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.
A Historic Vote to Stop Mining and Expand Indigenous Protected Land in Ecuador
This past Sunday the people of Ecuador voted on a constitutional referendum that resulted in a historic victory for Indigenous Peoples living in their country. Of the seven questions posed to voters, two had significant outcomes for conservation and Indigenous rights: a 50,000 hectare expansion of the Yasuni National Park (an officially protected zone which is home to the Tagaeri and Taromenane peoples, two of the world’s remaining peoples living in voluntary isolation) along with a strict prohibition on mining within the park’s borders. In the months leading up to the vote, Land is Life, along with allies Yasunidos, Accion Ecologica, and a group of leading Ecuadorian anthropologists completed a national campaign to promote a “yes vote” on the two relevant questions. A social media and national television campaign along with a public mural that represents the faces of Indigenous women (the largest in Ecuador) contributed to the campaign’s success. Land is Life acknowledges that the real work begins now. We are currently in the process of completing a formal report on the exact areas where people living in voluntary isolation reside and will present it to the government in order to ensure that the best decisions are made on how to expand the protected zone. We continue to hold dialogues with key government agencies to maintain this momentum and see the spirit of the referendum is not compromised. Land is Life is hopeful that this will set a new precedent for the ways in which national governments protect the land and rights of Indigenous Peoples and that it will create a resonating effect throughout Latin America and the world.