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Include Indigenous Peoples in U.N. Environmental Crime Negotiations!
Organized crime is devastating Indigenous territories across the Amazon. Leaders defending their lands from illegal mining, logging, and drug trafficking face threats, attacks, and death.
In October, Indigenous leaders helped secure negotiations on a new U.N. environmental crime protocol. Now, Indigenous Peoples need a meaningful, funded role in shaping it and ensuring it supports their territorial governance.
Tell governments to negotiate with Indigenous Peoples and support their leadership in confronting organized crime.
To the Ambassadors of Countries Party to the U.N. Convention against Transnational Organized Crime:
Across the Amazon, organized crime is destroying forests and rivers, devastating Indigenous territories, and endangering Indigenous leaders and communities. Your government has an opportunity to help address these threats through the new protocol on crimes that affect the environment.
Indigenous Peoples are leading the response to illegal mining, drug trafficking, and logging through territorial governance, community monitoring, and their own protection systems. In October, Indigenous leaders brought that experience to COP13 in Vienna, where States Parties agreed to open negotiations on the protocol under the U.N. Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
As negotiations move forward, I urge your government to:
- Support a strong protocol that recognizes Indigenous Peoples’ rights and their essential role in confronting organized crime.
- Ensure Indigenous Peoples and their representative organizations participate meaningfully in negotiations and implementation through a dedicated, funded participation mechanism.
- Recognize and support Indigenous territorial governance as a key part of the response to organized crime.
Those defending their territories must help shape the decisions that affect their safety and future. Please ensure the new protocol builds on their experiences and supports their leadership. Indigenous Peoples’ rights, knowledge, and participation are essential to an effective response to organized crime in the Amazon. There is no security without Indigenous Peoples.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
