ABColombia News 
Public Event, Amnesty International, UK Section, Tuesday 16 March 2010
ABColombia co-organised a public event at Amnesty International in support of the launch of ‘Palabra dulce, aire de vida’ (Sweet words, breath of life) - Campaign for the Survival of Indigenous peoples at risk of Extinction in Colombia.
Panellist from Amnesty International, Survival International, ABColombia and the National Indigenous Organisation of Colombia (ONIC) presented the situation faced by indigenous peoples worldwide and, specifically, the 64 indigenous peoples in Colombia at risk of physical or cultural extinction.
Andrew Eruti, Amnesty International, spoke to the key rights outlined in the UN Declaration on the Right of Indigenous Peoples, particularly as they relate to Indigenous Peoples in Colombia, including self-determination, land, free, prior and informed consent and collective rights. Andrew also highlighted Colombia's obligation to implement these standards.
Jonathan Mazower, Survival International, placed the Colombia situation into the wider global context of what is happening to indigenous people around the world, including pressure on the use of their land and natural resources, discrimination and racism.
Jonathan cited the situation faced by the Nukak Maku People from Guaviare. Almost half of the 450 Nukak Maku population have been displaced from their land due to Colombia’s conflict.
Luis Fernando Arias, a Kankuamo indigenous representative from ONIC, presented an overview of the crisis faced by indigenous peoples in Colombia. There are 102 indigenous peoples, who together have a population of around 1.4 million people.
Throughout Colombia these peoples are suffering massive violations to their rights, caused by the conflict, state abandonment, and the implementation of large-scale development projects in their lands without their free, prior and informed consent.
The situation facing indigenous people has worsened over the last eight years, with a high number of killings - 119 in 2009; large numbers of forced displacement - in the last 8 years 8% of the indigenous population has been forcibly displaced.
Neida Yepes, a Sikuani indigenous representative and member of ONIC’s national Council of Women, presented the situation faced by the 9 indigenous peoples in the Caño Mochuelo resguardo (legalised indigenous territory) where she lives. Created in 1970 the resguardo is now too small for its current population.
Much of the land around the indigenous territory has now been occupied by peasant farmer settlers, which has restricted the indigenous population’s access to their traditional food sources and sacred sites. The communities are now facing the threat of the arrival of oil companies in the area which will further limit the access to the land they require.
Lousie Winstanley, ABColombia, reiterated the grave situation faced by Colombia’s indigenous peoples and drew the audiences’ attention to the advanced edition of an ABColombia report which contains a series of Recommendations of how the UK government can help protect and support indigenous peoples in Colombia (report to be published in May 2010).
Louise drew particular attention to the importance of ensuring that companies listed or with headquarters in the UK respect human rights when operating abroad. “Failure to ensure that companies respect human rights in their operations can leave the poorest and most vulnerable communities exposed to serious and repeated human rights abuses.”
Finally, ABColombia urged the audience to invest time in understanding at least one issue related to the campaign to ensure the survival of indigenous peoples in Colombia, and to be consistent in taking action on it.
Lunch-time Seminar, Institute for the Study of the Americas, Monday 15 March 2010
Luis Fernando Arias and Neida Yepes presented the ONIC campaign to an audience at the University of London’s Institute for the Study of the Americas.
They outlined the critical humanitarian and human rights situation faced by Colombia’s indigenous peoples and urged the audience to consider it as our responsibility to take action to ensure that these peoples do not disappear.
The ONIC have identified a number of ways in which people in the UK and around the world can support Colombia’s indigenous peoples;
-
share information on the campaign to raise awareness on the high risk of extinction facing Colombia’s indigenous peoples;
• form solidarity “fellowships”with specific indigenous peoples at risk;
• write to your Member of Parliament (MP) to ask what the UK government is doing to support protection policies and actions for indigenous peoples;
• generate public discussion around the current economic development model being implemented in Colombia, and the effects of transnational companies which operate in indigenous lands without their consent.
ONIC in the Press
-
Luis Fernando and Neida were interviewed for the BBC World Service’s Outlook programme. Access the Podcast
More news from ABColombia
October 2009 - Human Rights Defenders Under Threat