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	Indigenous peoples face growing challenges to access safe water by UN Office for Human Rights   Oct. 2022   Exposure to toxic substances a form of environmental violence against indigenous peoples: UN expert   Indigenous peoples exposed to hazardous substances are suffering a form of environmental violence that has caused deaths and endangered lives through loss of food sources and medicinal plants, forced displacement, birth defects and cancers, a UN expert said.   “To satisfy the expansion of a global economy addicted to extractivism, States and businesses continue to step into ever remote regions, searching for metals, minerals, and fossil fuels, leaving a legacy of pollution and dumping of hazardous substances”, said Marcos Orellana, UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, in a reportto the UN General Assembly today.   The Special Rapporteur’s report addresses the range of human rights violations and abuses that indigenous peoples suffer due to industrial expansion, extractive industries, hazardous pesticides, military activities, waste dumping, and exposure to hazardous substances and wastes.   Orellana expressed strong concern that about 50 per cent to 80 per cent of all mineral resources targeted for extraction by mining companies are found on indigenous peoples’ lands and territories. Oil and gas companies continue to explore and exploit hydrocarbon deposits even as the planet faces a climate emergency. This invariably results from States promoting fossil fuel industries, often in indigenous peoples’ lands and territories, he said.   “In various countries, agribusinesses are encroaching on indigenous peoples’ lands, exposing them to the hazardous pesticides used in monocultures. Aerial fumigation indiscriminately spreads toxic substances that drift on crops and waters upon which indigenous peoples depend for material and spiritual sustenance”, Orellana said.   Hazardous waste dumping, including in abandoned military facilities, leaves indigenous peoples with decades-long health and psychological trauma, the expert said. “At times such dumping renders their territories uninhabitable. Forced displacement resulting from toxic pollution threatens indigenous peoples’ very existence.”   The Special Rapporteur also expressed deep regret that due to racial discrimination indigenous peoples’ voices are too often silenced in decision-making processes involving chemicals and waste, which aggravates the disproportionate harm indigenous peoples suffer from toxic pollution.   “Access to justice by indigenous peoples that seek remedies for the adverse effects of toxics is limited. State discrimination, corruption, and a lack of protective laws cement their continued marginalization”, Orellana said.   The Special Rapporteur presented recommendations to States, including to identify activities and industries causing toxic effects on indigenous peoples and to adopt immediate actions to stop the influx into indigenous territories of toxic industrial chemicals, pesticides, and hazardous waste.   The Special Rapporteur also recommended that States should end the double standard of allowing the production and export of highly hazardous pesticides that they ban for use in their own territories. This is a form of exploitation that externalises the health and environmental impacts of toxic pesticides on the most vulnerable, he said.   He also called upon business enterprises to seek and obtain free, prior and informed consent from indigenous peoples whose rights, lands and livelihoods would be affected by their activities.   “The effective enjoyment of the rights recognised by the UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples rests on respect for the right to live in a non-toxic environment,” Orellana concluded.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/exposure-toxic-substances-form-environmental-violence-against-indigenous   * Indigenous Peoples Rights International, agencies: An appeal to the UNFCCC & State parties at COP27: Put human rights at the centre of climate action: http://iprights.org/index.php/en/all-news/an-appeal-to-the-unfccc-state-parties-at-cop27   Oct. 2022   Indigenous peoples face growing challenges to access safe water   “Indigenous peoples offer us valuable ways to address the global water crisis through their traditional practices, both in terms of the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems and the democratic governance of safe drinking water and sanitation,” said Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation Pedro Arrojo-Agudo.   Arrojo- Agudo made his statement while presenting his report on opportunities and challenges on water rights for indigenous communities during the Human Rights Council.   The world population of indigenous peoples, is estimated at 476 million individuals, representing 6.2 per cent of the world population, and living in more than 90 countries across the world. Globally, they represent 18.7 per cent of the extremely poor and around 33 per cent of those living in extreme poverty in rural areas.   “The territories of indigenous peoples comprise about 25 per cent of the world’s land surface, including approximately 40 per cent of all protected land areas and ecologically intact landscapes on their territories, indigenous peoples have preserved 80 per cent of the remaining terrestrial biodiversity,” the report states.   The availability of quality water in indigenous peoples’ territories was preserved due to their sustainable practices as well as difficult accessibility of their territories, the report adds. However, the impact of extractivism on natural resources, compounded with the effects of climate change, has meant many indigenous peoples no longer have access to safe drinking water under international human rights standards.   