As Peru undertakes preparations to host the twentieth Conference of Parties (COP 20), many Indigenous Peoples across Peru are also mobilizing to put forth their own agendas and strategies for tackling climate change, and securing their collective rights to land.
For a number of Amazonian Indigenous Peoples, the first order of business is addressing an issue that dates back to the summer of 2009 at “la curva del diablo,” in the Bagua Province of Peru. That summer, indigenous communities across the Peruvian Amazon participated in roads protests, blocking access to the area’s hinterland. These protests were sparked by a suite of presidential decrees aimed at promoting and regulating extractive industry activities in the Amazon. These decrees, issued by then President Alan Garcia, had huge consequences for Peru’s Amazonian communities.
A number of these decrees effectively allowed companies to obtain permits for petroleum, biofuel, and hydroelectric projects on Indigenous Peoples’ lands. In the case of oil, as illustrated in a study by scientists from Duke University, at least 58 of the 64 areas secured by multinational companies for oil exploration overlay with lands titled or used by Indigenous Peoples.
The Government’s failure to consult with Indigenous Peoples when these decrees issued, as defined by the International Labour Organizations Convention 169 (ILO 169) and ratified as national legislation by Peru in 1994, generated strong opposition by national indigenous organizations. What later ensued was a 40 day opposition campaign led largely by the Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana (AIDESEP), the largest network of Indigenous Peoples in Peru, against the Peruvian government’s regulatory overhaul of decision-making processes for development projects in indigenous lands. This well-orchestrated campaign resulted in the Government repealing those legislative decrees affecting indigenous communities and upholding Indigenous Peoples’ right to consultation. In 2011, the previous Consultation Law (Ley de Consulta Previa) was passed by Congress.
On Wednesday, May 14, 2014, more than 50 indigenous leaders, including Alberto Pizango Chota, AIDESEP’s president, will stand in a collective trial for their involvement in the Bagua protests. These leaders face criminal accusations, which, for some, could lead to life in prison if found guilty. AIDESEP has rejected these accusations as they believe these accusations do not respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights to self-determination.
This June marks the five year anniversary of these victories and the hope is that Peru will continue to support Indigenous Peoples and their rights to the lands they have managed and depended on for generations.
For more information on the Bagua protest and the trial click here.
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