Posts Tagged ‘Indigenous Rights’

FPIC spreads across the Amazon region

September 29th, 2011
Posted by Juliette Terzieff

Peruvian President Ollanta Humala gave proponents of Free, Prior, Informed Consent – or  FPIC – a boost this month when he signed into law a measure that will require consultations with indigenous communities for any projects in the mining, logging or oil and gas industries. The new legislation is a boon for human and indigenous rights groups that have campaigned for greater representation for indigenous groups around the world on land and resource usage.

“We’ve taken an important step to solving a problem, we’re building a republic that respects all its nationalities. What we want to do with this law is have the voice of indigenous people be heard, and have them treated like citizens, not little children who are not consulted about anything,” Humala said after approving the law.

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Indian Tribe’s Supporters Liken Battle to ‘Avatar’

February 19th, 2010
From Juliette Terzieff, Senior Director, Global Stakeholder Initiatives:

[Reprinted with permission from World Politics Review]

Human rights activists are turning up the heat on British company Vedanta Resources over charges that its operations threaten the existence of India’s Dongria Kondh tribe. Cast as a “David versus Goliath” fight by the tribe and its supporters, the Vedanta story comes at a time when stakeholders continue to look for a firm definition and application of a community engagement concept known as Free, Prior, Informed Consent (FPIC), to benefit indigenous peoples around the world.

Survival International has appealed to the makers of the blockbuster movie “Avatar” to help the Dongria Kondh fight off mining plans and the pollution resulting from Vedanta’s operations in Orissa state. Vedanta and its subsidiaries already have government approval to expand current aluminum refinery operations and move forward with plans to mine the Niyamgiri Hills for bauxite.

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