Sacrificing Rights in the Name of Development
New report and 3 actions from Amnesty International

Dear Human Rights supporter,

Today, August 9th, is the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. 

A new Amnesty International report highlights a human rights issue facing Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas: the impact of large scale industrial development on the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Report: Sacrificing Rights in the Name of Development
“If they want to carry out such a damaging activity, we want to be consulted and if we say no, they should respect us.”  - Patricia Gualinga, member of the Sarayaku community, speaking about oil and gas development in Ecuador.  Read report | Press Release

<< Ecuador: more than 1.4 tonnes of dynamite left behind by oil exploration in Sarayaku land. 
<< Brazil: a dam in the Brazilian Amazon that could displace thousands of Indigenous families. 
<< Colombia: entire cultures pushed to the brink of destruction, after being forced from their lands.
<< Canada: a massive oil spill on the lands of the Lubicon Cree in Alberta. 

These are just some of the examples in the report of how decisions taken without regard to the rights of Indigenous peoples can have profound impacts on their health and well-being.

Amnesty International is urging governments to ensure that Indigenous peoples are properly consulted on all decisions that affect their rights and survival. Amnesty International is also calling on governments and corporations to respect the right of Indigenous peoples to say no to unwanted development.

Indigenous peoples around the world often bear the consequences of the economic development activities that fuel the world economy. Yet, Indigenous peoples themselves may see little benefit from this development. And even though their safety, and the survival of their way of life may be at stake, Indigenous people rarely have any real say in these decisions. 

The report catalogues a broad range of unacceptable violations of the rights of Indigenous peoples. In Canada, this includes the horrifying levels of violence against Indigenous women - often without perpetrators ever being brought to justice. It states:Indigenous women in Canada are three to five times more likely than non-Indigenous women to die as a result of violence. The government response has been piecemeal at best. Police are not even required to systematically record whether or not the victims of violence are Indigenous.

I urge you to have a look at the report and participate today in our priority actions.

On this important day in human rights, there's certainly a lot to celebrate. There is now a global consensus in support of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous. Key provisions of that Declaration have been adopted by governments, human rights commissions and even the powerful International Financial Corporation, an arm of the World Bank.

However, as the new report illustrates, the rights recognized in principle are too often denied in reality. That's why it's so important that we continue to take action when the rights of Indigenous peoples are threatened.

Thank you for taking action with Amnesty International.

Craig Benjamin
Campaigner for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples 
Amnesty International Canada

P.S: Amnesty International gives individuals around the world an opportunity to speak out on the most critical human rights issues. Today, our report highlights a systematic pattern of human rights violations taking place around the world and right in our own backyard. I hope you will join me and the thousands of Amnesty supporters in taking action today. 

P.P.S. For your interest, today's statement by the United Nation's High Commissioner for Human Rights also draws attention to the plight of the Lubicon Cree in Alberta. You can follow Amnesty International's campaigning work - and take action - on our Justice for the Lubicon Cree website. You can also follow our ongoing global work on Indigenous rights, including the action on James Balao, on our blog, Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples.