Apiwtxa International Congress
The Tribes of the Transboundary Yurúa / Juruá / Upper Tamaya Region Demand Protection of their Territories in a Formal Declaration
Between November 16th and 19th, Indigenous leaders representing 30 communities of the transboundary region of Ucayali, Peru and Acre, Brazil in the Yurúa (Juruá in Portuguese) River watershed, convened in the Ashaninka community of Apiwtxa for the Apiwtxa International Congress to discuss threats to their lands, protection measures, and the challenges of sustainable development on both sides of the border.
Indigenous leaders, government authorities and representatives from conservation and indigenous rights organizations shared information and discussed the dramatic increase of threats to these remote lands and the tribes who live there. These include road construction, illegal logging, drug trafficking, and gold mining.
Of special importance were discussions about the proposed Pucallpa - Cruzeiro Do Sul highway and the controversial Nueva Italia - Puerto Breu highway. The latter is already under construction has facilitating the arrival of forestry tractors to indigenous lands on the Peru side of the border.
The results of the Congress were compiled in "The Declaration of the International Congress of Apiwtxa - Threats, Protection and Development of the Amazon Border", which presents to the government authorities of both countries nine specific demands related to basic services needed by the communities, respect for territorial rights, protecting communities such as Saweto and Sawawo from road related threats, and finally to uphold their obligations and laws on indigenous rights and the environment.
View the Declaration of the Apiwtxa International Congress:
UAC has a partnership agreement with Apiwtxa to work together on designing and implementing vigilance and conservation projects among communities on the Peru side. We led a commission of Peruvian leaders and authorities to travel two days by boat to attend the Congress in Apiwtxa and presented on the aforementioned Nueva Italia – Puerto Breu road and other threats to the region.