UN carbon scheme threatens Indigenous lands and forests

(Press statement)

Sept. 27, 2008 - On the third day of the General Assembly's 63rd Session, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Prime Minister of Norway launched the United Nations REDD program, a collaboration of FAO, UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank.
The inclusion of forests in the carbon market, or REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) has caused anxiety, protest and outrage throughout the world since it was created at the failed climate change negotiations in Bali and funded by the World Bank.
An estimated 60 million indigenous peoples are completely dependent on forests and are considered the most threatened by REDD. Therefore, indigenous leaders are among its most prominent critics. The International Indigenous Peoples' Forum on Climate Change declared that: '...REDD will steal our land... States and carbontraders will take control over our forests.'
It is alarming that indigenous peoples' fears and objections have now been confirmed by the UN-REDD Framework Document itself.
On page 4 and 5 it blatantly states that the program could "deprive communities of their legitimate land-development aspirations, that hard-fought gains in forest management practices might be wasted, that it could cause the lock-up of forests by decoupling conservation from development, or erode culturally rooted not-for-profit conservation values."
It is further highlighted that "REDD benefits in some circumstances may have to be traded off against other social, economic or environmental benefits."
In carefully phrased UN language, the document further acknowledges that REDD could cause severe human rights violations and be disastrous for the poor because it could "marginalize the landless and those with communal use-rights".
This is tantamount to the UN recognizing that REDD could undermine indigenous peoples and local communities rights to the usage andownership of their lands.
Could it be that the UN is paving the way for a massive land grab?

To read UN-REDD Framework Document: http://www.undp.org/mdtf/UN-REDD/docs/Annex-A-Framework-Document.pdf
To see photos from the protest against REDD and the World Bank in Bali: http://www.globaljusticeecology.org/gallery.php
To watch the video from the protest against REDD at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtORVi7GybY

27 de septiembre de 2008 - En el tercer dia de la 63 sesion de la Asamblea General, el Secretario General de la ONU Ban Ki-moon y el Primer Ministro de Noriega lanzaron el Programa de la ONU sobre REDD, una colaboracionde la FAO, PNUD, PNUMA y el Banco Mundial.
La inclusion de los bosques en el mercado de carbono o REDD (reduciendo emisiones de deforestacion y degradacion) ha generado ansiedad, protestas y rabia en todo el mundo desde su creacion en las negociaciones fracasadas sobre cambio climatico en Bali y su financiamiento por el Banco Mundial.
Se calcula que 60 miliones de indigenas dependen de losbosques y son los mas amenazados por REDD. Por lo tanto, dirigentes indigenasson sus mas destacados criticos. El Foro Internacional de los Pueblos Indigenas sobre Cambio Climatico declaro que "REDD robara nuestra tierra. Los estados y comerciantes del carbono tomaran control de nuestros bosques."
Ahora el Documento Base del Programa de la ONU sobre REDD confirma los miedos y criticas de los pueblos indigenas.
En las paginas 4 y 5, la ONU claramente reconoce que el programa podria "socavar las aspiraciones legitimas de desarrollar su tierra; se podrian desperdiciar los avances en el manejo forestal; podria usar los bosques exclusivamente para conservacion al lugar de desarrollo; y minar los valores culturales de conservacion sin fines de lucro.
Ademas el documento resalta que "en algunos casos los beneficiosde REDD remplazaran los beneficios sociales, economicos y ambientales."
En el lexico sutil de la ONU, el documento implica que REDD podria causar graves violaciones de los derechos humanos y ser un desastre paralos pobres porque "margenilizara los sin tierra y aquellos con derechos comunales de uso de la tierra."
Con eso, la ONU esta reconociendo que REDD podria socavarlos derechos de los pueblos indigenas y comunidades locales al uso y propiedada sus tierras.
?Sera que la ONU esta abriendo la puerta a un despojo masivo de tierra?


Para leer el Documento Base del Programa de laONU sobre REDD: http://www.undp.org/mdtf/UN-REDD/docs/Annex-A-Framework-Document.pdf
Para ver las fotos de la protesta contra REDD y el BancoMunidal en Bali: http://www.globaljusticeecology.org/gallery.php
Para ver el video de la protesta contra REDD en el ForoPermanente de la ONU sobre los Asuntos Indigenas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtORVi7GybY