Original Sender: glen@nutecnet.com.br (Glenn Switkes) Mailing List: NATIVE-L
REQUEST FOR URGENT LETTER WRITING IN DEFENSE OF THE NAMBIKWARA INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF SARARE' RESERVE, MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL
For nearly five years, the World Bank has been financing the PRODEAGRO project, an attempt similar to that of the Planafloro project in neighboring Rondonia to mitigate the serious environmental and cultural devastation which resulted in Mato Grosso during the 1980's as a result of the Bank's disastrous Polonoroeste settlement scheme. A mid-term review of the project by the World Bank in 1996 found it failing miserably in its stated goals of protecting the environment, guaranteeing the survival of indigenous peoples, and instilling order in the chaotic situation of settlements in the Amazon and savannah regions of Mato Grosso.
In December, 1996, non-governmental organizations in Mato Grosso, members of FORMAD, the state NGO forum, signed an agreement with the World Bank and state government to administer programs which are part of PRODEAGRO in order to improve the project's performance and to permit it to attain its stated goals.
The most urgent situations facing indigenous people in Mato Grosso has been the invasion of the Sarare' reserve of the Nambikwara people by 8,000 gold miners (garimpeiros) and loggers. Repeated denunciations of the violence suffered by the indigenous people at the hands of gold miners armed with machine guns led to a police operation in January to expel the miners. Since then, many of the miners have returned and the only action by the governor of Mato Grosso has been to offer the miners a new area bordering on the reserve.
Now, the NGO Forum of Mato Grosso has announced it is suspending its participation in the PRODEAGRO project, and will return only after permanent measures are undertaken to guarantee the survival of the Nambikwara Indians.
FORMAD, THE MATO GROSSO ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT FORUM, REQUESTS ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS TO WRITE THE PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD BANK AND THE GOVERNOR OF MATO GROSSO TO URGE IMMEDIATE ACTIONS TO DEFEND THE NAMBIKWARA OF SARARE' RESERVE.
A sample letter to the World Bank and Mato Grosso state government, followed by the complete text of the resolution by FORMAD, follow:
Exmo. Sr. Dante Martins de Oliveira, Governor of Mato Grosso state fax: +55-65-644-2212
Dear Sirs:
We are writing to express our extreme concern over the situation of the Nambikwara indigenous people of the Sarare' Reserve in Mato Grosso. Despite the availability of funds from the PRODEAGRO project, neither the Bank nor the state government have yet taken definitive action to halt the invasion of the reserve and to restore damaged lands within the indigenous area.
We agree with FORMAD, the Mato Grosso NGO forum, that the Bank should suspend payments as part of PRODEAGRO until fundamental steps may be taken to guarantee the survival of the Nambikwara.
We hold the World Bank and the Mato Grosso state government responsible for further agressions against the Nambikwara of Sarare'.
Sincerely,
FORMAD
THE MATO GROSSO ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT FORUM Rua Batista das Neves, 627 - Centro - Cuiaba'/MT - Cep: 78005-380 Brazil Phone/Fax: (+55.65) 322-9408
FORMAD SUSPENDS ITS PARTICIPATION IN NEGOTIATIONS OF WORLD BANK'S PRODEAGRO PROJECT
The undersigned organizations which comprise FORMAD - the Mato Grosso Environment and Development Forum have met in a General Assembly on March 20, 1997.CONSIDERING:
* That FORMAD has worked to contribute toward better results from components of the PRODEAGRO project over the past three years, with the goal of benefitting diverse sectors of society in Mato Grosso;
* That through agreements between FORMAD, The World Bank, and the state government, civil society groups began to actively take part in the process of evaluating and redirecting the PRODEAGRO project;
* That all efforts by civil society groups, notably by agricultural families, to this point there have been no guarantees achieved which would permit effective participation in actions of PRODEAGRO, particularly in the Program of Direct Support for Community Initatives;
* That it is no longer acceptable that a definitive and sustainable solution be further delayed for the dramatic social and environmental situation imposed on the Nambikwara people in the Sarare' Indigenous Area, caused by gold mining (garimpos) and logging activities there:
As has been publicly communicated, through various formal denunciations by NGOs, the Sarare' Indigenous Area, located in the sate of Mato Grosso, Brazil, has been the site of constant invasions by loggers and, most of all, by gold miners.
These communiques told of serious problems that these invasions have brought for the Nambikwara people of the Katitaurlu sub-group, who are the traditional inhabitants of the area.
When the agreement for PRODEAGRO (Program for Agro-Environmental Development for Mato Grosso state) was signed in 1992, the World Bank made the program approval subject to the removal of invaders from the indigenous area.
Today, nearly five years into the PRODEAGRO project, the situation has not changed, and there continue to be planned and predatory occupations of the natural habitat of the Indians, causing incalculable damages, and threatening the survival of the indigenous people.
We must mention that, on November 15, 1996, when a group of loggers kidnapped, tortured, and sacked the Nambikwara indigenous community of the Sarare' Indigenous Area, it became apparent that the community had absolutely no security, and had been, in effect, totally abandoned by authorities.
Not even the January, 1997 operation which evicted 8,000 gold miners from the indigenous area served to have the authorities assume effective control of the situation through programs guaranteeing the Indians their rights under the Federal Constitution, through programs which would restore the degraded areas and define a new area for the gold miners to prevent new invasions.
Today, weekly operations harassing individuals are carried out without any effect.
