On April 4, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), an organ of the Organization of American States (OAS), officially requested that the Brazilian government immediately suspend the authorization and construction of the Belo Monte Dam Complex in the state of Pará.
According to the IACHR, all of the traditional communities who live in the Xingu river basin and would be affected by the construction of the dam must be consulted through a process that is "free, prior, informed, of good faith and culturally appropriate."
The Court's decision responds to a complaint submitted in November 2010 on behalf of various traditional communities of the Xingu river basin, presented by the Xingu Alive Forever (Xingu Vivo para Sempre) Movement (MXVPS), the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB), the Prelacy of the Roman Catholic Church in the Xingu region, the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI), the Pará Society for the Defense of Human Rights (SDDH), Global Justice and the Inter-American Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA).
For more information see: http://www.xinguvivo.org.br/2011/04/05/organizacao-dos-estados-americanos-determina-suspensao-imediata-de-belo-monte/