Fast Forward Weekly | "This is the fourth time a commission of Achuar leaders are coming here to Calgary to speak about the same thing. The Achuar people affiliated with FENAP are reclaiming their territorial rights. There is no space for Talisman Energy to enter."
FPIC
Indigenous Peruvian Community Locked in Dispute with Oil Company
IPS | Toronto, Canada – An indigenous group in the Amazon rain forest took its anti-oil message to Canada in a case rife with accusations of social and environmental damage that highlights the issue of securing consent prior to commencing exploration operations.
An Amazon Precedent
The Sarayaku case may significantly increase indigenous rights over resources
Analytica | Sarayaku today is a postcard-pretty rain forest village strung along the banks of the Bobonaza River, with a sandy main square on a bluff high above the waters. A decade ago, the 1,200-resident village nearly became a battleground as Ecuadorian troops sought to impose the rights of an Argentine-US consortium to explore the area for crude oil.
Human Rights Court In Unprecedented Visit to Sarayaku
Top judges of the Inter-American Human Rights Court visited the Kichwa indigenous community of Sarayaku to investigate their long-running case against the Ecuadorian government over rights abuses.
Achuar Leaders Take Their Cause to Canada
Four Achuar leaders traveled from deep in the Amazon rainforest to Canada to confront Talisman Energy for drilling for oil in their ancestral territory.
Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.
They've Come a Long Way to Protect Their Amazon Home
Ottawa Citizen | Dressed in brightly coloured headgear and clothing, these indigenous leaders from another world might not look like they represent a real threat to one of Canada's international energy giants. But looks can be deceiving.
Ecuador's President Admits Errors in Handling of Sarayaku Oil Exploration
Platts | Ecuador improperly handled relations with the indigenous community of Sarayaku a decade ago in a dispute over oil exploration, president Rafael Correa said Tuesday in a meeting with the head of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which is hearing a case against the country about the issue.
Issue Brief: The Achuar and Talisman Energy
Indigenous Rights, Justice, and Corporate Accountability in the Peruvian Amazon
The remote Amazon headwaters along the border of Peru and Ecuador are one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. This remote region is home to over 11,000 Achuar indigenous people. Today, the Achuar's way of life and survival is threatened by international oil companies exploring and drilling for oil.
Native Indian Tribes Facing "Extinction"?
As demand for natural resources impacts Latin America's indigenous groups we ask if their interests will ever be on top
Al Jazeera | A discussion with Peter Hakim, the former president of the Inter-American Dialogue; Kevin Koenig, the Ecuador program coordinator for Amazon Watch; and Greg Palast, an investigative reporter and author.
Ecuador's Sarayaku See an Existential Threat
Al Jazeera | The Sarayaku are a native people who live in several villages along a stretch of the Bobonaza river in the province of Pastaza in the southern part of the Ecuadorean Amazon. They number about one to two thousand and lead a frugal, self-contained life that has changed little in the last 100 years. But all that is now being threatened. The threat is...
Indigenous Leaders Call for Ecuador Government to Stop Oil Leasing Plans
Indian Country Today | Indigenous leaders from Ecuador's Amazonian lowlands are calling for the government to drop plans to auction 21 leases near the Peruvian border for oil drilling.
Brazilian Construction Company Cancels Plans for Mega-Dam in Peru
International Rivers | Odebrecht is withdrawing from a commitment to develop a dam on the Tambo River in the Peruvian Amazon. It is a good day for Ashaninka communities in the Amazon.
Investor's Eye on the Amazon - February 2011
This is the first issue of our Investor's Eye on the Amazon quarterly newsletter, an initiative that seeks to provide institutional investors, industry analysts and researchers with an informative and sophisticated analysis of the most pressing issues facing the Amazon rainforest.
High Hopes for Peru Consultation Law, Few Promises
Reuters | Lima, Peru – A law that Peru's indigenous leaders fought for two years to get passed and the government says could end strife over natural resources may not resolve conflicts as hoped when it goes into effect in January.
Peru's Consultation Law: A Victory for Indigenous Peoples?
