Land is Life Board Chair Brian Keane Testifies on The Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the Americas
On Friday November 20th, Land is Life’s Board Chair, Brian Keane, gave testimony to the U.S. Congress’s Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’s hearing on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in the Americas. Among other witnesses, Brian examined the human rights situation faced by Indigenous peoples in the region and offered important recommendations for congressional and executive branch policy and action. In his intervention, Brian, a former Expert Member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and the country’s first Advisor on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues for U.S. Foreign Assistance, told the Commission that the state of affairs for Indigenous peoples in the Americas and around the world is one of crisis. “Indigenous peoples are under assault. They are being forcibly evicted from their territories and deprived of their resources. Their livelihoods are being decimated. They are labelled, by governments, as terrorists for speaking up about the abuses their communities suffer; they are threatened, targeted for violence, assassinated.” At least 30 million and up to 50 million Indigenous people live in Latin America and the Caribbean, suffering from widespread discrimination that is reflected in higher rates of poverty and reduced access to healthcare, education and other public services throughout the region. Although there is growing recognition of the contributions of Indigenous peoples to sustainable development, conservation and the management of climate change, extractive and other industries are provoking a growing number of environmental and social conflicts. On this pressing issue, Brian stated that despite this pattern of assault, “Indigenous Peoples continue to contribute tremendously to global development, to global food security, and conflict resolution” and that they are “on the frontlines in efforts to protect forests and other critical ecosystems, to safeguard biological diversity, to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of global climate change.” Further, he asked the incoming 117th Congress to work closely with the Biden/Harris Administration to take “bold and visionary actions” that are necessary to address this crisis, and to “put into practice the ideals expressed in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”. Brian made a set of practical recommendations to the incoming Administration and Congress aimed at enacting systemic change. He emphasized the essential role of Indigenous peoples in addressing the global environmental, economic and social crises the world is facing, stating – “Indigenous peoples are not simply passive recipients of development, they are active participants, with their own visions of what development looks like. Their traditional knowledge, their ways of living, and their land and resource management strategies are vital to building resilient societies, ensuring global food security and enhancing sustainable economies, and they should be engaged as partners – through their own social, political and legal institutions – in the development process.” Read Brian Keane’s Full Testimony Here
COVID-19 And Security Risks In Africa – Webinar
On Thursday, November 19th, join Land is Life for a conversation with key Indigenous leaders and activists from all over Africa about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase of security risks for Indigenous Peoples and activists. – Alison Wright, Director of the Environmental Defenders Collaborative, Global Greengrants Fund (Moderator) – Milka Chepkorir, Sengwer Community Leader, Kenya – Thomas Nkuna, Indigenous fisher community leader from Kwanibela, South Africa – Jemimah Kerenge, Maasai Human Rights defender, Land is Life´s Indigenous-led Grantmaking Program Director, Kenya – Robert Agenonga, environmental activist, Human Rights Defender and researcher, Uganda REGISTER FOR WEBINAR TODAY
Webinar: Beyond the Election: What’s at Stake for Indigenous Rights in Alaska?
On Wednesday, October 28th, join Land is Life, the Gwich’in Steering Committee, Native Peoples Action and NoVo Foundation for an insightful conversation with Indigenous leaders and activist about what’s at stake for Indigenous rights in Alaska in the context and beyond of the upcoming US election. Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2020 Time: 9:00 AM AKDT, 10:00 AM PDT, 1:00 PM EDT Duration: 1.5 hours (about 15 minutes per intervention and 30 minutes for Q&A, ends at 2:30 PM ET) REGISTER TODAY
Justice for Celempilo: Indigenous Fisherman Shot Dead by Rangers in South Africa
On September 16, a young man was shot dead as he and his two friends were fishing on Lake St Lucia, adjacent to the ancestral territory and lands of the Nibela community in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Celempilo Mdluli, reportedly 30 years old, was fishing with his friends Senzo and Duduzi when they were suddenly attacked by a group of wildlife rangers. Celempilo fell to the ground. The other two Indigenous fishermen say it was very dark, but they heard him begging for his life. Yet, three further shots were fired. After the incident, Celempilo’s body was taken to the local morgue. The conservation agency responsible for the rangers has yet to condemn the killing or indicate how justice will be served. Nearly a month after the shooting, the police have yet to visit the crime scene or interview witnesses. The Nibela Indigenous traditional fishing community, whose ancestral lands lie on Nibela peninsula adjacent to the lake (the largest estuarine lake in Africa), are worried that justice will not be done for this young man and his family, and they fear for their own lives as they need to fish to feed their families. Members of the Nibela community have come to depend on the lake for fish as their