Kandi Mossett’s interview on American Indian Airwaves

Issues Discussed:

• Rio+20
• Keystone XL
• Hydraulic Fracturing (oil and gas)
• Alternatives and Transition away from a fossil fuel economy
• Remembering Pat Spears, his life and huge contribution to the People
• And more.

Kandi’s interview starts immediately after the broadcast’s news report.

Please enjoy the entire program and tune in every Tuesday for more. Click here to find archives and future program information for American Indian Airwaves.

SUMMARY:

Since the first Rio United Nations Climate Change Conference 20 years ago to the recent Rio +20 conference the environment has gotten worse. In regard to the actions and outcomes to what IEN was involved in- the work accomplished was successful – over 500 Indigenous delegates attended – networks were strengthened and goals for the future defined and presented in the Kari Oca II Declaration. (DECLARACION DE KARI‐OCA 2 & Declaração KARI‐OCA 2)

Before the conference there was a lot of preparation by NGOs working within larger networks and various public events planned for the week long gathering. Many organizers were skeptical of any meaningful or binding agreements being struck as the enormity of the issues and disagreements between governments and corporate influence has been a road block in the past. Progress was further stunted because the G20 was being held at the same time and therefore many high profile world leaders did not attend Rio+20.

Inside the conference the attendees were predominately smaller nations, corporate supported representatives, with very few Indigenous spokespeople, but on the outside there was a stark contrast with highly motivated Indigenous Peoples who are fighting to save their lands and their cultures, especially those communities that have recently been negatively impacted by current and future energy and precious metals mining and extraction.

The Green Economy that was being presented at the conference is based on constant growth which is not sustainable. A money based economy allows unchecked growth and exploitation of the Earth and all elements that have been tagged as commodities. These include the air, water, and lands.

Carbon trading and REDD are monetary schemes that are displacing Indigenous Peoples on a large scale in order to “trade” credits for larger fossil fuel projects and continue the cycle of pollution and destruction. Click here to read more.

In a lot of cases, old growth, natural forests are clear cut and mono-crops like palm oil trees are planted, which loosely translates into a forest and counted as carbon credits for developing countries to continue to pollute with carbon and other chemical emissions.

Kandi Mossett clearly describes the energy extraction and devastating destruction and human health issues that are widespread across Indigenous lands, and have the potential to leave our planet unable to support much of the life on Earth.

She also outlines several sustainable energy alternatives that are highly feasible and why they aren’t being implemented.

Moccasin Tracks – Kandi Mossett, Native Energy and Climate Campaign Organizer for Indigenous Environmental Network

Broadcasting on Goddard College Community Radio, Moccasin Tracks host, Deborah Reger talks with an extraordinary Native Energy and Climate Campaign Organizer from Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nations in North Dakota. Kandi Mossett joining her colleagues from the Indigenous Environmental Network attending the Rio+20: Indigenous Peoples Global Conference she joins us by phone from Rio where the Kari-Oca 11 Declaration was signed. When the People tried to deliver this declaration she tells us the military stopped them. Her candid reminder of the power of prayer during this sacred time will surely inspire us all to answer her call. With principals of “minka” : solidarity and participation, indigenous youth from Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia have been sharing their stories and standing up in defense of Mother Earth and giving their lives in some cases. Respect and Gratitude to Kandi.

Learn more and click here to download and listen to Deb Reger’s Podcasts

Music credits: John Trudell, We are Shapes of The Earth, DNA CD (Descendants Now Ancestors) Ulali, All My Relations, Honor The Earth CD

Please listen and share these interviews – discuss with your family, friends and neighbors. Our collective future, literally, depends on changing the dominate paradigm. And it can only happen if we demand it and we can only demand and receive if enough people band together and force these transitions and changes.

June 21, 2012

We, movements for the defense of water and Mother Earth gathered at the Blue Pavilion inside the Cúpula dos Povos, collectively share a vision that water is a commons, not a commodity. The Earth’s pristine waters give life to an astonishing diversity of ecosystems and human societies. This common vision affirms the necessity of an equitable and balanced relationship with Mother Earth that respects the laws of nature, maintains the integrity of the water cycle, and ensures the achievement of social and environmental justice for all of Earth’s inhabitants.

We uphold UN Resolution 64/292 on the right to water and sanitation, which is a significant achievement for our movements, based on many campaigns for adoption of this right in national constitutions.

