OAS Human Rights Commission urges suspension of construction activity on Belo Monte dam project in Brazil

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) welcomes the call from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an autonomous organ of the Organization of American States (OAS), to put an immediate stop to approval procedures and all construction work on the Belo Monte dam project in the Brazilian state of Para. "The Commission explicitly confirmed on Monday that the indigenous peoples of the region must be included in the planning and decision-making processes relating to the project before construction can go forward," explained Yvonne Bangert, head of the STP's Indigenous Peoples Section, on Wednesday in Göttingen. "Most of the indigenous communities directly or indirectly affected were not consulted, nor was an attempt made to negotiate any form of compensation."

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has made it a requirement that President Dilma Rousseff's government fulfill their international obligations immediately by holding consultation proceedings in accordance with the rules of free, prior and informed consent. Each of the indigenous communities affected must receive full information about the project's environmental impact assessment, in advance and in their own language.

"In particular the Commission emphasized the importance of dealing with the indigenous communities that have withdrawn to remote forest areas," reported Bangert. "At last Brazil has been told to do all it can to protect the small, isolated communities in the Xingu Basin and to prevent the spread of disease and epidemics that could be brought in by settlers and construction workers." Brazil must report to the OAS within 15 days, detailing the measures planned or taken to meet these requirements.

UN Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples stipulate this procedure for cases in which exploitation of areas in which indigenous peoples live is planned. Both have been ratified by Brazil. In response, the Brazilian government signaled incomprehension and irritation, calling the requirements "rash and unwarranted."