28 August 2019 (IGWIA)* — Indigenous peoples in the Amazon rainforest are on the front line of defending themselves and their land from the rapidly spreading fires. A majority of the tens of thousands of fires are happening in Brazil, though fires are also raging in Bolivia where 10,000 km2 of forests (an area the size of Lebanon) have burned, as well as large areas in Paraguay and Peru.
This potential global emergency is yet another example of the ramifications of systematically ignoring and undermining indigenous peoples’ and their rights.
14 August 2019 (International Work Group for indigenous Affairs – IGWIA)* — When the Community Land Act was adopted in September 2016, it was perceived as a great step forward for securing indigenous communities’ land rights in Kenya. However, three years after its adoption there are still more questions than answers over its implementation.
The pastoralists mainly occupy the arid and semi-arid lands of northern Kenya and towards the border between Kenya and Tanzania in the south. This photo is taken at a community meeting in Laikipia.
IWGIA is supporting a pilot project in northern Kenya focusing on the implementation of the Act to increase awareness and develop guidelines for the process.
Indigenous peoples and their food systems can provide answers to food insecurity and climate change
Indigenous peoples are stewards of natural resources, biodiversity and nutritious native foods. They are key partners in finding solutions to climate change and reshaping our food systems. @FAO/Francesco Farnè
9 August 2019 (FAO)* — Constituting only 5 percent of the world population, indigenous peoples are nevertheless vital stewards of the environment.
A verdict from India’s Supreme Court has ordered 20 state governments to evict more than a million families living on forest land before the 27th of July. These families live in and around 500 wildlife sanctuaries and 90 national parks; but many live there sustainably and have protected the forests long before these areas were declared parks and sanctuaries.
On the 13th of February 2019, India’s Supreme Court ordered the eviction of over 7 million indigenous and tribal peoples from their forests, making them squatters on their own ancestral lands.
April 2019 (ILO)* — Can indigenous and tribal peoples help save the planet?
That is a question we looked into when we teamed up with the University of Oxford to research what traditional knowledge means in everyday practice and how it can contribute to addressing climate change.
We learnt that traditional knowledge and occupations cut across multiple sectors – from agriculture and forestry to fishing and hunting-gathering – and blend culture with economic and environmental sustainability.
For instance, Brazilian forests managed by indigenous peoples had 27 times less emissions due to their near-zero deforestation, as compared to forests outside their protected area.
30 April 2019 (International Work Group for indigenous Affairs – IGWIA)* — In a landmark decision on 13 March 2019, the Australian High Court ordered the Government of the Northern Territory to pay $2.53 million AUD (1.78 million USD) in compensation to the Ngaliwurru and Nungali peoples for the loss of Native Title in the town of Timber Creek.
The verdict is significant, as it is the first time that the issue of compensation for lost rights to Native Title has been considered in Australia by the High Court.
It has set a precedent that will influence and spur future claims for compensation by groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia.
The ‘Free Land Camp’ is gathering thousands to protest against neoliberalism and racism.
Kayapo men dance to defend indigenous land and cultural rights in Brasilia, Brazil, April 24, 2019. | Photo: Reuters | Photo from teleSUR.
24 April 2019 (teleSUR)* — Indigenous peoples from all over Brazil occupied Wednesday the ‘Ministries Esplanade’ in the capital Brazilia, the square where most ministries are located, to stage the 15th edition of the Free Land Camp (ATL), a meeting called this year to fight President Jair Bolsonaro’s policies.
Tupac Enrique Acosta is a member of the Nahuatl Nation and serves as firekeeper for the Nahuacalli, Embassy of Indigenous Peoples in Phoenix, Arizona.
PHOENIX, Arizona, Apr 19 2019 (IPS)* – The United Nations, as in so many other areas, gives lip service in support of Indigenous issues while lacking the political will and enforcement power over individual member states to comply with the protection of fundamental human rights for the Original Nations of Indigenous Peoples of the world.
The book documents an increasing trend towards the harassment and criminalisation of indigenous peoples and communities.
It also highlights the rising tensions between states and indigenous peoples, shrinking civil society space, loss of land rights and lack of access to justice for indigenous peoples to enjoy their rights.
“Indigenous peoples make up 5% of the world’s population, yet they represent 15% of the world’s poorest, and in 2017, half of the approximately 400 environmental and human rights defenders were killed.
Fires in the Monte Verde Indigenous Territory in Bolivia. Photo: Territoria Indígena Monteverde
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