UN Declaration Gives Morales Unexpected Boost, 27 September 2007

Indigenous peoples around the globe are making themselves heard in international arenas and at the national level. But many challenges remain in the fight for full recognition of all their rights.

BOLIVIA: Morales Gets Boost from UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights

Analysis by Franz Chávez
LA PAZ – President Evo Morales’ dream of creating a “plurinational” state in Bolivia, with territorial and administrative autonomy for indigenous peoples, has just received an international boost that is as welcome as it is unexpected, arising as it did from what seemed like a never-ending debate.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39320

LATIN AMERICA: Native Leaders Half-Heartedly Embrace ‘Historic’ Declaration

Diego Cevallos
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39275

Native Peoples Score Historic Political Victory

Haider Rizvi
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39258

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CHILE: Mega Dams, Mega Impacts, Mega Half-Truths

Daniela Estrada
SANTIAGO – An organisation in the Aysén region in the south of Chile which opposes the building of five hydroelectric stations on two large rivers has made a documentary film about the reactions of communities affected by dams and power lines in Chile and Argentina.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39399

Around the world, flows of refugees and migrants influence social, economic and political dynamics, in many cases creating a new dialogue between civilisations. Migrants themselves become the building blocks of bridges connecting different cultures.
Read IPS coverage of crucial migration issues: www.ipsnews.net/indepth/migration/index.asp

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ARGENTINA: Handing Out Concessions ‘In Perpetuity’

Marcela Valente
BUENOS AIRES – Political leaders and activists have asked the justice system in Argentina to rule on the legality of the Chubut provincial government?s extension until 2047 of a foreign corporation?s concession to the country?s largest oil reserve. The decision was taken 10 years before the current concession expires.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39337

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CANADA: Wind vs. Water in Giant Dam Dispute

Am Johal
VANCOUVER – A controversial hydroelectricity expansion project in Quebec has drawn sharp criticism from aboriginal and environmental organisations on both sides of the Canadian-U.S. border.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39323

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AUSTRALIA: Aborigines Insist on Ancestors’ Repatriation

Stephen de Tarczynski
MELBOURNE – Successful negotiations with the renowned Natural History Museum in London, for the repatriation of human remains against claims made by indigenous Australian communities, have extended the hope that more institutions will follow suit.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39311

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BURMA: Poppy Farming Cuts – ‘UN Praise Misplaced’

Marwaan Macan-Markar
BANGKOK – Praise from the United Nations for continued drop in poppy cultivation in military-ruled Burma paints a false picture of success, say members of the Shan ethnic community and human rights activists. What cannot be ignored, they add, is how profitable the narcotics trade remains for the local commanders of the junta.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39264

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BOLIVIA: Women Councillors Fight Harassment

Franz Chávez
LA PAZ – Women town councillors in Bolivia are pressing for a law to protect them from discrimination and political harassment on the part of their male colleagues, whom they accuse of intimidation and even death threats, especially in rural areas.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39256

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Not Even the Desert Is Home Any More

Nora Barrows-Friedman
AMRA – Israeli police and security forces invaded the small Bedouin village of Taweel abu Jabral in the Negev desert last week, backed by bulldozers and dump trucks. Residents and human rights organisations reported that several homes were demolished as Israeli forces confiscated property and left families homeless in temperatures that soared above 40 degrees centigrade.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39132

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ARGENTINA: Expansion of Agricultural Frontier Endangers Native Communities

Marcela Valente
BUENOS AIRES – Encroached upon by the expanding agricultural frontier and facing the indifference of the state, indigenous communities in the northeastern Argentine province of Chaco have problems of access to water, food and their natural medicines, and are heading towards extinction.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39087

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