Indigenous Voices: Ecuador – Zamora Chinchipe Province

Indigenous Voices: Ecuador – Zamora Chinchipe Province

Last year, we launched a series of blogs featuring voices from the field, profiling indigenous participants in the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) workshops we held in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador between October 2017 and February 2018 in conjunction with COICA, the Coordinator of Indigenous Organisations of the Amazon Basin. For more information about our FPIC work, click here.

All participants consented to their comments and photos being published. The views expressed reflect individual opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Equitable Origin.

Para español, ver más abajo.

Avilio Shaki, Director of the Shuar Arutam Community, Ecuador (Zamora Chinchipe Province, Ecuador)

I represent 47 communities and 6 associations, in a territory of 220,000 hectares, 13,000 inhabitants and 2,000 families.

For me to arrive as a representative of my organization is important and it is necessary to articulate policies among the organizations because we believe it is necessary to base participation and clarify the issue of Free, Prior and Informed Consultation as a fundamental right for indigenous peoples, since we are directly affected by extractives projects in our territories.

At no time until this date have we had any type of action by the state government, and we have not been the subject of FPIC procedures.

In our territory, there are large-scale mining concessions and exploitation projects. We have two concessions that are in our territory, one in Loguet, the other in Panantza San Carlos sector.

I received an invitation from COICA [to attend the workshop]. From Morona Santiago province I had to take a bus, a journey that takes a route from Gualaquiza to Macas to Puyo, from Puyo to Lago Agrio, in total it has been almost 16 or 17 hours of travel.

En Español

Avilio Shaki, Dirigente del pueblo Shuar Arutam, Ecuador (Provincia Zamora Chinchipe-Ecuador) 

Yo represento 47 comunidades, 6 asociaciones, en un territorio de 220 mil hectáreas, 13000 habitantes y 2000 familias.

Para mí llegar como organización es importante y es necesario para hacer una  articulación de políticas entre las organizaciones porque creemos es necesario fundamentar la participación  y aclarar el tema de Consulta Previa, Libre e Informado como un derecho fundamental para los pueblos indígenas, ya que somos directamente afectados por los proyectos de extractivismo en nuestros territorios.

En ningún momento hasta la presente fecha no hemos tenido es tipo de accionar de un gobierno estatal, no hemos sido objeto de procedimientos de CPLI.

En nuestro territorio hay concesiones de proyectos de explotación de minería de gran escala. Tenemos dos concesiones que están asentados en nuestro territorio,  uno en Loguet, otro en sector de Panantza San Carlos.  

Recibí invitación de COICA [para asistir al taller]. desde la provincia Morona Santiago tuve que tomar un bus, un trayecto que viene una ruta desde Gualaquiza a Macas a Puyo, de Puyo a Lago Agrio, en total ha sido casi 16 o 17 horas de viaje.