In solidarity with the thousands of activists and social movements, we collectively reject the corporate control of our societies, and their so-called “green economy” proposals, which seek to put a price on nature and water, commodifying them under the pretext of sustainability, development, poverty alleviation and efficiency; thereby monetizing and commodifying all that is sacred and necessary to life on Earth.

The “green economy” is an expression of the capitalist model of development, which pays little attention to hydrologic inter-connections and creates profound economic, social and environmental inequities and crises, thus solidifying the corporate capture and subordination of our societies and nature to the financial markets. This development model, which considers water (and nature) as economic inputs, is ineffective in providing access to water and sanitation for all and cannot support a sustainable economy, which in turn undermines a peaceful co-existence between humans, living species and the Earth’s ecosystems.

We reject institutionalized colonialism and racism and the denial of Indigenous Peoples’ and traditional communities’ rights to self-determination and food sovereignty.

We demand our governments to eliminate the false solutions of the “green economy”, and not place water under the logic of market and profit. Water, whether for drinking or agriculture, must remain part of the commons and be democratically managed by communities and/or public institutions and not by corporations.

We demand our governments to defend the public interest, guarantee access to sanitation and clean and safe water for all, in quantities that can sustain life and dignity. We call upon all governments to officially recognize the right to water and sanitation for all people in their national laws, in accordance with the UN resolution 64/292. The right to water must especially be guaranteed as a priority for women and children, for the poor, and people living in dehumanizing conditions.

We call for the preservation of the integrity of the water cycle in the framework of the recognition of the rights of ecosystems and species to exist, thrive and reproduce. We call for the recognition of the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth in order to guarantee that the biosphere and its inhabitants are protected for sustainability and ecological balance.

We call for a global community solidarity and empowerment through the creation of truly democratic global water institutions such as public-public partnerships and public-community partnerships or the creation of World Water Authority which must act in the interest of humanity and nature.

We call for the creation of an international penal court for the trial of environmental crimes committed by corporations, governments and institutions.

We commit to continue building networks and new social alliances, broadening and deepening our connections with social movements fighting for food sovereignty, decent work and workers’ rights, democracy, and social and environmental justice. In particular, we commit to actively participate in the climate justice campaigns as water is one of the key elements of life that is gravely affected by climate change.

Given the collective experience, determination and the broad solidarity that we have with other movements present here at the Cúpula, overcoming the “green economy” and building new models of development in harmony with nature are indeed possible.

Signatories:

5 de Septiembre S.A. (Sociedad de Trabajadores Sanitarios, con Matricula de Operador de Servicios de Agua Potable y Saneamiento), Argentina

Asia Pacific Network on Food Sovereignty

Assemae, Brazil

Agua Sustentable, Bolivia

Catedra del Agua dela Universidad Nacional de Rosario

Comision Nacional en Defensa del Agua y la Vida (CNDAV), Uruguay
CENARAB

CeVI – Centro di Volontariato Internazionale – Italy

Colombia Corporación ecológica y Cultural Penca de Sábila, Colombia

Comité Departamental en defensa del Agua y la Vida de Antioquia, Colombia.

Campaña Octubre Azul, Bolivia

CONEN

Corporación ECOFONDO, Colombia

Corporate Europe Observatory, Belgium

Council of Canadians, Canada

Earth Law Center, USA

Ecosurfi

European Research Institute on Water Policy (IERPE), Italy

EYES Network

Federação Nacional dos Urbanitários (FNU/CUT), Brazil

Federacion de Funcionarios de Ose (FFOSE), Uruguay

Food and Water Watch, US and Europe

Forum Brasileiro de Surf e Sustentabilidade, Brazil

Forum Italiano dei Movimenti per l’Acqua

France Libertes, France

Frente Nacional pelo Saneamento Ambiental

Freshwater Action Network, Mexico

Fundacion Solon, Bolivia

Focus on the Global South, Thailand, India, Philippines

Global Alliance for Rights of Nature, International

IBON international

Indigenous Environmental Network

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, USA

Integrated Rural Development Foundation, Philippines

Mensageiros da Agua

Ogoni Solidarity Forum, Nigeria

One World Awake, USA

Pacto Publico del Agua (Anibal Facendini and Nelton Friedrich), Italy

Pambansang Kaisahan ng Magbubukid sa Pilipinas (National Union of Peasants in the Philippines)

