The colonial face of environmental conservationism in Ecuador

Written on 07 October 2023.

BY ALFREDO VITERY GUALINGA FOR DEBATES INDÍGENAS

Throughout history, colonialism has taken many forms. First, it manifested in religious missionaries then rubber companies, and, finally, in oil companies. Today, under the guise of their so-called green agendas, environmental NGOs continue the oppressive legacy of their predecessors. In this case, the aim of their self-proclaimed green capital is to appropriate our ancestral territories in order to sell carbon credits. In this scheme, the commodification of the Amazon’s forests has become a new attempt to divide Indigenous organizations. Faced with this new threat, one viable solution is to bet on the self-determination of the communitarian society of the Sumak Kawsay.

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International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission Stands in Solidarity with the Civil Society Leaders of CHT and Calls for the Defense of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation 1900

Written on 27 September 2023.

The International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC) expresses deep concern over the ongoing lawsuits against the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation, 1900, and calls for its defense. CHTC joins hands with civil society leaders in the CHT who have tirelessly advocated for the preservation of this vital regulation.

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Protected areas and Indigenous territories: a problematic coexistence

Written on 03 October 2023.

BY RENÉ KUPPE FOR DEBATES INDÍGENAS

Since the middle of the 20th century, protected areas have expanded all over the planet as a result of growing environmental problems. Its extension coincided by 50 percent with that of the ancestral territories. However, the “Yellowstone model” was imposed, which does not take into account that indigenous peoples live on those lands. Although indigenous knowledge has begun to be taken into account in recent years, its participation in the management of protected areas is subordinated to the state bureaucracy. In this framework, it is essential that ancestral wisdom and practices play an important role in conservation policies.

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Rapport om inuits menneskerettighedsforhold i Kalaallit Nunaat og Danmark

Written on 22 September 2023.

I februar i år var FNs Specialrapportør for oprindelige folks rettigheder på officielt besøg i Danmark og Kalaallit Nunaat for at vurdere menneskerettighedssituationen for inuit i begge lande. Nu er rapporten færdig og er blevet gjort tilgængelig her i forbindelse med FNs 54. samling af FNs Menneskerettighedsråd, der løber af stablen den 11. september til den 13. oktober 2023 i Geneve. Her præsenterer specialrapportøren den 28. september sin rapport inklusive sine anbefalinger. Herefter bliver der en dialog med staterne og civilsamfundsorganisationer, der har ECOSOC-status (hvilket IWGIA har).

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