates from the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self Determination & Liberation (IPMSDL), long-time Indigenous allies from the Philippines, also participated in a knowledge exchange with like-minded groups from throughout Latin America during the meetings in Puyo. The people of Sarayaku released an additional Declaration in Solidarity against the ongoing violence against Indigenous Peoples and communities in the Philippines.
Land is Life Denounces the Terrorist Tagging of Indigenous Rights Defenders in the Philippines
(Names left to right in clockwise order) Beverly Longid, Sherwin de Vera, Joan Carling, Jose Molintas, Joanna Cariño, Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, Windel Bolinget, and Jeannette Cawiding. “Activism is not terrorism. On the contrary, my organization, the Cordillera Peoples Alliance, has been and is a continuing victim of State terrorism and fascism. CPA will not allow itself to be silenced by Duterte’s attempt of unleashing further its terrorism. We will fight, and we continue to appeal to the wider public for your sustained support and solidarity.” – Windel Bolinget, Chairperson Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Land is Life Steering Council Land is Life joins various organizations worldwide in strongly denouncing the terrorist tagging of Indigenous rights defenders in the Philippines by President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. The Philippine Department of Justice recently filed a legal petition, which maliciously tagged as “terrorists” more than 600 individuals all over the country, including Windel Bolinget, member of Land is Life Global Steering Council and current Chairperson of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA). Also included in the terrorist proscription list are Joanna Cariño, CPA pioneer and Co-Chair of Sandugo Moro and IP Movement; Vicky Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur and former Chair of CPA; Beverly Longid, coordinator of Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL) and former CPA Chair; Joan Carling, Co-Convenor of the UN Indigenous Peoples Major Group on Sustainable Development and former CPA Chair; Jose Molintas, human rights lawyer and former CPA Chair; Jeannette Cawiding, former Chair of CPA Baguio City Chapter; IP advocate Sherwin de Vera, and around 14 Indigenous leaders from Lumad communities in Mindanao. With more than a decade of solidarity partnership with the CPA, Land is Life has long known the dedicated work of the CPA in defending the Cordillera Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral domain and self-determination against State and corporate plunder and destruction. The Department of Justice petition is the latest in a chain of unrelenting human rights violations experienced by Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines. We have been receiving reports from the CPA and Lumad organizations on the numerous cases of human rights violations, which they described as acts of State terrorism and fascism. On March 2, 2018, anti-dams activist and CPA member Ricardo Mayumi was shot dead in his home in Ifugao province. We believe that the Department of Justice petition is aimed at silencing legitimate organizations, such as the CPA, and puts at risk the lives of Indigenous human rights defenders. We call on the Philippine government to stop harassing and criminalizing Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines, dismiss the Department of Justice petition, stop the extrajudicial killings of indigenous human rights defenders, be accountable to the numerous human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples, and uphold its human rights obligations.
Celebrating International Women’s Day!
On International Women’s Day, Land is Life invites you to stand in solidarity with Indigenous women around the world who fight each day on the frontlines to defend our planet. Enjoy this video highlighting the important work of our Indigenous women partners from the Andes to the Amazon.
Sengwer Peoples Facing Increased Violence and Forced Evictions in Kenya
On January 16th, over 60 armed Kenya Forest Service (KFS) guards raided two villages and shot into a fleeing crowd, killing one man and seriously injuring another. In the weeks since, armed KFS guards have destroyed fences, stolen livestock and burned dozens of Sengwer homes. This tactic has been used periodically since the 1980s, but last month the local government announced intensified efforts to clear out Sengwer communities. While the government claims to carry out these actions in the name of conservation, there is recent precedent to give the Sengwer hope. In May 2017, thanks to ongoing efforts from our partners at the Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights declared the government of Kenya guilty of evicting the Ogiek Peoples from the Mau forest. The Court determined that the government improperly used conservation as a justification for eviction. Amnesty International recently shared an urgent action to send appeals to the Kenya Forest Service, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources and the Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to Kenya. In addition to raising awareness on this urgent issue, Land is Life’s Kenya-based Regional Coordinator, Jemimah Kerenge, recently met with Sengwer leaders on how to connect them with our regional network and support their efforts to develop an enhanced land management plan through mapping and zoning of ancestral lands. These efforts build upon last year’s Africa Regional Workshop and our ongoing commitment to build stronger alliances and networks among Indigenous Peoples in the region and raise awareness on their threatened lands, territories, and cultures. Visit our Indigenous-Led Grantmaking site to learn about recent work to promote women’s rights by the Ogiek Peoples Development Program and preserving cultural values by Enkishon Indigenous Initiative along with dozens of other grassroots Indigenous-led efforts supported by Land is Life.