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Electoral Upheaval Rocks Ecuador, as Indigenous and Environmental Defenders Score Huge Gains

Will a new government prioritize protection of the Amazon rainforest and Earth defenders?

As an organization dedicated to advancing Indigenous rights and protecting the Amazon, we support the calls from our Indigenous partners for any new government to respect the clear mandate of Indigenous peoples for an end to new oil and mining extraction and guarantee their rights to territory, self-determination, and to live in an environment free of contamination. It is essential that the incoming administration heed the historical demands of the Indigenous movement, who seek to have their rights and their lives guaranteed and respected. They are the ones who live by and take care of the rivers, the forests, and biodiversity, and they are the ones who suffer directly from the effects of pollution and the destruction of their lands.

The Munduruku Demand That Mining Giant Anglo American Publicly Commit to Not Mine on Indigenous Lands

As recently as November 2020, Anglo American had 13 copper prospecting and research permits on Sawré Muybu Indigenous land, which is part of the Munduruku territory

Indigenous lands are protected by the Brazilian Constitution, and current attempts to change this regulatory framework represent a major threat to the rights of Indigenous peoples, to the integrity of their territories – which remain barriers against deforestation and the degradation of Brazilian biomes – and to the ecological and climatic balance resulting from the protection of Indigenous lands, particularly in the Amazon. The Munduruku have spoken: no mining in our lands!

The Association of Brazil's Indigenous Peoples (APIB) Denounces Mining Giant Anglo American's Intention to Prospect in Amazonian Indigenous Territories

APIB, in partnership with Amazon Watch, presented an open letter to mining company Anglo American, calling on it to make a public commitment not to mine on Indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon

The Association of Brazil's Indigenous Peoples and Amazon Watch issued a letter to mining giant Anglo American calling on it to make a public commitment not to conduct mining activities on Indigenous lands in Brazil, regardless of changes in Brazilian legislation.

The Shuar Arutam Will Not Be Deterred and Have Already Decided: No Mining!

After voting repeatedly for over 18 years against mining on their territory, the Shuar bring their challenge before the ILO over rights violations

"The mining companies are dividing our organization. They are harassing the leaders of the PSHA who oppose mining projects. For this reason, we are exercising our right to self-determination. We have decided not to allow large-scale mining projects in our territory. We demand that the concessions that have been granted in our territory without our knowledge be canceled."

Manufacturing Consent: Ecuador to Draft New Bill on the Consultation of Indigenous Peoples, Without Consulting Them

"We demand that an FPIC law be put forth in harmony with and respect for our peoples and nations and our ways and time frames for discussion, analysis, and decision-making. We are not going to acquiesce to an illegitimate law written from their desks in Quito," said a CONFENIAE statement. "Since this will be a law regarding the collective rights of Indigenous peoples and nations, we ourselves must be the ones who put forth and define that law. Any law that sidesteps dialogue with us will not be valid and will not be enforceable in the territories of the Indigenous peoples and nations."

Will President-elect Biden Protect the Amazon and Stop the Money Pipeline?

A Biden-Harris administration could play a key role in holding financiers accountable for climate destruction

President-elect Joe Biden managed to turn out a significant progressive base to secure the 2020 presidential election. For many voters, his commitments to address environmental and racial justice after several years of actions, protests and calls from activists led to grassroots mobilizations that delivered the presidency and a few flipped states to the democratic party. With this mandate, a Biden-Harris administration should take bold steps to address the causes of climate change and its impacts on frontline communities both here in the U.S. and in places like the Amazon, where U.S. companies operate and provide financing.

U.S. Firms Continue to Fund Network of Destruction in the Amazon

Financial giants BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase, Vanguard, among those that invested more than US $18 billion in nine companies tied to conflicts on Indigenous lands

As the Amazon rainforest smolders from another disastrous burning season and its Indigenous communities face spiking violence and land invasions incited by a racist president, we must stand in solidarity with Brazil's grassroots resistance. Amazon Watch's and APIB's innovative reporting does just this by helping the country's National Indigenous Movement to shine a spotlight on the pivotal role of global finance in shaping the future of Brazil's human rights and environmental landscape.

Complicity in Destruction III

How Global Corporations Enable Violations of Indigenous Peoples' Rights in the Brazilian Amazon

This new report, published by the Association of Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples in partnership with Amazon Watch, reveals how a network of leading international financial institutions is linked to conflicts on Indigenous lands, illegal deforestation, land grabbing, the weakening of environmental protections, and the production and export of conflict commodities.