People’s Coalition on Food Sovereignty

Polaris Institute, Canada

Plataforma de Acuerdos Publico Comunitarios de las Americas

Public Services International

Red Vida, Americas

Re: Common, Italy

Solidarity Workshop, Bangladesh

Transnational Institute, Netherlands

More Information:

Indigenous Peoples International Declaration on Self-Determination and Sustainable Development

Indigenous Peoples from all regions of the world met at the “Indigenous Peoples International Conference on Sustainable Development and Self Determination,” from June 17th – 19th 2012 at the Museu da República in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

We thank the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil for welcoming us their homelands and express our solidarity for their struggles imposed development such as the Belo Monte Dam which threaten their homelands and ways of life. We also thank indigenous peoples from all regions of the world for their preparatory activities and engagement in this process.

We affirm with one voice that it is time to assume the historical responsibilities to reverse centuries of predation, pollution, colonialism, the violation of rights and genocide. It is time to assume the responsibilities towards our future generations. It is time to choose life. Read more.

RIO + 20

Shell Oil and the Arctic

Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands (REDOIL) is a movement of Alaska Natives of the Inupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Tlingit, Eyak, Gwich’in and Denaiana Athabascan Tribes who came together in June 2002 in Cordova, Alaska to form a powerful entity to challenge the fossil fuel and mining industries and demand our rights to a safe and healthy environment conducive to subsistence. REDOIL aims to address the human and ecological health impacts brought on by unsustainable development practices of the fossil fuel and mineral industries, and the ensuing effect of catastrophic climate change. We strongly support the self-determination right of tribes in Alaska, as well as a just transition from fossil fuel and mineral development to sustainable economies and sustainable development.

The three core focus areas of REDOIL are:

• Sovereignty and Subsistence Rights
• Human and Ecological Health
• Climate Change and Climate Justice

Alaska’s Indigenous peoples health, culture and subsistence way of life are at threat by current energy development proposals which disproportionately targets Alaska Native homelands and continually puts our subsistence way of life at risk. Current Energy policy of the US calls for more extensive fossil fuel extraction and development within Indigenous Territories, which will have profound impacts to the communities. At this time, there are many areas in Alaska that are under threat, and our Alaska Native peoples are in duress…

At this time, Shell’s eyes are on the prize of the Arctic Oceans-the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Alaska’s coastal Indigenous Inupiat currently object strongly to the presence of Shell Oil in the waters that provide them with their Inupiat Whaling way of life, but also their other subsistence needs which are provided by these oceans.

In the words of Robert Thompson, Inupiat of Kaktovik, Alaska and Chairman of REDOIL:

“I am Inupiat, we have been in the Arctic for 12,000 years, possibly longer. Our culture depends on a clean Ocean; our culture has evolved because of the marine mammals and our dependency on them, which is a vital part of our subsistence livelihood. I am concerned because there is no convincing information from Shell or anyone else that oil can be cleaned up in the Arctic Ocean from within broken ice, from under the ice or in large waves, in the dark, during storms or a combination of these situations. A very small amount of oil spill equipment is available in the arctic and there are no means to deploy even if there was. There are very few boats, and in winter, there is absolutely no way to get boats to spill sites. There also is no proven ability to track oil under the ice, in the dark of winter and in storms. There have been no studies done to determine how long oil will remain toxic in cold water. I am concerned that the use of dispersants may have dire consequences on all marine life as well and I question what are the effects of in situ burning on people? Additionally there is no plan for cumulative effects of oil related activity. There also has been no discussion of future plans. Lastly, I am concerned about climate change and the effects of 27 billion barrels of oil, once consumed on our environment. We are already witnessing serious effects of climate change on our natural environment in the North; the animals of the ocean and land are being affected profoundly. Until these questions have been addressed satisfactorily to Inupiat, Shell Oil has no business in the Arctic Oceans. We appeal to all for support at this time as operations may ensue next month in July.”

