Date 2020
Country Indonesia
Region Asia
Implementor Hutan Rakyat Institute (HaRi)
Funding Amount $22,650
Details
With funding support from RRI’s SRM, the Hutan Rakyat Institute (HaRi) mobilized civil society organizations (CSOs) to advocate for the issuance of a provincial regulation enabling the registration of IP territories in North Sumatra as an innovative way of protecting IP collective tenure rights. The advocacy was successful, and on November 23, 2020, the North Sumatra Regional assembly (DPRD) approved the CSO draft as being a formal DPRD initiative to be passed within three months. A task force is to be set up at provincial level to identify the Adat Communities and their territory — potentially five million people, or up to 30% of North Sumatra population occupying half a million hectares of Adat territory. The civil society coalition will ensure that CSO are members of this task force.
Date 2020
Country Democratic Republic of the Congo
Region Africa
Implementor Dynamique des Groupes des Peuples Autochtones (DGPA)
Funding Amount $30,000
Details
SRM funding supported the Dynamique des Groupes des Peuples Autochtones (DGPA) in advocating for the passing of a bill in to recognize and secure the customary land and political rights of Pygmies in the DRC, including their rights to Free Prior Informed Consent. The Bill will be sent to the Senate for a second review — and will be, later on, submitted to the president to sign it into law.
Date 2020
Country Kenya
Region Africa
Implementor KVCO Kerio Valley Community Organization
Funding Amount $9,911
Details
SRM funding supported the creation of various meetings across Kenya to raise awareness about engaging with oil and gas corporations operating in Indigenous lands. With RRI’s support, the Kerio Valley Community Organization produced a Steering Committee meeting to draft key strategies and priorities. The outcomes of the steering committee meeting included a mediation strategy document which indicated a work plan for community engagement, a community pamphlet about oil and gas, and a memorandum of understanding for engagement. KVCO also conducted five community engagement meetings to raise awareness about the CAO mediation process and hold consultations about the MOU for the mediation. The meetings resulted in the community members supporting the MOU and KVCO’s mandate to proceed with negotiations with elected community representatives acting as observers to the process. Additionally, ten community representatives were democratically elected.
Date 2020
Country Colombia
Region Latin America
Implementor ASO-CIT (Association of Arhuaco Authorities of the Sierra Nevada) in collaboration with CNTI (National Commission of Indigenous Territories) in alliance with 12 Indigenous and civil society organizations and the government’s own Attorney General and Ombudsman
Funding Amount $49,950
Details
As a result of SRM funding, ASO-CIT filed 26 legal actions before the Superior Court of the District of Bogotá against the ANT to resolve 69 land titling claims. Out of the 26 legal actions, 10 had favorable rulings, which include processing the requests for expanding 7 existing Indigenous territories and formally recognizing the establishment of 6 territories. 2 of the cases with unfavorable rulings provided enough pressure on the ANT for it to agree to proceed with the formalization of the involved territories. Of the 10 favorable rulings, 2 cases were selected by the Colombian Constitutional Court for further review, providing the critical opportunity to reach a ruling of the “Unconstitutional Status of Indigenous Peoples Territorial Rights.”
With SRM funding, CNTI also filed a case against the Ministry of Interior, which manages the FPIC in Colombia. The case was in response to the Ministry’s new decree involving the use of technological tools (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and others) to implement FPIC with Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities during the COVID-19 crisis, despite the lack of internet access for many IPs across the country. With the timely and strategic action of the CNTI and the support of other IP organizations and the Attorney General, the Decree was withdrawn.
Date 2020
Country Indonesia
Region Asia
Implementor LBH (Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation)
Funding Amount $9,998
Details
With RRI’s support, Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation provided legal assistance to 43 Indigenous individuals in Indonesia criminalized for resisting their eviction by WKS company which was backed by security forces. The individuals were sentenced to serve up to two years in jail. The Foundation worked with peasant organizations to ensure documentation of several abuses — from land conflict, abuse of social scheme by the company to extend operation area, to violation of judicial guarantees in the prosecution. They also used RRI support to publish a book documenting the stories of the Indigenous farmer communities, and the facts of the land conflict and criminalization.
Date Under contract – end date 30 June 2020
Country Philippines
Region Asia
Implementor Tebtebba
Funding Amount $24,514
Details
With RRI’s support, Tebtebba addressed the threat of a proposed geothermal project in Indigenous lands in the Philippines. Tebtebba’s activism included disseminating information, an education campaign on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, developing community protocols to strengthen customary governance to lands and territories, and increasing tribes’ awareness on alternatives in harnessing community resources.
