Association of the Huaorani Women
Fourth Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Agenda Point: ODM Primer
Overcoming Poverty
Tuesday, May 18, 2005
Huaorani Indigenous Community, Ecuador
Area of the Mandate: Environmental Mediation and Human Rights

Mrs. President, Esteemed Members of the Permanent Forum:

My name is Alicia Cahuyia. I represent the women of 32 Huaorani communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon rain-forest.

We, the Huaorani, are comprised of 2,500 people. Our ancestral territory exceeds 672,000 hectares. While in our forests, we consider ourselves rich. We have food, medicines, and all of the other things necessary to live well. Before contact with what is called civilization, we were not familiar with poverty. When they came, the petroleum and logging companies damaged the water and the forests. Our food was contaminated, and our children became sick. The companies stole our resources and we met poverty for the first time.

The companies that currently have exploratory and extractive rights in our territory are Petrobras, Repsol, Texaco, Encana, and AGIP. They enter with missionaries and soldiers, and are putting in danger the lives of all the Huaorani and the forests that give us life.

It was only a few years ago that Chevron-Texaco exterminated the Taigaeri. The Taromenani village is at great risk given their wish to continue to live in the forest without outside contact.

This past week, the Brazilian company Petrobras began building a road into Yasuni National Park, which is also part of our territory. This road is a threat not only to us, but also to our Taromenani brothers who are still living without contact. They have a right to continue living in harmony with Mother Earth and caring for the animals of the forest, while retaining their freedom of movement without being disturbed by anyone.

For us the forest is sacred. The only way to eliminate this poverty is to respect our rights. For these reasons, we are asking that the Permanent Forum make the following recommendations to the government of Ecuador.

• Revision of the exploration and extraction contracts as they are un-constitutional and violate our rights, particularly those collective rights which are recognized in the Ecuadorian Constitution.

• Stipulation of an immediate halt to current oil activities.

• That the government is obligated to comply with all of the international agreements it has signed.

• Support of the Huaorani people's claim to reparations from Texaco for environmental and social damage.

• Establishment of a moratorium on exploration and extraction of oil for 10 years in indigenous territories to assure that our right to self-determination is respected.

Moreover, we ask that the Permanent Forum recommend to President Lula of Brazil that:

• The government remove the Petrobras company from the Huaorani territory.

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EN ESPAÑOL

Asociacion del Los Mujeres Huaorani

IV Sesion del Foro Permanente Para Cuestiones Indigenas
Punto de la Agenda: Primmer ODM,
Superacion de la Pobreza
Martes, 18 de Mayo de 2005
Pueblo Indigena: Huaorani, Ecuador
Area del Mandato: Medio Ambiente y Derechos Humanos

Señora Presidenta, Estimados Miembros del Foro Permanente:

Mi nombre es Alicia Cahuyia. Represento las mujeres Huaorani de 32 comunidades in la selva Amazonica del Ecuador.

Nosotros, los Huaorani, somos 2,500 personas. Nuestro territorio ancestral es de un extension de 672,000 hectares. En nuestro bosque nos consideramos ricos. Tenemos comida, medecinas y todo lo que necesitamos para vivir bien. Antes del contacto con lo que llaman la civilizacin no conociemos la pobreza. Cuando entran las companies petroleras y madereras hacen daños al agua y el bosque. Nuestra comida se pone contaminado, nuestros hijos se enferman. Las companies roban nuestros recursos y nosotros quedamos pobres.

Las companies Petrobras, Repsol, Texaco, Encana, AGIP tienen concesiones de explorer y explotar petroleo en nuestro territorio. Entran con los misioneros y los militares, poniendo en peligro la vida de todo los Huaorani y el bosque que nos da vida.

Hace unos año antras a sido exterminado por las companies Chevron-Texaco el pueblo Taigaeri. El pueblo Taromenani corre el mayor resigo dado que es su voluntad continuar en el bosque sin contacto.

La semana pasada, la compania Brasiliera Petrobras empezo a construer una carretera en el Parque Nacional Yasuni, que tambien es parte de nuestro territorio. Este carretera es una amenaza no solo a nosotros, pero tambien a los hermanos Taromenani quienes viven todovia sin contacto. Tienen derecho a seguir viviendo en armonia con la madre tierra, cuidando los animals de bosque, preservando su libertad de movimiento, sin ser perturbados por nadie.

Para nosotros el bosque es sagrado. La unica manera de eliminar la pobreza es respetar nuestros derechos. Por estas rezones solicitamos que el Foro Permanente recomiende al gobierno Ecuatoriano que:

• Revise esos contratos de exploracion porque son inconstitucionales y violan nuestros derechos, particularmente los derechos colectivos reconocidos en las constitucion Ecuatoriana.

• Que disponga la paralizacion inmediata de estas acciones.

• Que se lleve acabo una visita del Relator Especial de los Derechos Indigenas.

• Se oblige al gobierno Ecuatoriana que cumple con todos los convenios internacionales suscritos.

• Apoyar al Pueblos Huaorani lograr la reparacion ambiental y social por los daños causados por la compania Texaco.

• Se debe estabelecer una moratoria de exploracion y explotacion de petroleo de diez años en territories indigenas para asegurar que nuestro derecho a la auto determinacion es respetado.

Ademas, solicitamos que el Foro Permanente recomiende a Lula, el Presidente de Brasil, que:

• Retira la compania Petrobras del territorio Huaorani.