basic food security as there are few other livelihood opportunities for them in this rural part of the province. Rangers alleged in a local newspaper that the fishermen might have been rhino poachers. The conflict arises after the top-down imposition of a marine protected area and nature reserve around the area, which was subsequently declared a World Heritage Site in 1999. In 2008 it was renamed the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Despite the Nibela’s ownership of their communal lands adjacent to the lake, the conservation and fisheries authorities have failed to consult them. The waters around the community have been zoned as a restricted area for the benefit of the ecotourism industry, from which the Nibela derive no benefit. With support from Land is Life, the Nibela community has been able to secure the services of an independent pathologist to conduct an autopsy. The Legal Resources Centre, a human rights legal organization, is assisting in their struggle to find out why this happened and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable. Unfortunately, there is little interest in this case in South Africa—one of the most violent countries in the world, where deaths like this, caused by police or conservation officers, are not uncommon. The Nibela indigenous fisher community is desperate to shine a light on what has happened and is calling for international solidarity to condemn the killing of a young fisherman and for justice to be served. Land is Life will continue supporting the Nibela community as they struggle to defend their right to fish in their own waters safely and sustainably, and to live in their territories free of violence. Since 2019, Land is Life has coordinated an Indigenous-Led Security Fund in Sub-Saharan Africa to respond to threats to safety and security facing Indigenous communities and organizations across the region. This approach is also being piloted in the Amazon via our Regional Coordinator in Colombia. We are also exploring an additional pilot of this approach in Asia.
Land is Life Appoints Jemimah Kerenge as Global Director of Indigenous-Led Grantmaking Initiative
Land is Life is proud to announce the appointment of Jemimah Kerenge as Global Director of its Indigenous-led grantmaking initiative. This pioneering program is an approach developed by Land is Life and its global network to provide support to our grassroots Indigenous partners around the globe through small, flexible grants. Jemimah, a Maasai from Kenya, will lead efforts to help Indigenous peoples promote and protect their rights, implement community-based development projects, and maximize the capacities of their organizations. Funds are used locally for workshops, medical emergencies, legal support, campaigns, regional gatherings, travel to meetings, self-determined development programs, and general expenses for Indigenous peoples’ organizations. “Land is Life has created a grantmaking platform for Indigenous peoples to air their views and voices, which is instrumental in supporting Indigenous peoples globally through initiatives that directly touch their livelihoods and help secure their territories and rights,” says Jemimah. “I believe that when given leadership opportunities, Indigenous women can bear great success. My most important personal achievement is getting a platform at Land is Life to exercise my leadership abilities as an Indigenous woman.” On the whole, the Indigenous-led grantmaking program aims to support initiatives that enhance the collective rights of Indigenous peoples, covering a wide array of subjects like human rights, land, resources and biodiversity, climate change, food sovereignty, women, youth and elders, traditional knowledge systems and practices (including language, arts, and sports), education and economic empowerment, and strengthening of Indigenous livelihoods. The Land is Life Global Team wishes Jemimah best of luck in her newly appointed position.
Land is Life Publishes New Book on Free, Prior and Informed Consent
Land is Life, in collaboration with the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA) and Abya Yala Press, proudly presents “From Consultation to Consent: Debates and Experiences in Abya Yala.” This is an important editorial effort to promote the regional discussion on the subject of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the Indigenous Peoples. The book, published in Spanish, was conceived as a result of the meeting on Consent and Consultation Protocols from Abya Yala, held last year by COICA with the support of Land is Life and Oxfam from November 12th to 13th in Quito, Ecuador. Participants proposed to deepen the discussion by inviting experts in Indigenous rights, academics, indigenous leaders and activists to hold a deeper reflection on the relationship between consent and prior consultation. “The book aims to reflect on consent as one of the fundamental rights of Indigenous peoples, representing the legal and political foundation for self-determination in contexts of the relationship between the State and Indigenous Peoples” says David Suárez, Land is Life’s FPIC Program Coordinator. From the principles of self-determination and legal pluralism, there are better alternatives for the regulation of consultation mechanisms for Indigenous Peoples in order to obtain their consent and avoid the long list of setbacks in terms of rights, that is found in current consultation regulations issued by the executive and legislative bodies of different States. “Within this range of alternatives, Indigenous-built consent protocols constitute a decisive experience in the process of building consent from Indigenous Peoples” says Jose Proaño, Land is Life’s Latin America Program Director. Starting today, the book will be distributed among Indigenous leaders and organizations, activists, academics and policy makers playing an important role in Land is Life’s regional strategy on FPIC.
