Corruption is a human rights issue, which ought to be recognized as such by States, the business community and civil society. Those who peacefully work for the rights of others against corruption should be recognized, celebrated and protected as human rights defenders.
Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders
Indigenous communities in the Amazon basin continue to face numerous problems, including oil spills, deforestation, and pollution of rivers by both legal and illegal mining. All of these negatively affect the lives of the people and wildlife in the area. At a meeting in Ecuador last Tuesday, indigenous leaders from 500 communities in nine countries in the Amazon basin, including Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil, are demanding that governments in the region halt the activities of extractive industries because of the damage being done to the rainforest. They feel disrespected at not being consulted in relation to oil and mining projects, and are urging the governments to respect agreements and legal rulings that recognise communities’ rights over territories. According to the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin, ‘[w]e are demanding humanity support us in our fight for life, for water, for the mountains, for our identity’. The head of the indigenous organization in Ecuador echoed similar sentiments: ‘If we don’t stop (extractive expansion), practically the entire Amazon basin will be a desert’. See Stabroek News article referring to a Reuters report on the matter at https://www.stabroeknews.com/2022/03/16/news/regional/indigenous-communities-meet-in-ecuador-to-demand-end-to-extractive-industries/.