Faith Gemmill, Executive Director of REDOIL states:

“Indigenous Peoples have the inherent right to continue our own way of life; and that this right is recognized and affirmed by civilized nations in the international covenants on human rights. Article 1 of both the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights read in part:

…In no case may a people be deprived of their own means of subsistence

Subsistence is our life, our identity, our culture, our spirituality, our connection to the lands…Ancestral ways that have been passed down generation to generation of hunting, fishing, and gathering. Our whole livelihood as Indigenous Peoples is inter-dependent on our ancestral homelands, for us to maintain our way of life; our homelands must remain untouched and intact. The US govt.; SHELL oil company; and corporations must be accountable and address the issues that have been raised by communities and entities that have taken the position in opposing drilling in the Arctic Oceans. The Obama Administration has put out the red carpet for Shell Oil in the Arctic without any real thought to the dire consequences, and Americans should pressure their government to change course before it is too late. This issue is about violations to Indigenous rights in the North, who will stand up for us, and with us to fight multi-national interests?”

Contact:

Robert Thompson, Chairman of REDOIL (907) 640-6119/ bolothompson@hotmail.com
Faith Gemmill, Executive Director of REDOIL (907) 750-0188/ redoil1@acsalaska.net

Audio file of Presser (June 21, 2012)

Audio File of Greenpeace & REDOIL Presser at Rio+20 on Shell out of Arctic

Clayton Thomas-Muller of REDOIL comments after Arctic Shell Press Event

Coverage on CBC National News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/06/21/rio-earth-summit-arctic-canada.html

International Indigenous Peoples Submit Kari-Oca II Declaration to UNCSD

Over 500 indigenous peoples from different parts of the globe will march to the UNCSD (Rio+20) at 11AM today to deliver the Kari-Oca II Declaration.

The Declaration is a result of eight days of discussions on self-determination, sustainable development and indigenous peoples´ rights by indigenous leaders and communities who participated in the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples on Territories, Environment and Development – Kari-Oca II.

The Declaration embodies indigenous peoples´ perspective and analysis on the future indigenous peoples want, and solutions to the current economic and environmental crisis.

The march will begin at the intersection of Av. Salvador Allende and Av. Olof Palme starting at 11AM.

On its penultimate day, UN chief Ban Ki-moon defended the Rio+20 conference — the first summit on sustainable development in a decade — as “the beginning of a journey that will lead to a more sustainable future for ourselves and for generations to come.”

But the summit came under fire from the leftist presidents of Bolivia and Ecuador, along with indigenous peoples, who said capitalist greed lurked beneath its promotion of the green economy.

Bolivian President Evo Morales described the green economy as “a new colonialism” that rich nations sought to impose on developing countries.

“Countries of the north are getting rich through a predatory orgy and are forcing countries of the south to be their poor rangers,” he said.

“They want to create intervention mechanisms to monitor and assess our national policies using environmental concerns as an excuse.”

Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous Aymara president, also pressed African countries to protect their mineral wealth from transnational companies.

In an interview with AFP, President Rafael Correa of Ecuador accused rich countries of “looting the planet, consuming environmental assets freely.”

And indigenous peoples gathered for a counter-summit issued a declaration which described the green economy as “a crime against humanity and the Earth” by dollarizing nature and stripping communities of their rights.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace announced that ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, actress Penelope Cruz and director Robert Redford joined a campaign for a “global sanctuary” around the North Pole.

They are among the first 100 names on a planned million-signature scroll that the green group wants to place on the seabed beneath Earth’s northernmost point.

The spot will be marked with a “Flag for the Future” designed by children in a global competition organized by the Girl Guide movement.

Its goal is to counter nationalist claims on the North Pole and preserve the heart of the Arctic Ocean from a carve-up for resources.

“The Arctic is coming under assault and needs people from around the world to stand up and demand action to protect it,” said Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace’s executive director.

“A ban on offshore oil drilling and unsustainable fishing would be a huge victory against the forces ranged against this precious region and the four million people who live there.”

British tycoon Richard Branson and “Warrior Princess” actress Lucy Lawless added a sprinkle of glitz to the launch.

“It seems madness that we are willing to go to the ends of the Earth to find the last drops of oil when our best scientific minds are telling us we need to get off fossil fuels to give our children a future,” McCartney said in a statement.

“At some time, in some place, we need to take a stand. I believe that time is now and that place is the Arctic.”

The shrinkage of Arctic ice through global warming has led to jostling over sea routes and access to the sea bed, which is believed to be rich in hydrocarbons and minerals.

At Friday’s close, the 190-nation summit is due to endorse a lengthy statement of vows to tackle Earth’s worsening environmental problems and entrenched poverty.

But green activists and campaigners for poverty alleviation slammed the draft as gutted of ambition.

“The failure of Rio+20 is a call for action which will give the people more energy to mobilize in the future,” said Greenpeace political director Daniel Mittler, who called the summit an “epic failure.”