Press Release: Fires And Deforestation In Territories With Registries Of Indigenous Peoples In Isolation
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION Download the Press Release: Español, Português, English Download the Report: Español, Português, English As the new forest fire season moves forward, the situation of extreme vulnerability of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation becomes critical, warns an international group of organizations.The Trinational Report: Fires and Deforestation in Territories with Records of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation, presented today, launches an international alert on the serious situation faced by indigenous peoples in isolation and provides recommendations for the implementation of protection measures for these peoples and their territories.Wednesday, August 26, 2020. More than twenty indigenous and civil society organizations, which are part of the International Working Group on Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact in the Amazon, Gran Chaco and Brazilian Cerrado (GTI PIACI), launched today an international alert on the threat posed by forest fires and deforestation to Indigenous Peoples living in Isolation in the regions of the Amazon, the Great American Chaco and Brazilian Cerrado, in Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.During 2019, these regions suffered dramatic increases in the incidence of forest fires and deforestation, a scenario that begins to repeat itself in 2020 as fires once again spread throughout the Amazon and the Great American Chaco. This situation aggravates the condition of extreme vulnerability of Indigenous Peoples living in Isolation, since fires and deforestation destroy the territories where they live, where they develop their culture, and which provide their means of subsistence.The Trinational Report: Fires and Deforestation in Territories with Records of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation, presented today at a virtual press conference, draws attention to the serious situation faced by indigenous peoples in isolation, and presents recommendations for States, multilateral organizations, and civil society in these countries, with the aim of implementing urgent protection measures for these peoples and their territories. “The daily life of indigenous peoples in isolation is marked by numerous threats that place them, for the most part, in a situation of constant mobilization and despair. The voracious increase in forest fires and deforestation aggravates their situation and renders them increasingly vulnerable”, explained Antenor Vaz, lead author of the Report and consultant to Land is Life, the organization currently holding the secretariat of the GTI PIACI. For the preparation of this report, Vaz and his colleagues from Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay carried out an analysis of the serious events that occurred during 2019 in vast regions of the Amazon, the Great American Chaco and Brazilian Cerrado with the use of maps, georeferenced information and direct testimonies. Following a collaborative methodology, in which representatives of various indigenous peoples participated as protagonists, the researchers analyzed information from a total of 99 indigenous territories with records of indigenous peoples in Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay, which allowed them to verify the vertiginous increase of hot spots in 2019 compared to 2018. In such a period, these hotspots grew 258% in Bolivia, 259% in Brazil, and 185% in Paraguay. Likewise, the hot spots detected in the 32 conservation units (protected areas) with presence of Indigenous Peoples Living in Isolation increased by 744.38% in Bolivia, 347.87% in Brazil, and 44.15% in Paraguay. The Trinational Report is based on local reports prepared, respectively, by the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB) in Brazil, the Amotocodie Initiative (IA) in Paraguay, and the Central Indígena de Comunidades Tacana II del Río Madre de Dios (CITRMD) in Bolivia. “In addition to all the impacts caused by colonization, in 2019 the indigenous peoples in isolation in Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay were subjected to an unprecedented wave of fires and deforestation in their territories, which demands solutions that are impossible to address under the sole focus of local and international regulations established for indigenous peoples with a history of contact”, explained Vaz, the report’s lead author. The Report also highlights that the common denominator for the increase in forest fires is human action, driven by expansionary practices of agribusinesses and extractive industries. This, coupled with the lack of effective regulatory frameworks for the protection of Indigenous Peoples living in Isolation, makes the latters’ situation increasingly precarious. “The loss of territory caused by deforestation and fires leads the people to displacement in search of safer places, and this brings with it other dangers: involuntary proximity to neighbouring populations and possible contagion of disease. The situation is further complicated by the presence of Covid-19, whose exponential growth puts the lives of these peoples, as well as the living heritage of the Americas and of humanity, at serious risk”, the Report concludes. Bolivia’s Local Report presents findings on State actions promoting the expansion of the agricultural frontier without an accompanying conservation policy. In the words of Adamo Diego Cusi, researcher and activist, representative of the Takana people and author of the Report on Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Forest Fires