The Indigenous Caucus gathered in the City of Geneva from November 25 to 28, 2018, in the  framework of the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights, with  representation of various indigenous peoples of the world, we were able to confirm that   non-compliance by states with the basic principles of international law , such as self-determination, respect to the exercise of self-government, el  compliance with the fundamental right to consultation and prior free consent e  informed, respect for the ancestral territories in which the communities live, the right  of our own forms of economic, social and cultural development, to protect our struggles for better It is decent living conditions.  

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It was also evident that the companies, relying on the apathy and indifference of the state bodies, called to guarantee rights, continue to violate the fundamental rights to the consultation. and prior free and informed consent. 

In this Indigenous caucus, we pay tribute to all the leaders of our  peoples, who have been systematically criminalized, threatened and persecuted,  even killed, as a result of the defense they make of their territories, of the right  to the exercise of self-government in a context of the imposition of extractive projects,  energy and agroindustry._cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_

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For these and many reasons, the Indigenous Caucus, we have agreed to the following demands that: 

States to. comply with their obligations to recognize the status of indigenous peoples around the world  who live in their territories and to guarantee and apply the international regulatory framework , including the rights recognized in ILO Convention No. 169, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as the right to self-determination; to their lands, territories and natural resources; to their cultures and spiritual beliefs; to its own government and its customary rights , its own forms, practices and protocols to implement consultation and free, prior and informed consent; b. promote the full participation of peoples in all design stages,  conduct, validation and verification of impact assessments on human rights . These evaluations must take into account the economic, social, environmental, and cultural_rights of indigenous peoples; c. pay special attention to the dimensions of macro-regional infrastructure  projects and their cumulative and irreversible impacts on the human rights  of indigenous peoples in multiple countries; d. ensure that companies respect the rights of indigenous peoples, including  in their due diligence, and that states fully address the concerns of  indigenous peoples when developing and implementing National Action Plans , this implies:

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• strengthening of judicial and administrative mechanisms, including  through the training of judges and those responsible for developing policies  on the rights of indigenous peoples;_cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_

• effective follow-up and implementation of the recommendations of the OECD National Contact Points (NCPs)  and other complaints mechanisms,  including the recommendations of the Working Group on Business and  Human Rights; 

• establishment of redress mechanisms for violations that occur  both within state borders and for violations committed extraterritorially by corporations registered in their jurisdictions. 

Companies, including private investors, throughout the supply chain  

a. respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, whether or not they are officially recognized b. assume their responsibilities and consistently implement rigorous, transparent, and effective due diligence processes regarding the individual and collective human rights  of indigenous peoples, including the rights  territorial, cultural and self-government and consent, free, prior and informed . 

International financial institutions, national and multilateral banks 

through its socio-environmental safeguards, require companies to fully comply  with the Guiding Principles of Business and Human Rights and the minimum standards  enshrined in the Declaration of the United Nations on the Rights of  Indigenous Peoples before financing projects likely to affect ancestral  territories and during their implementation._cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf5cf58d_

 

All the actors mentioned with interests that remain to affect the ancestral territories 

a. protect and respect the rights of indigenous women and prevent the impacts of   business activities, since they are the ones that guarantee the continuity of our peoples and their greatest vulnerability.  

b. refrain from implementing projects in conflict zones that put at risk the physical and cultural survival of indigenous peoples and the integrity of their territories c. refrain from implementing projects that affect the peoples in initial contact y  voluntary isolation. 

d. adopt policies of zero tolerance for acts of violence, militarization,  criminalization and labeling as terrorists, threats and accusations of  indigenous communities and human rights defenders_cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_

Finally, we demand that the United Nations, including the Working Group on  Business and Human Rights, make visible and promote the recommendations here  included in all the spaces of its actions and with all the actors, and that they ensure y  expand the spaces for participation of indigenous peoples in the Forum.

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We cannot speak of peace if we are violating Mother Earth, the woman, the giver of  life. We declare from the heart of our territories that we will continue in their defense  because our survival is that of humanity itself.