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All Press Releases

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Indigenous and Community Coalition Challenges Petroperú’s Financial Backing

Citi and JPMorgan Chase urged to protect Indigenous rights and Amazonian ecosystems

A burgeoning coalition of Peruvian Amazonian Indigenous peoples and fishing organizations are demanding to meet JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup to warn against any new financing for state-operated oil company Petroperú because of its history of oil contamination and flagrant disregard of Indigenous and human rights.

Ecuador’s Indigenous Organizations Unanimously Reject Canadian Mining

"We know the government is in Canada trying to sign agreements with mining companies, but there has been no consultation for the Warintza project. The project violates the Ecuadorian constitution and our rights. Let it be known that we have not given our consent."

Amazonian Indigenous People Stage Major Mobilization Aimed at Stopping the Ferrogrão Railway

Indigenous-led “People's Tribunal” issues searing verdict on the megaproject and works to influence a key legal ruling that could determine its future

“The Popular Tribunal against Ferrogrão revealed the strength and determination of Indigenous peoples, traditional communities and social movements in defending their rights and the future of the planet.”

Ecuador’s President Ignores Indigenous Opposition to Mining at PDAC

Official leader of Shuar-Artuam People of Ecuador rejects statements alleging community support for Solaris Warintza mining project

"The rosy picture painted today by the government and mining sector is misleading to investors. The reality is that the mining industry is reeling from local resistance to its projects and adverse decisions from its highest court."

Amazon Watch is building on more than 25 years of radical and effective solidarity with Indigenous peoples across the Amazon Basin.

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Over 100 International Organizations Denounce Belo Sun’s Efforts to Criminalize Brazilian Land Defenders

Canadian mining company Belo Sun is attempting to build the largest open-pit gold mine in Brazil, and now it has filed a criminal lawsuit against local community members and activists who are speaking out about the environmental and human rights impacts of the project

“We must halt all mining ventures in the Amazon, as they pose grave and irreversible threats to global climate stability and the future of humanity.”

Peruvian Congress Just Legalized Deforestation

"Most experts in Peru agree that the interest behind modifying the Forestry Law is to adapt to the new import restrictions of products that deforest the Amazon in the European and U.S. markets in an underhanded way. The authorities of these countries must make a firm statement that they will not ‘fall for’ the game. Millions of hectares of forest...

Murdered Indigenous Leader Becomes Yet Another Statistic

ORAU and FENACOKA express our deepest condolences to the family, the community, and the Kakataibo people for the cowardly and cruel murder and the irreplaceable loss of their Leader BENJAMIN FLORES RIOS, who was fighting for the care of the entire territory of his community to prevent invaders from entering their land. We also reject and condemn...

Amazon Emergency: Nine Urgent Measures to Ensure Justice and Effective Protection for Defenders in Peru

Apu Quinto Inuma Alvarado is yet another victim of the violence unleashed in the Peruvian Amazon

The murder of Apu Quinto cannot remain "just another case" that generates indignation and is then forgotten. On the contrary, it is time to assume and declare that the Amazon is in emergency, in order to make the protection of defenders a national and international priority.

“The Amazon Emergency Is a Climate Emergency”

Indigenous leaders at COP 28 call for urgent action to respect Indigenous land rights to protect the Amazon and climate on the path to COP 30 in Brazil

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – As over 70,000 people convene in Dubai for the 28th UNFCCC Conference of Parties (COP 28), the Amazon rainforest is on fire and in a severe drought due to deforestation, extractive industries, industrial agriculture, climate change, and other threats.

New Policy Paper Provides Roadmap to Tackle Organized Crime in the Amazon

Lima, Peru – A new policy paper by Amazon Underworld, Amazon Watch, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, and InfoAmazonia details a roadmap for governments across the region to tackle the ruthless expansion of crime organizations and illicit markets in the most biodiverse region of the world.

Unmasking Canada’s Extractive Industry Violations at the UN Human Rights Council

Pressure mounts in Geneva against Canada as civil society demands Indigenous and socio-environmental rights commitments

Civil society organizations also urge Canada to enact regulations ensuring gold's origin traceability, especially when mining occurs in Amazonian countries. They call for a comprehensive energy transition plan that respects human rights and promotes the gradual abandonment of extractive industries that jeopardize the Amazon's ecological balance.

Colombian Indigenous People Demand Justice for the 2022 El Remanso Massacre at the IACHR

The Colombian government must address the current situation of violence and humanitarian emergency affecting the inhabitants of the Putumayo department and provide justice for the extrajudicial executions known as “false positives” committed in the rural community of El Remanso, community representatives from the Putumayo region and, accompanying...

Cargill, Cease Your Destruction!

In every region where Cargill operates, you are destroying the environment and driving out or threatening the communities who live there.

We defend our lands not just for our people but for all of humanity. Your company is harming our collective future.

Victory: Belo Sun Is One Step Closer to Having Its License Permanently Denied

Environmental licensing shifted to federal jurisdiction under Brazil's environmental agency after Belo Sun's arguments were debunked

In a significant victory for the Amazon and Indigenous rights, the environmental licensing process for the Belo Sun mining project in the Volta Grande region of the Xingu River has been successfully shifted from state to federal jurisdiction.

Latin American Delegation to Implicate Canadian Corporations at the United Nations

New reports uncover widespread abuse by Canadian companies and urges immediate intervention through the Universal Periodic Review process

Despite Canada’s “climate forward” public image, it acts as a safe haven for extractive industries and companies operating in Latin America, including regions of climatic significance such as the Amazon.

Escalating Violence in Ecuador Threatens Human Rights Defenders and Democracy

Assassination of Fernando Villavicencio marks a new crisis point

“For human rights defenders and Indigenous organizations, the increase in violence implies several risks, as illegal and formal capitals tend to articulate and share interests against those who defend rights and territories."

Amazon Nations Failed to Protect the Rainforest and Our Collective Future

While ambitious efforts to strengthen Pan-Amazonian collaboration are positive, and the summit’s final text contains a series of good intentions, Amazon Watch considers that the document falls short in advancing critical protections for the rainforest and human rights.