in Bolivia, “there are laws in Bolivia that promote the expansion of agribusiness and the agricultural frontier, without considering the negative effects that this has on indigenous peoples and the environment. As a result, fires are increasingly aggressive and their consequences devastating.” According to this report, 6.4 million hectares were burned in Bolivia in 2019, of which 94% were lowlands, located for the most part in the departments of Santa Cruz (65%) and Beni (29%), in the Bolivian Amazon Basin. In addition, it was reported that the same year, 36 indigenous territories were affected by forest fires, with a total of 226,714 hectares burned. The same report states that the hot spots and forest fires in indigenous territories and protected areas have permeated the lives of Indigenous Peoples living in Isolation. In general, forest fires in 2019 exceeded historical records since 2010, and any effective response to the fires was overwhelmed. Moreover, in two Absolute Reserves for Indigenous Peoples living in Isolation (in process) and 16 indigenous and peasant territories with records of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation, there was presence of 36,034 hot spots. In the case of Brazil, the local report describes the criminal organization of various groups of farmers that clear
Land is Life Stands with the Gwich’in People in their struggle to Defend the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Trump administration formally announced last Monday that is pushing ahead with plans to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The first leases to drill for oil and gas in the heart of an iconic pristine coastal plain, could be sold by the end of 2020. It’s a reckless move that will transform one of the largest stretches of wilderness in the US forever. The destructive decision ends 60 years of protections for this fragile ecosystem, home to Indigenous peoples like the Gwich’in, who have protected the Arctic for generations. Oil drilling threatens nine thousand Gwich’in people who make their home on or near the migratory route of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, and have depended on caribou for their subsistence way of life for thousands of years. In a public statement about the decision, executive director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee Bernadette Demientieff said: “We will attend every court proceeding, every senate hearing, every public event. We will fight this every step of the way.” A safe climate future requires unequivocally respecting Indigenous land rights and ending the age of big oil. We must stand with the Gwich’in and all efforts to reverse this decision must be done. “The fight to keep oil development out of the birthing grounds of the Porcupine Caribou Herd is far from over. Land is Life continues to stand with the Gwich’in people and to do everything we can to support them in their struggle to protect Iizhik Gwats’an Gwandaii Goodlit, the Sacred Place Where Life Begins. This is an attack on the Gwich’in people and a flagrant violation of their rights. We will not let it stand”, stated Brian Keane, Chair of Land is Life´s Board of Directors. We urgently need your support in this struggle. Together we can stop oil drilling plans in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, so that the Gwich’in peoples’ way of life can safely continue in their territories, as they have done for thousands of years. SUPPORT THE GWICH’IN STEERING COMMITTEE TODAY
Land is Life’s Releases Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation in the Amazon Report
Land is Life proudly presents the English translation of the regional report “Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation- Territories and Development in the Amazon and the Gran Chaco Region.” The report, originally produced in Spanish by Land is Life last year, was constructed from eleven local reports prepared by indigenous organizations and allies from Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela, which used a consensual reference methodology, according to the specific political, historical and cultural contexts of each country. This effort represents the most comprehensive report on the topic in the past decade. One of the most critical findings is the identification and verification of more than double the number of indigenous groups living in voluntary isolation than previously formally recognized. The report provides a clear overview of the status of land rights recognition for these groups, as well as maps that identify the extractive and development projects that threaten those lands and territories. It additionally offers an analysis of the existing opportunities to protect the lives of community members and the biocultural diversity of their territories. The document closes the gap between studies on Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation in South America, by presenting a regional perspective on the reality of these peoples. Land is Life remains committed to supporting these populations as they confront the issues that impact their right to self-determination and protection of their lands and territories.
La Pandemia del COVID-19: Una Enfermedad del Poder
