Regional seminar on human rights and territory defense in Brazil

Terra de Direitos held a two-day Regional Seminar on Human Rights and Territory Defense on the 18th and 19th of July in Santarem/ PA, Brazil. More than 100 individuals attended the seminal, accounting for 30 social movements, community associations and entities of popular advice.

The policy letter from meeting states that prior consultation, given by the Convention 169 of the International Labour Organization - ILO, ratified by the Brazilian government in 2004, has not been applied in numerous works and projects underway in the region. It also stresses the need to strengthen and reorganize the effective operation of the Program of Human Rights Defenders in Pará State, which is currently led by the distance from the Federal Program for Human Rights Defenders of the Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic – SDH (Programa Federal de Defensores da Secretaria de Direitos Humanos da Presidência da República). Darci Frigo, coordinator of Land Rights, identifies the land dispute as a central factor of conflicts in the Amazon, even when they arise from other issues.

For Maria Rita Reis, advisor for Terra de Direitos, the effectiveness of prior consultation lies with the need for democratization of the state, fact which was brought to light during protests in June 2013. "For various reasons, our political system in background is not democratic. The decisions do not go through our control."

The seminar was organized in partnership with Sindicato dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras Rurais de Santarém – STTR and with the support of Comissão Pastoral da Terra – CPT, the Movement of People afftected by Dams – MAB, the Federation of Organizations Quilombolas de Santarém – FOQS, the Federation of Organizations for Social and Educational Assistance – FASE, da Coordenação das Community’s Association Remanescente de Quilombo do Para – MALUNGU, and National Coordination of Comunidades Negras Rurais Quilombolas – CONAQ.

 For more information, please click here. (information is available only in Portuguese).