A 3rd Forum on Business and Human Rights

Indigenous rights at the United Nations calling

Genaro Bautista

09/12/2014

Opinión

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Geneva, Switzerland. Indigenous representatives from twenty countries, claimed not to be included in the panel of the Presentation of the Guidance Document on National Action Plans for the Working Group on Business and Human Rights, held this day at the Palais des Nations.

They questioned the lack of political will of States to address indigenous demands and their inclination to criminalize and kill leaders who defend their territories.

Andrea Carmen of the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC), regretted that indigenous peoples as key players in the rights have not been invited.

In the preliminary meetings of the 3rd United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights, which takes place from 1 to 3 December in Geneva, sent the business sector, ennobled the benefits of the industry, damages and protection human rights.

However, his optimism is not shared by NGOs who asestaban slaps and qualified statements of governments and the private sector as a disproportionate lie, pointing bordering on corruption and coercion in their profit.

For activists and indigenous representatives, it must give notice to the company to compensate the damage caused by his ambition that brought severe damages to the territories of indigenous peoples.

Indigenous delegates from Mexico, USA, Canada, Thailand, Guatemala, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Ecuador, Brasil, Russia, Norway, Namibia, among others, consider that companies impose their will over the States, which puts at risk the physical and cultural integrity of indigenous peoples.

Indigenous peoples believe that there are no effective mechanisms to repair the damage and this is very evident in the Guide to National Action Plans for the Working Group on business and human rights.

They say it is important to establish international court judgments so that industries comply with Indian communities.

In this sense exhibitors agreed on the panel: "Indigenous Peoples and access to justice and redress in the context of business activities".

Winfried Baer, the Andean Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations (IOTC), said there is to be aware that States comply with their obligations that companies fulfill their responsibility to pay damages in addition to structure grievance mechanisms.

Dalee Sambo Dorough, president of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Victoria Tauli-Corpus, Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples losw UN Pavel Sulyandziga Working Group of the UN on business and human rights Thomas Jolong, president of the National Network of Indigenous Peoples of Malaysia and Chinese Aurelio in Amazonian Peru, were categorical in their judgments to the industrial sector.

To Dalee Sambo, Inuit of Alaska. The reparations facing great complexity, since the values viewed from different angles.

He explained that while for compensation Western society is conceived from a single point vistga, in the case of indigenous peoples viewed from a collective perception.

This, he says, prevents opponents of natural resources, ensure repair dañpo the identity of indigenous peoples, since it goes beyond the material restitution, is a deeper relationship with their territories, have another dimension, he said.

Therefore stresses must be taken as a principle stipulated in international instruments such as Convention 169 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), or the same Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

In these texts, suggests, the concept of self-determination which says that states should undertake legislative reforms to benefit indigenous peoples as these companies are more vulnerable sits.

Similarly Pavel Sulyandziga spoke to who should be had to the Final Document of the recent World Conference on Indigenous Peoples UN, where governments are obliged to cooperate on all matters relating to the responsibility of the extractive industries and be aware that these do not affect the original societies.

Indigenous panelists agreed that the query is weak and most of the time, it's a dialogue of the deaf States to justify the entry of coal, wind, mining or forestry transnationals in Indian territories.

This is the case of the 44 years of oil exploitation shamelessly, polluted rivers and lakes in the Peruvian Amazon in collusion with the state that has ignored the need to address this situation of indigenous people of this region who consume infected water of heavy metals.

In response, Romero Jakeline Epiayu, Wayuu from Colombia, like Veronica Huilipan the Mapuche Confederation of Nequén Argentina and Carlos de Jesus Alejandro de Mexico, require governments to immediately resolve indigenous demands.

- Genaro Bautista / AIPIN

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