Indigenous Peoples and Globalization Forum

Advertisement Forum ILD

LEADERS REPRESENTING MORE THAN 700

AMAZON COMMUNITIES HAVE RESPONDED – SO FAR

FORUM FOR THE LEGAL AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF THE AMAZON

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND GLOBALIZATION

This forum brings together world-class organizations skilled in economic and political action with indigenous leaders. The objective is to develop strategies to help indigenous people organize in ways to create wealth, while maintaining their cultural identity.

I, Miguel Samaniego Arroyo, leader of the ASHANINKA, Sub-Chief of the San Miguel indigenous community and representative of several indigenous tourist enterprises:

I, Celín Cushi Vásquez, leader of the ASHANINKA, representative of the Regional Indigenous Organization of Atalaya (OIRA), representing 35 communities:

I, Rubén Miguel Binari Piñareal, leader of the ARAWAK, Chief of the Urubamba River MACHIGUENGA Council (COMARU), representing 34 communities:

I, Víctor Huancho Joaquín, leader of the YANÉSHA, Education Secretary of the FECONAYA organization, representing some 5,000 people:

I, Chanela Taijin Cuñachi, leader of the AWAJÚN, Vice-Apu of the Nazaret Indigenous Community, representing over 2,000 people:

Together with the other indigenous representatives who have already expressed their commitment, we are now a group of leaders representing more than 700 of the 1,500 indigenous communities in the Amazon, who will participate in the forum being convened by the ILD, because we believe it is essential to find a peaceful solution to the six fundamental problems affecting the indigenous peoples of the Amazon:

Deficient territorial control: The peoples of the Amazon lack three legal instruments to obtain economic control over their territory: Effective property rights (collective and individual) as powerful as those already in the hands of outside investors that will enable them to extract from their resources the most surplus value possible – whether tangible assets (agricultural produce, fish, game, lumber, minerals, petroleum, gas) or intangible assets (credit, capital, collateral, charges, compensations, information, participation in profits, such as shares, stocks, and bonds); business organizations and contracts through which they can control their assets and make deals with other indigenous people or investors; clearly defined mechanisms that will allow them to be consulted about and help create the laws that regulate their property and businesses.
No voice in their own future: Traditional legal instruments that call for indigenous peoples to be consulted on matters concerning their interests, such as Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization, which we support, do not specify the mechanisms to make that happen. There are, however, Peruvian and international laws and initiatives that can provide the missing pieces – if properly adapted to the indigenous context. The forum will explore those possibilities.
Unprepared for the flow of investment to the jungle: We need to design strategies to help the indigenous peoples benefit from the flight of international investors toward Third World commodities and land as a result of the debasement of the world’s main currencies and financial instruments.
Unaware of recent successes outside Peru: During the forum, indigenous leaders from other parts of the world will share their experiences making the transition to the 21st Century globalized economy, without losing their traditions or cultural identity.
Marginalization: We need to end the isolation of indigenous communities by creating efficient institutions that connect them to the rest of Peru and the world, without depending only on “cultural brokers” that systematically undermine the opportunities for Peruvians to share information and collaborate economically.
The indigenous peoples’ problem is everybody’s problem: We must all understand that the outcome of the crisis in the Amazon will affect the future of the entire country. The decision to tackle these fundamental problems – or postpone their solutions – is likely to determine the course of informality and hundreds of social, environmental, oil, and mining disputes throughout Peru. The nation’s progress towards becoming one country under the rule of law hangs in the balance. The forum will seek sustainable solutions.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE Point Of Departure AND GENERAL BACKGROUND GO TO:

www. ild.org.pe/indigenous-peoples-amazon/forum

REGISTRATION: Other indigenous leaders also wishing to share their ideas and attend the preparatory meetings can register by writing to postmaster@ild.org.pe or sending their request to Las Begonias 441, Piso 9, San Isidro, Lima