Voicing their concerns, indigenous peoples pointed out numerous challenges that they face that have undermined their access to clean water and proper sanitation, the report states. Some of these include: pollution of available water resources, lack of consultation on policies and projects affecting their water and sanitation rights, and water and sanitation projects not having a sustainable strategy to prevent funding exhaustion.   One of the biggest barriers to indigenous peoples’ access to water and sanitation is that many countries “deny the very existence of their indigenous peoples, turning a blind eye on international agreements,” Arrojo- Agudo said.   As a result, land and water grabbing are ongoing in the territories of indigenous peoples, through the construction of large hydroelectric dams, the growth of agribusiness, mining operations, deforestation and tourism developments, which disregard the rights of indigenous peoples, as well as damage and contaminate their water sources, the report states.   Water as a common good   In the worldviews of indigenous peoples, water belongs to everyone and should remain available to all, as a common good, the report states. Their approach offers a valuable example of community-based management of safe drinking water and sanitation, highlights the report.   Their beliefs and practices offer “a genuine expression of the sustainability and eco-systemic approach, which today we are trying to promote in the planning and management of water throughout the world,” said Arrojo-Agudo. Moving forward, Arrojo-Agudo noted that in order to guarantee compliance with the rights of indigenous peoples and effective control over their territories, their right to free, prior and informed consent should be implemented before and during any action that affects them, including actions that affect their water and aquatic ecosystems.   “States must put in place the necessary means to ensure that indigenous peoples enjoy their human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, inclusive of an intercultural dialogue that is respectful of their ancestral worldviews, knowledge and practices,” he said.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2022/10/indigenous-peoples-face-growing-challenges-access-safe-water   Aug. 2022   States must ensure leadership roles for indigenous women. (OHCHR)   The preservation of indigenous peoples’ communities, values and ways of life depend on indigenous women and girls regaining their roles as leaders within their communities, a group of UN experts said today, urging States to take affirmative action to guarantee their full public and political participation.   On the occasion of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the experts issue the following joint statement:   “Indigenous women are active change agents in society and champions of sustainability. Indigenous women are custodians of a collective accumulation of scientific knowledge and technical skills related to food and agriculture, health and medicine, natural resource management, climate change, language, arts, crafts and spiritual practices.   This scientific knowledge has a key role to play in safeguarding ecosystems and ensuring environmental justice and equity. Indigenous women’s in-depth understanding of botany and animal species is a powerful tool to mitigate against the catastrophic impacts of climate change.   The development, application, preservation and transmission of indigenous women's knowledge is inextricably linked to the way indigenous women use their territory, lands and resources.   Because of their relationship with the land and natural environment and the marginalisation they face for being women and indigenous, they are disproportionally affected by the loss of lands, territories and resources due to climate change, conflicts, development and the creation of protected areas.   In addition, multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, as well as violence against women, create barriers to women’s development and use of their scientific knowledge including access to lands and resources, educational and employment opportunities, healthcare and political participation in national and local governance.   Indigenous women are disproportionately impacted by the ecological, economic and spiritual effects of extractive industries on their lands. Their knowledge is devalued when the natural resources they steward are exploited without their free, prior and informed consent.   Loss of access to and ownership of lands deprives them of their community roles and occupations and threatens their ability to maintain and transmit their scientific and technical knowledge.   Historically, indigenous women have been leaders in their communities. The preservation of indigenous peoples’ communities, values and ways of life depend on indigenous women and girls regaining their roles as leaders within their communities.   States should ensure effective legal protection of indigenous women’s rights to lands, territory and resources and promote the meaningful participation of indigenous women in the management and regulation of their lands and resources.   This must include their participation in consultation processes on administrative and legislative issues as well projects that may impact indigenous lands, territory and resources, with the aim of obtaining their free, prior and informed consent.   States should take affirmative measures to guarantee equal and full public and political participation of indigenous women, including by establishing and strengthening institutions for indigenous women in leadership roles.”   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/08/states-must-ensure-leadership-roles-indigenous-women-un-experts http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/06/end-violence-against-indigenous-women-and-girls-un-expert http://www.ohchr.org/en/media-advisories/2022/06/indigenous-women-and-girls-un-womens-rights-committee-meet-states-parties http://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc4875-efforts-implement-united-nations-declaration-rights-indigenous http://bit.ly/3bKwjlz http://news.trust.org/item/20220920075124-q6n5b/ Visit the related web page
