Cali, Colombia – Indigenous organizations in Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil known for confronting the invasions of illegal miners and drug traffickers in their territories launched an open letter to their Amazonian countries and gold and cocaine-buying countries.
In the open letter sent to the diplomatic representations of the countries present at the COP16 negotiations, the organizations propose five measures as a starting point to achieve real progress in the fight against illegal economies that are depredating the Amazon rainforest.
Among their proposals, they call for the prioritization of formal land titling in their Indigenous territories. Likewise, they emphasize that the revision and elimination of laws and norms that favor deforestation in the Amazon is imperative – they warn that these laws are one of the main causes of the new waves of invasions by miners, loggers, and drug traffickers. They demand that Amazonian governments prioritize legal security in the region as a starting point to stop the expansion of new criminal enclaves.
They also warn that countries fueling the consumption of illicit goods in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the United States must “assume their responsibility” to control their supply chains and take new measures to control their gold and cocaine markets.
Finally, they have asked that their organizations be consulted in the design of new and better policies to fight organized crime in their territories.
Miguel Guimaraes, Vice President of the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP), said:
“More cooperation is needed among Amazonian countries to develop new strategies that take into account our territorial rights. Strengthening our territorial governance models and self-protection systems is urgent in order to stop the expansion of new criminal enclaves in the Amazon.”
Herlín Odicio, Vice President of ORAU (AIDESEP’s regional organization in Ucayali), added:
“Prior consultation must be a key tool for implementing strategies to fight drug trafficking in the Amazon. Enough with empty declarations. We need real combined efforts between governments and our organizations if we want to defeat criminal economies.”
