THE Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) commends the Guyana Government’s commitment to protecting the Amazon by joining neighbouring states in signing the Leticia Amazon Pact.

We recognise this pact, signed on September 6, 2019, in Leticia, Colombia, as one aimed at sharing resources and taking greater steps towards protecting the world’s largest tropical rainforest in the wake of recent wildfires that ravaged it and displaced countless Indigenous Peoples who call the Amazon home.
Nevertheless, the APA calls upon the government and all Guyanese to move beyond the limited measures specified in the pact and take concrete action to ensure the protection of our forests.

We emphasise that despite acknowledging that the Amazon is home to 34 million people, including Indigenous and tribal peoples, and declaring its commitment to building and strengthening the capacities of Indigenous Peoples, the Pact fails to recognise the contributions of Indigenous Peoples to the conservation of the world’s forests or biodiversity. This is even as numerous studies have concluded that indigenous peoples do a better job at managing their natural resources than other actors.

The pact also does not commit to the protection of Indigenous rights, especially land rights and their right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), nor does it speak to the effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in decision-making. Recognising this, and respecting indigenous peoples’ land rights and participatory rights as enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, would be the first step towards achieving the goals of the pact in protecting the Amazon region.

We further urge our leaders to remember that beyond the Pact, there are existing legislative and policy frameworks relevant to environmental protection and Indigenous land rights. Though the pact focuses on addressing illegal activities that play a role in deforestation and forest degradation, the recent wildfires were largely linked to legally sanctioned activities, including agricultural activities. Special consideration should be given to this during efforts to move forward in the development and implementation of the action plan as agreed upon in the pact.

Further, the APA highlights that by signing the pact, the government has committed to establishing regional cooperation and information exchange to combat illegal activities– notably extractive activities–that threaten conservation of the Amazon. However, we believe that there are steps the government can take to combat illegal activities on its own as well. These would include the government taking a second look at how mining is carried out in Guyana and whether it supports the goals of the pact. We strongly contend that combating illegal activities begins with the prompt investigation of complaints.
We recall that in the case of Mamai Lucille Williams, an elderly Indigenous woman from Karisaparu, Region Eight, whose home and farm were bulldozed by miners, the GGMC neglected to even investigate the situation for more than a year. While several reports were made to various authorities, including ministers of government, requesting an intervention, it was only recently that the GGMC and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs intervened, resulting in the agreement of compensation for Mamai.

This is just one example that reflects the need for prompt and urgent action by the government here at home to combat the negative effects of mining on Indigenous Peoples in Guyana and the lands which they are trying to protect. There is also, for example, the concern of the South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) about the possibility of a 14-inch dragga beginning operations at Parabara Village, South Rupununi, which would be a contravention of a 2008 order to not allow mining in the Essequibo River and its tributaries south of the 4th parallel and President David Granger’s commitment to enforce this order. Regional cooperation to combat illegal activities begins with a strong commitment to legal enforcement actions at home. We note that though signatories of the Leticia Pact established the need for financial support, some commitments made by the government do not rely solely on finances, but rather on goodwill. This would include, but not be limited to the effective enforcement of existing laws and policies and development of new regulations that would support that which has been agreed to in the pact.
Nonetheless, we at the APA stand ready to support action towards protecting indigenous rights, our forests, and our climate.

Regards
Amerindian Peoples Association