WWF International’s executive director Lasse Gustavsson noted that “it takes 18 months for nature to regenerate what we use in 12.”

“We are losing species hundreds, maybe a thousand times faster than natural evolution. We are creating a huge ecological debt. It’s payback time,” he added.

“After two years of sophisticated UN diplomacy, we arrive with something that will give us nothing but more poverty, more conflict and more environmental destruction.”

Original Article Posted Here: http://www.france24.com/en/20120621-protests-appeals-sideline-politicians-rio20-meet

20 June 2012

Indigenous Peoples Set to Deliver Kari-Oca II Declaration to Rio+20 Leaders

Indigenous Peoples will march to the United Nations Rio+20 Summit tomorrow to deliver the historic Kari-Oca II Declaration to the Rio+20 Secretary-General, Sha Zukang.

Ratified by over five hundred Indigenous Peoples from Brazil and throughout the world, the Kari-Oca II declaration demands respect for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and the dignity of Mother Earth and condemns the Green Economy as the privatization of Life.

The declaration is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese here: http://bit.ly/MD9UAR

DAY: THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 2012

TIME: 11:30AM – 12:15

PLACE:  RIO CENTRO, Flagpole Area between Pavilion 3 and 5

PHOTOS AND VISUALS: Indigenous Peoples will be in ceremonial regalia.

Haga clic aquí para leer en español.

Clique aqui para ler em Português.

KARI-OCA 2 DECLARATION
Photo Credit: Ben Powless

We, the Indigenous Peoples of Mother Earth assembled at the site of Kari-Oka I, sacred Kari-Oka Púku, Rio de Janeiro to participate in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20, thank the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil for welcoming us to their territories. We reaffirm our responsibility to speak for the protection and enhancement of the well-being of Mother Earth, nature and future generations of our Indigenous Peoples and all humanity and life. We recognize the significance of this second convening of Indigenous Peoples of the world and reaffirm the historic 1992 meeting of the Kari-Oca I, where Indigenous Peoples issued The Kari-Oca Declaration and the Indigenous Peoples Earth Charter. The Kari-Oca conference, and the  mobilization of Indigenous Peoples around the first UN Earth Summit, marked a big step forward for an international movement for Indigenous Peoples’ rights and the important role that Indigenous Peoples play in conservation and sustainable development.  We also reaffirm the Manaus Declaration on the convening of Kari-Oca 2 as the international gathering of Indigenous Peoples for Rio+20.

The institutionalization of Colonialism

We see the goals of UNCSD Rio+20, the “Green Economy” and its premise that the world can only “save” nature by commodifying its life giving and life sustaining capacities as a continuation of the colonialism that Indigenous Peoples and our Mother Earth have faced and resisted for 520 years. The “Green Economy” promises to eradicate poverty but in fact will only favor and respond to multinational enterprises and capitalism. It is a continuation of a global economy based upon fossil fuels, the destruction of the environment by exploiting nature through extractive industries such as mining, oil exploration and production, intensive mono-culture agriculture, and other capitalist investments. All of these efforts are directed toward profit and the accumulation of capital by the few.

Since Rio 1992, we as Indigenous Peoples see that colonization has become the very basis of the globalization of trade and the dominant capitalist global economy. The exploitation and plunder of the world’s ecosystems and biodiversity, as well as the violations of the inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples that depend on them, have intensified. Our rights to self determination, to our own governance and own self-determined development, our inherent rights to our lands, territories and resources are increasingly and alarmingly under attack by the collaboration of governments and transnational corporations. Indigenous activists and leaders defending their territories continue to suffer repression, militarization, including assassination, imprisonment, harassment and vilification as “terrorists.” The violation of our collective rights faces the same impunity. Forced relocation or assimilation assault our future generations, cultures, languages, spiritual ways and relationship to the earth, economically and politically.

We, Indigenous Peoples from all regions of the world have defended our Mother Earth from the aggression of unsustainable development and the over exploitation of our natural resources by mining, logging, mega-dams, exploration and extraction of petroleum. Our forests suffer from the production of agro-fuels, bio-mass, plantations and other impositions of false solutions to climate change and unsustainable, damaging development.

