Peru: UN experts warn indigenous peoples’ rights at risk if polluted land re-licensed

Peru: UN experts warn indigenous peoples’ rights at risk if polluted land re-licensed

12 December 2014 – Two United Nations human rights experts warned today against the proposed re-licensing of heavily polluted land in the Department of Loreto region of Peru, saying the move would perpetuate and exacerbate serious violations of human rights of indigenous peoples, including their right to health, food and water.

Victoria Tauli Corpuz and Baskut Tuncak, the UN Special Rapporteurs on the rights of indigenous peoples, and for human rights and hazardous substances sounded their warning after the Peruvian Government’s decision on Monday to license further oil extraction from a heavily polluted block of oil-rich land, despite a signed agreement between the State-owned oil company and indigenous communities to clean up land and water contaminated by 44 years of oil spills.

“Peru has obligations to clean up the toxic oil spilled to protect the rights of people in the region, and to hold the companies accountable for their failure to respect human rights, before re-licensing the land and making an awful situation worse,” Mr. Tuncak stressed. “Companies extracting oil in this region have left behind a toxic mess with disregard for the rights of affected communities and laws of Peru.”

According to the Peruvian Ministry of Health, 98 per cent of children in the affected communities surpass the admissible levels of toxic metals in their blood. Pollution of food and water sources has also resulted in serious health problems

More:
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49607#.VI8rqGdxmP8