Ecuador prior consultation process criticized

Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, who often waves his indigenous ancestry flag and champions indigenous rights, has come under increasing scrutiny over hydrocarbons E&P in the Amazon, in particular advancement of project Yasuní ITT.

To learn more about this growing disharmony, BNamericas spoke to Jorge Herrera, president of the confederation of indigenous nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie).

BNamericas: In terms of the rights of indigenous peoples in Ecuador, can you tell us about the situation today and how things were before President Rafael Correa came to power?

Herrera: Before president Correa, in the history of a fight of over 523 years, we recorded very important achievements.

First, we established the indigenous movement in the rural sector, an area in which there were no state policies, and which went from being an object of politics to a subject of politics.

This gathered momentum in 1991 with the indigenous uprising.

Among the achievements was the securing of freedom of speech for Ecuador's indigenous population, and institutional rights in the framework of indigenous peoples and nationalities in the country.

In addition to protection of indigenous identity, the right to bilingual, intercultural education was won.

In the constitution of 2008, Ecuador was considered a "plurinational" and multicultural state, that is recognition of native peoples, of cultures that are thousands of years old. But with the government of Rafael Correa these rights that were won have been increasingly restricted and disappearing.

With this government, bad faith has colored state policies. Social leaders and activists have been constantly persecuted, several of them have been jailed and have disappeared, principally in the northern and southern Amazon and on the coast.

Instead of investment being made to promote the "productive apparatus" or promoting a healthy diet, there has been an intrusion by agrochemicals, transnational forestry companies, and oil companies.

Investment of oil surpluses has been channeled into construction of "white elephants" in the country.

BNamericas: This week, the hydrocarbons ministry said that the prior consultation process had become an example for the region.

Herrera: That is a sneaky and antidemocratic response, because what they have done is impose and violate the structural rights of the peoples.

In the constitution, we obtained through a fight a free and informed prior consultation. The government has not fulfilled it and at the international level what they have done is lie.

They grab any person that is not of the peoples and does not represent the nationalities. They bring together people that have been paid to appear as though they are carrying out consultation while native peoples and the legitimate leaders are being persecuted.

The Inter-American Court demonstrated the violation of the rights of the Sarayaku people and ruled that Ecuador had to ask for public apologies to the Sarayaku people in the Amazon.

BNamericas: How would you describe prior consultation for Yasuní ITT?

Herrera: The national government has lied, as we have said on repeated occasions. In the electoral campaign they pledged to keep oil in Yasuní in the ground.

Now there is resistance from those communities and Ecuador as a whole, because Yasuní is a space of historical biodiversity for the country and the world.

However, convincing some leaders and dividing communities, breaking the structure of struggle of the Amazon peoples, they have entered to build roads.

BNamericas: What are Conaie's proposals to improve the situation?

Herrera: The indigenous movement in the country has a proposal which goes in the framework of the construction of a plurinational state.

This means an equal redistribution of the means of production, the water, the land, the oil surpluses and mines that have been exploited for 40 years.

We have presented to the assembly and national government proposals regarding a water law and a law of land to guarantee food sovereignty in Ecuador, but it has not achieved anything, because it always ends up with transnational mining companies getting involved.

The signing of a free trade agreement with the European Union practically undermines small and medium economies.

In recent times, there have been so many government actions discrediting the indigenous movement and social organizations, the country has become obliged to protest and we are planning a national strike.