The Green Economy is nothing more than capitalism of nature; a perverse attempt by corporations, extractive industries and governments to cash in on Creation by privatizing, commodifying, and selling off the Sacred and all forms of life and the sky, including the air we breathe, the water we drink and all the genes, plants, traditional seeds, trees, animals, fish, biological and cultural diversity, ecosystems and traditional knowledge that make life on Earth possible and enjoyable.

Gross violations of Indigenous Peoples’ rights to food sovereignty continue unabated thus resulting to food “insecurity”. Our own food production, the plants that we gather, the animals that we hunt, our fields and harvests, the water that we drink and water our fields, the fish that we catch from our rivers and streams, is diminishing at an alarming rate. Unsustainable development projects, such as mono-cultural chemically intensive soya plantations, extractive industries such as mining and other environmentally destructive projects and investments for profit are destroying our biodiversity, poisoning our water, our rivers, streams, and the earth and its ability to maintain life. This is further aggravated by Climate change and hydroelectric dams and other energy production that affect entire ecosystems and their ability to provide for life.

Food sovereignty is one fundamental expression of our collective right to self-determination and sustainable development. Food sovereignty and the right to food must be observed and respected; food must not be a commodity to be used, traded and speculated on for profit. It nourishes our identities, our cultures and languages, and our ability to survive as Indigenous Peoples.

Mother Earth is the source of life which needs to be protected, not a resource to be exploited and commodified as a ‘natural capital.’ We have our place and our responsibilities within Creation’s sacred order. We feel the sustaining joy as things occur in harmony with the Earth and with all life that it creates and sustains. We feel the pain of disharmony when we witness the dishonor of the natural order of Creation and the continued economic colonization and degradation of Mother Earth and all life upon her. Until Indigenous Peoples rights are observed and respected, sustainable development and the eradication of poverty will not be achieved.

The Solution

This inseparable relationship between humans and the Earth, inherent to Indigenous, Peoples must be respected for the sake of our future generations and all of humanity. We urge all humanity to join with us in transforming the social structures, institutions and power relations that underpin our deprivation, oppression and exploitation. Imperialist globalization exploits all that sustains life and damages the Earth. We need to fundamentally reorient production and consumption based on human needs rather than for the boundless accumulation of profit for a few. Society must take collective control of productive resources to meet the needs of sustainable social development and avoid overproduction, over consumption and over exploitation of people and nature which are inevitable under the prevailing monopoly capitalist system. We must focus on sustainable communities based on indigenous knowledge, not on capitalist development.

We demand that the United Nations, governments and corporations abandon false solutions to climate change, like large hydroelectric dams, genetically modified organisms including GMO trees, plantations, agro-fuels, “clean” coal, nuclear power, natural gas, hydraulic fracturing, nanotechnology, synthetic biology, bio-energy, biomass, biochar, geo-engineering, carbon markets, Clean Development Mechanism and REDD+ that endanger the future and life as we know it. Instead of helping to reduce global warming, they poison and destroy the environment and let the climate crisis spiral exponentially, which may render the planet almost uninhabitable.

We cannot allow false solutions to destroy the Earth’s balance, assassinate the seasons, unleash severe weather havoc, privatize life and threaten the very survival of humanity. The Green Economy is a crime against humanity and the Earth. In order to achieve sustainable development, states must recognize the traditional systems of resource management of the Indigenous Peoples that have existed for the millennia, sustaining us even in the face of colonialism. Assuring Indigenous Peoples’ active participation in decision making processes affecting them, and their right of Free Prior and Informed Consent is fundamental. States should likewise provide support for Indigenous Peoples appropriate to their sustainability and self determined priorities without restrictions and constricting guidelines.

Indigenous youth and women’s active participation must also be given importance as they are among the most affected by the negative impacts brought by the  commodification of nature. As inheritors of Mother Earth, the youth play a vital role in continuing defending what is left of their natural resources that were valiantly fought for by their ancestors. Their actions and decisions amidst the commercialization of their resources and culture will determine the future of their younger brothers and sisters and the generations to come.

We will continue to struggle against the construction of hydroelectric dams and all other forms of energy production that affect our waters, our fish, our biodiversity and ecosystems that contribute to our food sovereignty. We will work to preserve our territories from the poison of monoculture plantations, extractive industries and other environmentally destructive projects and continue our ways of life, preserving our cultures and identities. We will work to preserve our traditional plants and seeds, and maintain the balance between our needs and the needs of our Mother Earth and her life sustaining capacity. We will demonstrate to the world that it can and must be done. In all matters we will gather and organize the solidarity of all Indigenous Peoples from all parts of the world, and all other sources of solidarity with non-indigenous of good will to join our struggle for food sovereignty and food security. We reject the privatization and corporate control of resources such as our traditional seeds and food. Finally, we demand the states to uphold our rights to the control of our traditional management systems and by providing concrete support such as appropriate technologies for us to develop our food sovereignty.