On September 6th, Peru's president signed landmark legislation that requires the government to consult with indigenous peoples on issues that affect their lives, territories and rights.
IACHR Highlights the Importance of Respecting Indigenous Peoples' Right to Prior Consultation
IACHR | Washington, DC – On the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights highlights the importance of indigenous and tribal peoples' right to prior, free and informed consultation with regard to decisions that may affect them.
Peru's New Government Called on to Approve Consultation Law
Peru's Ombudsman has reiterated the urgent need for the approval of the Consultation Law in Peru, highlighting the shared responsibilities of the legislative and executive branches to promote and prioritize its approval.
Ecuador on Trial for Violating Rights of Kichwa People of Sarayaku
Indian Country Today | Justice will begin to be heard today for the Kichwa people of Sarayaku, indigenous inhabitants of the gateway to Ecuador's Amazon. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights will hear the case filed against Ecuador by the Association of the Kichwa People of Sarayaku, attorney Mario Melo and leading Washington based human rights NGO, the Center for...
Sarayaku vs. the Republic of Ecuador
Intercontinental Cry | This week, eighteen Kichwa people of the Sarayaku are in Costa Rica bringing the government of Ecuador before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. We honor and salute their remarkable sacrifices and enduring strength.
Taking Ecuador to Human Rights Court
The Kichwa of Sarayaku explain their trip to the Inter-American Human Rights Court in Costa Rica in their own words.
Sarayaku: An Emblematic Case of Territorial Defense
Servindi | At the beginning of 2003, Sarayaku came before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights soliciting its urgent intervention in the safeguarding of their violated rights during CGC's seismic campaign. In May of this year, the Commission dictated precautionary measures in favor of the life and integrity of the community members and of their...
Sarayaku Delegation in Costa Rica
Long-time Amazon Watch counterparts from Sarayaku were in Costa Rica over the week of July 4th, bringing their own government before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
The Right to Decide: A New Report on FPIC Released
Amazon Watch Builds Case for FPIC and Gives Recommendations to Investors
San Francisco, CA – Industrial resource extraction is posing grave threats to the survival of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin and there are serious moral, legal and financial reasons for corporations to stem the tide of abuse and respect indigenous peoples' rights, Amazon Watch said in a briefing paper released today.
FPIC: The Right to Decide
This briefing paper focuses on the roles and responsibilities of companies, investors and finance institutions to identify, prevent and address the adverse human rights impacts of company operations.
United States To Back U.N. Indigenous Rights Declaration
Mongabay.com | The United States will endorse the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP), making it the last industrialized power to support the agreement, which recognizes the rights of indigenous peoples on issues including free prior and informed consent (FPIC), right to sovereignty, territory and respect for traditional...
United States Endorsement of the UN Indigenous Rights Declaration a Welcome Development
Application of Declaration Crucial in U.S. Foreign Policy
Washington, DC – The Obama Administration's endorsement of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is a welcome development, Amazon Watch stated today. Following a policy review process, announced in April of this year at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Administration released its new...
Declaration about the Consultation Process in Peru around the Forestry Law
We, the undersigned organizations, wish to express our grave concern regarding Peru's process of "consultation" regarding its Forestry and Wildlife Law. Although the current process represents an advance in comparison to previous processes, it lacks legitimacy as well as the support of the country's representative indigenous organizations.
Indigenous and Riverbank Communities: Suspend the Belo Monte Dam
As the government prepares to issue the dam's construction license, communities urge the Commission to denounce illegalities in licensing and violations of human rights
Washington, D.C., Brazil – Today international and Brazilian human rights and environmental organizations submitted a formal petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), denouncing grave and imminent violations upon the rights of indigenous and riverine communities that will be affected by the construction of Belo Monte...
Indígenas piden a la CIDH la suspensión de la presa de Belo Monte en Brasil
EFE | Grupos de indígenas y organizaciones de derechos humanos han solicitado protección a la CIDH para que suspenda la construcción de la hidroeléctrica de Belo Monte, en la Amazonía brasileña, informó hoy la organización Amazon Watch.