	Securing Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in the Green Economy by SIRGE Coalition, agencies   Aug. 2022   On August 9, 2022, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous leaders have launched a new coalition to Secure Indigenous People’s Rights in a Green Economy (SIRGE Coalition).   The minerals necessary for renewable energy, such as nickel, lithium, cobalt, and copper are critical to the development of a green, low-carbon economy. As demand for these transition minerals is skyrocketing, increased mining threatens Indigenous rights and territories where there is not a comprehensive assessment of risks and harms to Indigenous Peoples, and the complete participation of Indigenous Peoples who are impacted.   In order to solve the growing climate emergency, a true Just Transition to a low carbon economy requires governments and companies involved in the new green economy to observe and implement the rights of Indigenous Peoples enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent.   Cultural Survival, First Peoples Worldwide, Batani Foundation, Earthworks, and the Society for Threatened Peoples have launched the SIRGE Coalition as a platform to champion a Just Transition to a low-carbon economy.   SIRGE Coalition is calling upon government, corporate, and financial decision-makers to avoid the mistakes and harms of past resource development by protecting the rights and self-determination of Indigenous Peoples around the globe, many of whom live on lands rich in transition minerals.   Understanding the need for economic development, we believe that the well-being of some communities cannot be built at the expense of the rights of other communities, especially Indigenous communities, which make huge contributions to conservation of wildlife, biodiversity, and unique cultures.   The primary goal of our work is to elevate Indigenous leadership through the creation of a broad coalition and the promotion of constructive dialogue.   As we pursue our climate goals, we must uplift the self-determination of Indigenous leaders to best protect community health, water, human rights, and the environment.   In accordance with United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), our coalition will uphold all rights of Indigenous Peoples, including their cultures, spiritual traditions, histories, and especially their rights to determine their own priorities as to their lands, territories and resources.   We call for a full implementation of the UNDRIP including the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent, in all endeavors related to the extraction, mining, production, consumption, sale and recycling of transition and rare earth minerals around the world.   We call on Indigenous Peoples to unite their efforts to protect their rights by demanding their observance from all parties.   We appeal to states to create the necessary legislative and other conditions for the observance of the rights of Indigenous Peoples.   We encourage businesses to respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples in accordance with generally accepted international standards in the conduct of your activities, engage in an open, fair, and equitable dialogue with Indigenous communities.   http://www.sirgecoalition.org/coalition http://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/08/07/uncommon-ground-the-impact-of-natural-resource-corruption-on-indigenous-peoples/   Aug. 2022   Brazil: Indigenous Rights under serious threat, reports Human Rights Watch   The Brazilian government has adopted policies that seriously threaten the rights of Indigenous peoples, Human Rights Watch said today, the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.   The administration of President Jair Bolsonaro has undermined the government agency tasked with protecting those rights, issued regulations that are harmful to Indigenous people, and halted the recognition of their traditional lands. The government has also weakened the federal environmental protection agencies, the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA, its Portuguese acronym) and the Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity (ICMBio), leaving Indigenous territories even more vulnerable to encroachment.   “The Brazilian government has transformed an agency charged with promoting and protecting Indigenous rights into an agency that jeopardizes them,” said Maria Laura Canineu, Brazil director at Human Rights Watch. “The government’s anti-Indigenous rights policies and statements have emboldened miners, loggers, land-grabbers, and poachers to encroach on Indigenous territories with impunity, leading to devastating consequences for Indigenous people and the environment..”   http://www.hrw.org/news/2022/08/09/brazil-indigenous-rights-under-serious-threat Visit the related web page
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