Brazil: Veronica’s Statement
Under President Jair Bolsonaro, the Amazon rainforest in Brazil is enduring huge levels of deforestation. This contributes to climate change as deforestation increases carbon emissions. It also threatens indigenous communities who rely on the Amazon rainforest and are witnessing threats to their human rights under Bolsonaro’s presidency. By contrast, Ecuador’s government has recently given indigenous communities the right to be consulted on developments on their land and has prohibited the development of new mining projects on indigenous land. Veronica Morris, on behalf of the Next Century Foundation, has addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council expressing these concerns about deforestation and human rights and highlighting how Brazil could replicate the policies of Ecuador.
Transcript:
Dear Mr President, we are concerned by the Federative Republic of Brazil’s plans to build a 933 kilometre railway passing alongside environmentally protected regions. The loss of this area will impact tribal communities who depend upon it. The deforestation that will be caused will also lead to an increase in carbon emissions. We are further concerned at moves to remove Mato Grosso state from the legally defined ‘Amazon region’, making it easier to burn rainforest. We implore President Bolsonaro to rethink and look to best practice seen in the Republic of Ecuador, where Ecuador’s Constitutional Court ruled that indigenous people have the final say on projects that affect their lands.
We are actually encouraged by the agreement signed by Brazil requiring indigenous tribes to be consulted on policies that affect their lands. We ask President Bolsonaro to implement this agreement in a way similar to best practice seen in Ecuador, whereby the voices of indigenous citizens are heard. We are further encouraged by Brazil’s establishment of an external commission to examine complaints of rights violations against Indigenous peoples. However, we are concerned by recent reports of gender-based violence targeted at these individuals in the Amazon rainforest. Only by listening to the voices of indigenous citizens can such human rights abuses be overcome.
