Geneva, 5 November 2021 (TDI):Â The activist of indigenous rights, Nina Gualinga, spoke with the Human Rights High Commissioner Office, on the framework of COP26. She was born in Ecuador, but her dad is from Sweden.Â
GUALINGA’S ACTIVISM
Gualinga works to protect indigenous lands, including their homes. For her, climate change and indigenous rights have a connection. Gualinga then added that the reserves of fossil fuels are often on indigenous lands. Because of this, companies want to extract it but then by doing so, they violate indigenous rights.Â
The companies, by extracting the fuel or other reserves, destroy indigenous territories; and that fuel is one of the reasons for climate change. According to Gualinga, to advance on the protection of indigenous territories, no one should extract those fossil fuels.Â
Gualinga mentioned that when she was seven, an Argentinian company came to her community, to extract oil primarily. The company started to extract even though the community did not allow it.Â
Gualinga also remarked that the government supported it. According to her, the government sent military forces to intimidate her family members. Those military forces also harassed the leaders of the community.
The Gualinga mentioned that as she grew older, she finally understood that what was happening in her community, also happened in other parts. She also realized that fossil fuel extraction and others were connected to climate change.Â
AMAZON WOMEN ORGANIZATION
Gualinga stated that indigenous people suffer from multiple layers of violence, and then she remarked on the importance to hold the companies accountable. Gualinga is today part of Amazon Women. She says that this organization has the objective to protect indigenous lands, from industrial extraction.
It is important to mention also, that Gualinga said that Amazon Women work to protect indigenous women’s rights, and fight against violence. Gualinga described that Amazon women are an organization that brings together indigenous women from six indigenous nations across the Ecuadorian Amazon.
GUALINGA’S COMMUNITY
She mentioned that she strongly believes that the efforts of the governments have not been effective to protect indigenous peoples’ rights. Gualinga stated that access to vaccines for them is not enough, so they have to find other ways.Â
Her community was hit by floods. That destroyed houses, crops, and also schools. Another consequence of the floods was that access to food in many areas was scarce. Regardless of this, the extractions continued, according to her.Â
She stated that the world was in pause mode, while the destruction of their lands continued without regulations.Â
ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS
Gualinga and other activists of indigenous rights will keep demanding respect for their lands, and won’t accept false or incomplete solutions. She says that the carbon market is another trick to make them think that they are doing something when its the opposite.
Gualinga then reaffirmed the necessity to protect forests, natural sites, and also indigenous rights. She deemed as very important to have solidarity, to protect indigenous people’s rights.Â
She stated that the fight to protect indigenous rights is collective. According to her if more people understood the struggles, then more people could stand in solidarity.
International Relations student at the Universidad de Navarra in Spain. Main interests are the work of International Organizations like the UN in the scope of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable human beings and the environment
