Justice After 40 years of Oil Contamination!

Hi there,

We are happy you are with us!

Together with the indigenous people of the Peruvian Amazon, we have been through a few challenging months. We have been participating in many meetings between the indigenous organizations and the Peruvian government in the framework of the prior consultation process on oil lot 192. The government reached an agreement with only two indigenous federations and ended unilaterally the dialogue with other two federations, amongst them FEDIQUEP representing the Quechua of Pastaza river, without reaching any agreement.

In a revealing report published in the midst of the prior consultation process, Alianza Arkana, together with their partner organizations the Chaikuni Insitute and the indigenous federation FECONAT, shed light on the shameful attitudes of oil company Pluspetrol Norte S.A. who had a free playground in the Amazon for the last 15 years. You can read the report here. One of the objectives was to not allow the Peruvian government to renew the licence to Pluspetrol for the next 30 years. This was achieved, despites the impressive media campaign run by Pluspetrol on national and local television.

Problems are not over, though. A new 2-year licence was given to oil company Pacific Stratus Energy, a company that is also severely questioned for human rights violations in Colombia. The company has now been operating since August 30^th in the Loreto region. Huge protests have occurred against the non-transparent decisions of the national government. Civil society questions the procedures and conditions that have led to this contract and, taking into account the very low oil price, claims there are other solutions that would have benefited regional and local governments more, such as engaging state company Petroperu.

A the same time, on September 13^th, the Quechua of Pastaza started a peaceful demonstration in Andoas, an indigenous community at the heart of the Northern Peruvian Amazon and the pulsing heart of that land’s most important oil production, as a reaction to the lack of respect for their right on prior consultation and to once again call global attention to the non-existing reparation of the damages of 45 years of oil destruction on their territories.

The Amazon is heating up again whilst extractive companies are causing more havoc in both the Loreto and Ucayali region and the State uses criminalization of social protest as one of its most important strategies to dampen down resistance.

In the midst of this challenging time, we think it is important to support long-term solutions and to exchange experiences between leaders and organizations in the different region - that is, in short, support civil society building. That is why we now will:

-       Continue to work in the Loreto region through the Sui Sui Program of our partner, Chaikuni, which is a program that supports FEDIQUEP Quechua university students who, in their turn for receiving help with their studies, support their people.

-       Continue to work in the Loreto region with our partner, the Chaikuni Institute, to stand with the indigenous federations and leaders that face persecution for defending their rights.

Spread and share the experiences of resistance and peaceful defense used in the Loreto region to Shipibo communities

Dear Supporters

With pride we share with you that in mid-June we have been able to launch the Pastaza movie at the festival "Green Unplugged" . As you might know the Pastaza movie, a coproduction of the indigenous federation FEDIQUEP and Alianza Arkana, reveals the broken promises and empty words of the Peruvian authorities towards the environmental and human disaster left in oil lot 1AB after more than 43 years of oil production.

The festival aspires not only to witness the current state of our environment—the greater body that has been nourishing the human species—but aspires also to contemplate upon the integral spiritual values that form our relationship with Mother Earth and fellow species. It is not just a festival, but an opportunity to reflect upon our collective consciousness and the present human impulse that is participating in life's creation process. It is an event that hopes to envision what may help us harmonize our living and being - with authentic nature within and without. Check it out at: cultureunplugged.com. If you wish: watch Opening Film .

This is very important to us and the indigenous peoples of the northern Peruvian Amazon. It is a call of attention to the world about a problem that has not been solved at all and remians unsolved in the wake of a new bidding round for oil companies in the same area. Since May 14th, the Peruvian state is offering oil lot 192 on the international market to make sure the country’s most important oil production continues once the actual licence expires end of August 2015.

Business as usual it seems, but before signing a new contract, the state is obliged to respect indigenous rights and to organize a prior consent process. Currently the indigenous people of Fediquep and other indigenous organisations of the area find themselves in the midst of that important dialogue and are discussing the rights and rules for another 30 years of oil exploitation on their territories. They try to make sure the process it is not a mere formality but becomes a real dialogue where their demands for participation, transparency and guarantees are addressed before a new contract is signed. A huge challenge.

With your support we have been able to provide permanent advice and we are finishing an important article on the behaviour of the current company Pluspetrol Norte (publication for beginning of July!). We thank you strongly for that and hope we can continue supporting the indigenous people in their struggle for justice in this part of the Amazon.

Our next actions will be to:

• Get the Pluspetrol publication printed and distributed to local communities and national and international audience.

• Facilitate the travel of a big indigenous delegation to Iquitos for mid July when the process is in the dialogue stage.

• Guarantee national and international lobby work during and after the consultation process.