The three-day International Conference on Extractive
Industries and Indigenous Peoples concluded on 25 March 2009 in the Philippines,
with its Manila Declaration.
It was signed by 100 participants from different indigenous nations,
with their territories being home to over 60 percent of the
world's most coveted mineral resources. The declaration says that
exploitation of their lands has not "noticeably improved" in the last
13 years after their first conference. Below is the extract of the
declaration.
The three-day International Conference on Extractive
Industries and Indigenous Peoples concluded on 25 March 2009 in the Philippines,
with its Manila Declaration.
It was signed by 100 participants from different indigenous nations,
with their territories being home to over 60 percent of the
world's most coveted mineral resources. The declaration says that
exploitation of their lands has not "noticeably improved" in the last
13 years after their first conference. Below is the extract of the
declaration.
When all the trees have been cut down,
When all the animals have been hunted,
When all the waters are polluted,
When all the air is unsafe to breathe,
Only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
– Cree prophecyTreat the earth well, it was not given to you by
your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the
Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.
– Chief Seattle
We,
Indigenous Peoples and support organisations from 35 countries around the world
and representing many more Indigenous Nations, have gathered together in this
International Conference on Extractive Industries and Indigenous Peoples. As
Indigenous Peoples we have a unique cosmic vision, diversity of languages, histories,
spirituality and territories which have existed since time immemorial. However,
we now find ourselves within the borders of States which have established norms
and laws according to their interests. On account of this situation, we have
suffered disproportionately from the impact of extractive industries as our
territories are home to over sixty percent of the world's most coveted mineral
resources. This has resulted in many problems to our peoples, as it has
attracted extractive industry corporations to unsustainably exploit our lands,
territories and recourses without our consent. This exploitation has led to the
worst forms of, environmental degradation, human rights violations and land
dispossession and is contributing to climate change.
Environmental
degradation includes, but is not limited to, erosion of our fragile biological
diversity, pollution of land, air and water, and destruction of whole
ecological systems. Extractive industries, and particularly those relating to
fossil fuels, also have significantly contributed to the climate change that is
destroying our Mother Earth.
Human rights
violations range from violations of Indigenous Peoples' right to
self-determination (which includes the right to determine one's own economic,
social and cultural development), rights to lands, territories and resources,
as well as displacement and violations of the most basic civil and political
rights, such as arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, enforced
disappearances and killings.
Our cultural
diversity has also been grossly eroded because of the destruction of biological
diversity and lands, territories and resources by extractive industries upon
which our cultures are based. This erosion of our cultural diversity is
also a result of the imposition of colonial systems and the settlement of
non-Indigenous Peoples. Corporations enter into our territories with the
promise of "development" through employment, infrastructure building and
payment of governmental taxes. Despite these promises, there still exists a
situation of dire poverty in those living close to extractive industry
projects. This situation has fuelled conflicts between Indigenous Peoples and
the State and extractive industry corporations, as well as causing divisions
within the Indigenous communities themselves.
On 6-16 May
1996, a first "Mining and Indigenous Peoples Conference" held in London
produced the "Indigenous Peoples' Declaration on Mining". This declaration
highlighted conflicts occurring between our communities and corporations. It
reiterated that Indigenous Peoples need to be the decision makers on whether or
not mining should take place in their communities and under what conditions
this may occur.
Almost 13
years have passed since this conference was held, but overall our situation on
the ground has not noticeably improved.