We reject the false promises of sustainable development and solutions to climate change that only serve the dominant economic order. We reject REDD, REDD+ and other market-based solutions that focus on our forests, to continue the violation of our inherent rights to self determination and right to our lands, territories, waters, and natural resources, and the Earth’s right to create and sustain life. There is no such thing as “sustainable mining.” There is no such thing as “ethical oil.”

We reject the assertion of intellectual property rights over the genetic resources and traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples which results in the alienation and commodification of Sacred essential to our lives and cultures. We reject industrial modes of food production that promote the use of chemical substances, genetically engineered seeds and organisms. Therefore, we affirm our right to possess, control, protect and pass on the indigenous seeds, medicinal plants and traditional knowledge originating from our lands and territories for the benefit of our future generations.

The Future We Want

In the absence of a true implementation of sustainable development, the world is now in a multiple ecological, economic and climatic crisis; including biodiversity loss, desertification, deglaciation, food, water, energy shortage, a worsening global economic recession, social instability and crisis of values. In this sense, we recognize that much remains to be done by international agreements to respond adequately to the rights and needs of Indigenous Peoples. The actual contributions and potentials of our peoples must be recognized by a true sustainable development for our communities that allows each one of us to Live Well.

As peoples, we reaffirm our rights to self-determination and to own, control and manage our traditional lands and territories, waters and other resources. Our lands and territories are at the core of our existence – we are the land and the land is us; we have a distinct spiritual and material relationship with our lands and territories and they are inextricably linked to our survival and to the preservation and further development of our knowledge systems and cultures, conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem management.

We will exercise the right to determine and establish priorities and strategies for our self-development and for the use of our lands, territories and other resources. We demand that free, prior and informed consent must be the determinant and legally binding principle of approving or rejecting any plan, project or activity affecting our lands, territories and other resources. Without the right of Free Prior and Informed Consent, the colonialist model of the domination of the Earth and its resources will continue with the same impunity.

We will continue to unite as Indigenous Peoples and build a strong solidarity and partnership among ourselves, local communities and non-indigenous genuine advocates of our issues. This solidarity will advance the global campaign for Indigenous Peoples rights to land, life and resources and in the achievement of our self-determination and liberation. We will continue to challenge and resist colonialist and capitalist development models that promote the domination of nature, incessant economic growth, limitless profit-seeking resource extraction, unsustainable consumption and production and the unregulated commodities and financial markets. Humans are an integral part of the natural world and all human rights, including Indigenous Peoples’ rights, which must be respected and observed by development.

We invite all of civil society to protect and promote our rights and worldviews and respect natural law, our spiritualities and cultures and our values of reciprocity, harmony with nature, solidarity, and collectivity. Caring and sharing, among other values, are crucial in bringing about a more just, equitable and sustainable world. In this context, we call for the inclusion of cultureas the fourth pillar of sustainable development.

The legal recognition and protection of the rights of Indigenous Peoples to land, territories, resources and traditional knowledge should be a prerequisite for development and planning for any and all types of adaptation and mitigation to climate change, environmental conservation (including the creation of “protected areas”), the sustainable use of biodiversity and measures to combat desertification. In all instances there must be free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples.

We continue to pursue the commitments made at Earth Summit as reflected in this political declaration. We call on the UN to begin their implementation, and to ensure the full, formal and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples in all processes and activities of the Rio+20 Conference and beyond, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

We continue to inhabit and maintain the last remaining sustainable ecosystems and biodiversity hotspots in the world. We can contribute substantially to sustainable development but we believe that a holistic ecosystem framework for sustainable development should be promoted. This includes the integration of the human-rights based approach, ecosystem approach and culturally sensitive and knowledge-based approaches.

We declare our solidarity and support for the demands and aspirations of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil found in the Annex to this Declaration.

We Walk in the Footsteps of our Ancestors.

Accepted by Acclamation, Kari-Oka Village, at Sacred Kari-Oka Púku, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 17 June 2012.

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