Indigenous Peoples Critical of Position on Carbon Trading of UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issue

New York City, NY – Indigenous Peoples attending the Permanent Forum are outraged that their rejection of the carbon market has been ignored in the final report of the 7th Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII). The final report of the PFII hails World Bank funded carbon trading, like the Clean Development Mechanism, as "good examples" of partnership despite the human rights violations and environmental destruction they have caused.

"Indigenous Peoples attending the 7th session of the Permanent Forum are profoundly concerned that our key recommendations on climate change are not being taken into account by the Permanent Forum. This Permanent Forum was created precisely to recognize, promote, and support the rights of Indigenous Peoples," says Florina Lopez, Coordinator of the Indigenous Women's Biodiversity Network of Abya Yala.

Throughout the two weeks of the Permanent Forum, Indigenous community representatives have consistently testified about the injustices associated with the clean development mechanism projects and have asked that the Permanent Forum not promote the projects. However, in the final report of the Permanent Forum (document E/C.19/2008/L.2) adopted today, these injustices have been ignored.

In response, many groups under the name of the Indigenous Caucus of Abya Yala took the floor today to express their concerns. Their statement affirmed that the recommendations of the Permanent Forum do not properly reflect their positions. They used the opportunity to affirm their rejection of carbon trading mechanisms and concerns over specific implementations. Over 30 organizations at the forum called for the final report to include a section outlining their concerns.

In the background paper for this session (Document E/C.19/2008/10), three projects are being upheld to illustrate the "clean development mechanism projects that are being implemented in indigenous peoples territories with good results." However, there are grave problems with each of these projects including violations of the rights enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. For example, the Jeripachi wind power project in Colombia did not get the free, prior, and informed consent of the Wayuu people to build this wind farm in a sacred territory of the Wayuu People. Indigenous Peoples' organizations contend the assassination of over 200 Wayuu People prior to the implementation of the project was to clear the area for this and other projects. Additionally, most of the energy generated from the wind farm is used to power the Cerrajon mine, the biggest open air coal mine in the world, which itself is known for numerous human rights violations and environmental damages. Representatives of the Wayuu people who attended the Permanent Forum didn't even know the project was being promoted as a good example.

"In promoting the clean development mechanism projects and carbon trading, the Permanent Forum is allowing oil companies who are the biggest emitters for greenhouse gases, to continue to pollute," says Tom Goldtooth, Executive Director of the Indigenous Environmental Network. "Promoting the commodification of the air is a corruption of our traditional teachings and violates the original instructions of Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous Caucus of the Abya Yala

Seventh Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Statement on the last day of the Session

May 2, 2008

Florina López

Kuna Nation

Thank you Madam Chairperson,

On behalf of the indigenous caucus of the Abya Yala (America), we would like to express our concerns regarding the adopted recommendations related to the central theme of the Seventh Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

The Indigenous peoples would like to reiterate that we are the heads of our territories, and likewise are the owners of our knowledge, innovation and practices. We reject the current Governments’ policies of exploitation of cultures, forests and water and the biodiversity that we have preserved and conserved for the good of mankind.

We have listened attentively to the speaker of document E/c.19/2008/L.2 of the Permanent Forum, where he does not take into account the proposals and concerns of the indigenous people regarding the initiatives of Reduce Emission from Deforestation in Developing Countries (REDD), Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the Carbon Market.

Madam Chairperson,

The adopted recommendations on “Climate change, bio-cultural diversity and livelihoods: the stewardship role of indigenous peoples and new challenges” are for us recommendations made by Permanent Forum experts that do not necessarily reflect the position of the indigenous organizations and nations.

We are also concerned that the initiatives of Clean Development Mechanism will be considered examples of “good practice.”

Madam Chair,

In the statements of the indigenous representatives we did not hear a motion to support the MDL and REDD’s initiatives of good mechanism practices.

Therefore, we reaffirm our request to eliminate completely points 5 and 37 from the aforementioned document.

Likewise, the recommendations made by our organizations are not reflected in all of the final documents regarding different themes.

Furthermore, we urge the members of the Permanent Forum to base their recommendations in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to live in a clean and healthy environment.

Lastly, we ask the chairperson to include in the act and annex to the report our declaration and position.

We thank you on behalf of the indigenous organizations and nations mentioned below.

Indigenous organizations and nations:

1. Coordinación de las Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica (COICA)
2. Fundación Para la Promoción del Conocimiento Indígena – Panamá
3. Comunidad Integradora del Saber Andino (CISA) – Ecuador
4. Enlace Continental de Mujeres Indígenas – Región Sudamérica
5. Guaman Poma – Ecuador
6. Chinchasuyu – Ecuador
7. Fundación de Desarrollo Social Dr. Manuel Naula Sagñgi
8. CONAVIGUA – Guatemala
9. Amerindian Peoples Asociation – Guyana (APA)
10. Kus Kura – Costa Rica
11. Organización de los Pueblos Indígenas de la Amazonia Colombiana (OPIAC)
12. Confederación Indígena de Bolivia (CIDOB)
13. K´AMLB`E RECH TINAMIT IXIM ULEW – Guatemala
14. Makita Kushein Chik – Ecuador
15. Red de Mujeres Indígenas sobre Biodiversidad de Abya Yala
16. Coordinación de las organizaciones indígenas de la Amazonia Brasileira (COIAB)
17. Articulación de los Pueblos Indígenas de Nordeste, Minas Gerais y Espirito Santo (APOINME)
18. AIDESEP – Perú
19. Asociación Indígena Ambiental – Panamá
20. Amazon Alliance
21. Instituto Brasileiro de la Propiedad Intelectual - INBRAPI – Brasil
22. Asociación Red de Mujeres Indígenas Wayuu – Venezuela
23. Consejo Nacional Indio de Venezuela (CONIVE)
24. Consejo Nacional de la Mujer Indígena – Argentina
25. Taller Permanente de Mujeres Indígenas Andinas y Amazónicas del Perú
26. Parlamento Indígena de América
27. Organización Yachay Wasi ( Casa del Saber) Cusco – Perú
28. Consejo Indígena de Mesoamérica – CIMA
29. Land is Life (Tierra es Vida)
30. Asociación Para los Pueblos Amenazados
31. Federación Interprovincial de Centro Shuar – FICSH – Ecuador
32. Proyecto Kaweshkar para Pueblos Indígenas.
33. Mancxinerine Yoptowhka
34. UNIVAJA
35. COICAP
36. International Native Tradition Interchange
37. Coordinación Mapuche de Argentina
38. Indigenous Environmental Network.
39. Nacionalidad Zapara del Ecuador “NAZAE”
40. Asociación Interetnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana “AIDESEP” – Peru
41. Promejoras “El Laurel” Ecuador
42. Fundación “Mushuk Kawsay” – Ecuador
43. FEINE – Ecuador
44. AIEC – Ecuador
45. Waorani Nawe
46. KURI ITI (Sol de Oro)

47. Consejo de Todas las Tierras

48. Organization of indigenous People in Suriname (O.I.S.)