* That there has been no effort by the government to respond effectively to the need to expel the miners and to implement measures to guarantee the security and survival of the indigenous community and support groups;
* That FORMAD has been unsuccessfully trying for more than a month to meet with the governor to deal with, among other things, the worsening situation in the Sarare' Indigenous Area;
* That while the public workers and indigenous support groups working in the area are suffering aggressions and restrictions on their activities, the governor is receiving representatives of the gold miners and their political allies, offering them the possibility of occupying an area bordering on the Indian reserve, which offers little hope of legal and environmental sustainability;
* That by making that kind of an offer, the government is confirming its lack of political will to resolve neither the problem of the Indians, nor that of the gold miners, who require an economic alternative which is socially just and environmentally sustainable;
WE HEREBY RESOLVE:
a) That until the question of the Nambikwara people of the Sarare' Indigenous Area is resolved, we suspend the participation of FORMAD in the process of revising PRODEAGRO;
b) That we request for the World Bank and the Ministry of Planning and Budget to cut off negotiations with the Government of Mato Grosso state regarding the revision and extension of PRODEAGRO until a definitive and satisfactory solution for the Nambikwara people of the Sarare' Indigenous Area can be reached.
c) To ask the World Bank to suspend disembursements for PRODEAGRO;
d) To request the World Bank to install an Inspection Panel to investigate the lack of compliance with the contractual requirement expressed in the Appraisal which addresses the protection and control of the Sarare' Indigenous Area;
e) To not sign any documents which are part of the process of revising PRODEAGRO, since if the program is not meeting even its most fundamental objectives, and if the partnership between the government and civil society is not permitted to take place, there will no possibility of implementing those guidelines proposed and agreed to in the program revision.
FORMAD's further participation in this dialogue will depend on the Government of the State of Mato Grosso and the World Bank solving the situation of the Nambikwara people of Sarare' Indigenous Area, which will mean taking, at least, the following measures:
* Expulsion of invaders from the area once and for all; * Not permitting the gold miners to install a mine near the Sarare'
Indigenous Area;>p> * A plan for the restoration of the area damaged by the gold mine.
Given the serious problems and the failure to enforce compliance with PRODEAGRO's measures regarding indigenous, land, and environmental issues, FORMAD is preparing a dossier to be delivered to the World Bank's Inspection Panel.
MEMBERS OF FORMAD:
AEC - ASSOCIACAO DE EDUCACAO CATO'LICA
South America address:
ACURAB - ASSOCIACAO KURA-BAKAIRI
AME MATO GROSSO - ASSOCIACAO MATO-GROSSENSE DE ECOLOGIA AMPARA - ASSOCIACAO MATOGROSSENSE DE PROTECAO E RECUPERACAO AMBIENTAL ARCA - ASSOCIACAO DE RECUPERACAO E CONSERVACAO DO AMBIENTE BIOCONEXAO - INSTITUTO ECOLOGISTA DE DESENVOLVIMENTO BIOGENESE - CENTRO PARA CONSERVACAO DA NATUREZA CDH CACERES - CENTRO DIREITOS HUMANOS "DOM MA'XIMO BIENNES" CDHHT - CENTRO DE DIREITOS HUMANOS "HENRIQUE TRINDADE" CDHRO - CENTRO DE DIREITOS HUMANOS "SIMAO BORORO" - RONDONO'POLIS CODCA - CENTRO ORGANIZACAO DE DEFESA DA CRIANCA E ADOLESCENTE CIFICA - CENTRO INT. FORM. INTEGRAL CRIANCAS E ADOLESCENTES CIMI - CONSELHO INDIGENISTA MISSIONA'RIO CPT - COMISSAO PASTORAL DA TERRA
CUT - CENTRAL U'NICA DOS TRABALHADORES
ECOPANTANAL - INSTITUTO ECOL. E POP. TRADICIONAIS ECOTROPICA - FUNDACAO DE APOIO VIDA DOS TRO'ICOS FASE - SUDOESTE MT - FEDERACAO DE APOIO AOS O'RGAOS FETAGRI - FEDERACAO TRABALHADORES AGRICULTURA GERA- CENTRO ESTUDOS PANTANAL, AMAZONIA E CERRADO GSP - GRUPO DE SAU'DE POPULAR
GTME - GRUPO DE TRABALHO MISSIONA'RIO EVANGE'LICO ICV - INSTITUTO CENTRO DE VIDA
IECLB - IGREJA EVANGE'LICA DE CONFISSAO LUTERANA IPECA - INSTITUTO DE PESQUISA CURRUPIRA ARARAS IPESP-INSTITUTO PASTORAL DE EDUCACAO POPULAR MNMMR - MOVIMENTO NACIONAL DE MENINOS E MENINAS DE RUA CUIABA' MNMMR - MOVIMENTO NACIONAL DE MENINOS E MENINAS DE RUA CHAPADA MOPS - MOVIMENTO POPULAR DE SAUDE
OPAN - OPERACAO AMAZONIA NATIVA
Glenn Switkes, Director, Latin America Program,
International Rivers Network
1847 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, California 94703, USA
Tel. (510) 848 1155 Fax (510) 848 1008
http://www.irn.org
a/c ICV, Rua 2, no. 203, Bairro Boa Esperanca,
CEP 78.068-360 Cuiaba, MT, Brazil
Tel/Fax: +55 65 627 1689