Indigenous peoples' representatives in Geneva seek UN support for the Amazon and their indigenous rights

Representatives of indigenous peoples from the Brazilian Amazon, supported by Society for Threatened Peoples International (STPI), Association Aquaverde and Comité de soutien au chef Raoni met today with the representatives of various UN agencies in Geneva. The delegates, among them internationally renowned Chief Raoni Metuktire of the Kayapo, requested the intervention of the UN concerning the economic development proposalscurrently causing alarm in Brazil and disrespecting the indigenous peoples rights. Chief Raoni Metuktire, for decades a campaigner for the rights of his Kayapo people, and Chief Almir Narayamoga of the Suruí Paiter, whose commitment to human rights has made him the target of death threats, met today with various representatives of UN bodies and appealed for urgent support for efforts to secure respect for the rights of Brazil's indigenous peoples and protection of the Amazon rainforest.

An increasingly desperate struggle is developing between the indigenous peoples of Brazil and their government's proposals for economic development and the exploitation of natural resources. Government initiatives pose a significant threat to the survival of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon region. For example mining corporations have been granted initial approval for exploratory surveys of natural resources across vast swathes of the Amazon basin, including indigenous areas with officially protected status, without the knowledge or consent of the indigenous inhabitants.

Society for Threatened Peoples International (STPI), Association Aquaverde and Comité de soutien au chef Raoni support the calls made by the indigenous peoples' delegation and their call for the United Nations to persuade their government:

• to respect the rights of indigenous peoples in accordance with ILO Convention 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to incorporate these rights into Brazilian law, in particular their right to free, prior and informed consent concerning any decisions affecting their way of life and their environment;
• to ensure full and immediate protection and demarcation of all indigenous areas including those in which uncontacted indigenous peoples are living or are believed to live, notwithstanding the pressure brought to bear by commercial concerns and big land owners;
• to consider and respect the interests of indigenous peoples in all matters relating to the economic development of the Brazilian rainforest;
• to avoid any weakening of the forest protection legislation currently being discussed by the Brazilian parliament;
• to protect vulnerable indigenous human rights defenders against the threat of violence and death, and to hold those responsible to account;