Este año y el presente siglo llevarán el signo, para quienes hemos podido resistir la pandemia, como el tiempo en donde perdimos a muchos sabios y hombres de medicina de los pueblos originarios por causa del coronavirus. Sin embargo, la historia de los pueblos indígenas es perenne. A lo largo de los diversos siglos que llevamos en resistencia, hemos enfrentado catastróficas enfermedades introducidas por los conquistadores hasta la actualidad. En nuestra memoria como pueblos están grabadas la memoria de la muerte de cientos de miles de hermanos que fueron arrasados por enfermedades como el sarampión, la viruela, taguardillu, las mismas que fueron responsables del exterminio de una gran parte de los pueblos indígenas del continente americano. En combinación con la esclavitud y la conquista, estas enfermedades fueron un arma de la conquista para someter a las poblaciones que se resistían y luchaban contra la invasión. El historiador W. George Lovell, reconoció el peso de esta tragedia para los pueblos americanos: “Entre los pueblos indígenas que poblaban todas las tierras de América, desde Canadá hasta la Tierra del Fuego, la penetración europea en el nuevo mundo provocó un colapso demográfico que con toda probabilidad fue el más catastrófico en la historia de la humanidad” En la actualidad estamos afrontando una nueva amenaza biológica, esta vez provocada por la misma mano del ser humano que no se detiene en su destrucción de los ecosistemas y de la biodiversidad. La Pandemia del COVID 19, aparecida originalmente en la ciudad de Wuhan en China, se expandió sin control a todos los continentes y llegó al Ecuador en marzo de 2020. Desde su aparición, miles de familias han perdido a sus seres queridos, miles de niños y jóvenes han quedado en la orfandad. Finalmente, el COVID-19 traspasó nuestras fronteras y se instaló en nuestros territorios. Es allí que los pueblos indígenas amazónicos hemos debido, nuevamente afrontar por nuestra propia cuenta esta renovada amenaza que viene desde el mundo del capital. En este momento, los pueblos originarios estamos desplegando iniciativas para combatir el COVID-19 desde nuestro propio manejo del conocimiento, del manejo de las plantas y de la medicina ancestral. Desde el momento en que esta enfermedad arribó a los territorios amazónicos, las organizaciones y comunidades de varios pueblos y nacionalidades empezamos a generar iniciativas para dar respuestas. Los pueblos amazónicos somos conocedores del SACHA RUNA YACHAY y mientras los gobiernos y las grandes empresas farmacéuticas han callado y demorado su respuesta frente al avance de la pandemia, la iniciativa de nuestros pueblos para la prevención y la contención de la enfermedad ha ido de la mano del conocimiento comunitario, el mismo que hemos aplicado, como parte de nuestros saberes, y de esta manera hemos salvado muchas vidas de hermanos contagiados. También hemos debido ser testigos de la partida de muchos que no hemos podido salvar y se han ido al otro mundo. Mientras nosotros vivíamos este proceso, es inevitable preguntar ¿Dónde estuvo el Estado y las autoridades de salud?. Pues, como siempre, el Estado ecuatoriano estuvo ausente. La carencia de atención médica ha sido tan notoria que mientras nuestros hermanos enfermaban, del Estado sólo se escuchaban los grandes escándalos de corrupción y robo; entonces, a la hora de responder esta pregunta, hemos dicho: “El Estado no ha estado en los territorios de los pueblos indígenas, el Estado ha estado solo para ROBAR los recursos de los territorios, los recursos de la madre tierra: el petróleo, la minería, la madera y otros. En mi propio cuerpo sentí la impotencia de la situación; al sexto día de los síntomas de la enfermedad sentí la angustia de ver cómo el virus se multiplicaba en mi cuerpo y como se propagaba a otros miembros de mi familia. No teníamos a dónde acudir. Todos los hospitales y centros médicos en las ciudades habían colapsado. Mi padre, Marco Fidel Santi Gualinga, de 84 años de edad, era la persona que daba las directrices para usar las plantas medicinales. Él se contagió enfermo y no pude salvarlo. Resistió hasta el noveno día y murió. No hubo disponible un solo vuelo en avioneta de emergencia para que pudiera acudir a un hospital. En ese momento, tomamos la decisión de contactarnos con nuestros amigos y con las organizaciones de la sociedad civil; por ejemplo con la organización Land Is Life que significa Tierra es Vida, con el Consejo de Operaciones Wankavilkas de Emergencia (COWE) del hermano pueblo indígena de la costa ecuatoriana, y con otras ONG’s y amigos que trabajan en el tema de los derechos indígenas y los derechos de la madre tierra. Así logramos gestionar en conjunto algunos insumos médicos como oxígeno de emergencia, fármacos para controlar los síntomas, entre otros materiales con los que procedimos a combinar su uso junto con nuestras plantas medicinales para combatir el COVID-19. De esta manera, empezamos a compartir nuestra experiencia, y generamos proceso de cooperación muy interesante con otros hermanos de otras latitudes. La Cuenca Amazónica ha sido el espacio donde la pandemia se expandió aceleradamente. Poblaciones enteras se contagiaron mientras en los centros de salud no había ni el personal, ni los insumos suficientes para responder a la Pandemia. Gracias a la cooperación y al conocimiento sobre la medicina de los pueblos Indígenas, hemos creado brigadas y formado personas que trabajan voluntariamente para reducir el impacto de la enfermedad en nuestro territorio. En mi comunidad, Sarayaku, cada domingo vienen a mi casa Patricio Aranda y Fausto Aranda para darme de tomar medicina tradicional. Después de esta pandemia hemos aprendido a valorar mucho más nuestro conocimiento, hemos aprendido a luchar juntos, hemos aprendido a hacer comunitario el cuidado de todos, y también hemos aprendido a sincerarnos, a darnos cuenta que los gobiernos de los Estados están ausentes a la hora de cumplir nuestros derechos y sólo han venido a nuestros territorios para robar y dañar a la madre tierra. Hemos aprendido la unidad, la cooperación con otros hermanos del mundo, hemos aprendido que es urgente y necesario seguir protegiendo la selva, la madre tierra,