Brazil: Letter of the Indigenous Peoples to the governments of Germany and California

15 mai 2019

(Disponible uniquement en anglais et en portugais)

Chiefs and leaders of indigenous peoples in Acre published a letter on May 9, 2019, addressed to the governments of Germany and California, reporting that millionaire funds are coming to the state of Acre for REDD and PES payments, without transparency and benefiting few indigenous people. They demand a moratorium on these payments and an urgent meeting of the governments with them, so that they can receive all the information about these transfers.

Please read the letter of the indigenous leaders for more information here.

At the same time, it is very worrisome that only one day after the letter got published, the main organization in support to the indigenous peoples without demarcated territory, CIMI- regional office of West Amazon, got its office invaded and only a laptop got stolen with information of the organization´s activities and leaving a knife on the table in a clear attempt to intimidate the activities of CIMI. See this article in Portuguese for more information and also here (in English) about the struggle of forests peoples against the REDD program in Acre.

For further information, read "An even more inconvenient truth. Why Carbon Credits For Forest Preservation May Be Worse Than Nothing".

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Letter of the Indigenous Peoples with no territory demarcated from the Acre state and the South of Amazonas state

To: the governments that support projects to commodify nature in the state of Acre and south of the state of Amazonas

We, chiefs and leaders of our Peoples: Apurinã, Apolima-Arara, Jamamadi, Jaminawa, Huni Kui, Madihá, Manshineri and Nukini, gathered in the second meeting of peoples with no territory demarcated, want to inform that the government of Acre is receiving millions in the name of Indigenous Peoples for the REDD program and for Payment of Environmental Services by way of contracts with the governments of Germany and California/USA. Few peoples have benefited. The policy implemented with this money has got to a few communities through third parties, reaching out to a minority of the population and creating conflicts between the Peoples and the Indigenous Movement.

Due to this we demand from the governments of Germany and California to suspend immediately these contracts and to schedule a meeting with the leaders signing this letter, as well as with other Peoples that are not represented here now, with the objective to be heard and to receive clarifications about the investments of funds transferred to the state of Acre for the indigenous peoples.

May 9, 2019.

Signatures attached to this letter:

Ilson Silvestre Souza Nukini

Francisco Saldanha Jaminawa

Ocirlene Batista de Araújo

Francisco Siqueira Arara

José Souza da Silva Jamamadi

Lauro N. S Jaminawa

Antônio Aurora J.

Alan Resibeiro Jorge

Jacinto Eridio da Silva

José Kulina