Proudly supporting Indigenous women leaders and human rights defender delegation from Ecuador
“This is why we say No!” is the call to action that is mobilizing four courageous Indigenous women leaders and human rights defenders from Ecuador to come to Canada, September 28-October 6. They take this journey to share their concerns about the impacts of a Free Trade Agreement between Canada and Ecuador on their livelihoods and rights.
The governments of Canada and Ecuador are rushing to negotiate a trade agreement, despite these concerns and without consultation with Ecuadorians, particularly Indigenous peoples and rural peasant communities, and without consideration of the rights of nature.
KAIROS, Amnesty International, Mining Watch Canada, and other civil society organizations, unions, research centers, and networks proudly support this delegation. In Canada, delegates will visit Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal to speak directly to Canadians about the impacts of Canadian oil and mining projects on their communities and rights.
Your support and understanding are crucial to this mission.
The delegates will highlight the lack of transparency, inclusiveness, and consultation in current projects, raising questions and concerns about what more Canadian mining and oil investment could mean for these communities if the Free Trade Agreement is passed. A planned investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in the deal would prioritize the rights of transnational companies over communities and the environment.
In Ecuador, KAIROS’ partner Acción Ecológica is helping to coordinate the delegation.
The following women will be joining the delegation
- Zenaida Yasacama is a member of the Kichwa Ancestral People of Pakayaku and Vice-President of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador, the country’s largest Indigenous rights organization. On July 2, CONAIE submitted a bill to the National Assembly for Free, Prior and Informed Consultation for the corresponding consent within the territories of Indigenous communities. Recently, Zenaida’s team was involved in a successful campaign to protect the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve.
- Fanny Kaekat leads External Affairs for the Shuar Arutam People (PSHA) and is a member of Amazonian Women Defenders of the Forest, a collective formed by women belonging to the seven Indigenous Peoples of the Ecuadorian Amazon. These defenders have been threatened and attacked with impunity for defending ancestral territory, nature, the health of their communities and the safety of women and girls. In February, the Shuar Arutam People filed a complaint against Solaris Resources Inc. before the British Columbia Securities Commission.
- Hortensia Zhagüi represents the Board of Potable Water Administrators of Victoria del Portete and Tarqui. The Indigenous and campesino communities that form the organization are facing risks from Canadian mining companies in the Páramo de Kimsakocha, a high-altitude Andean wetland that provides water for tens of thousands of people and is essential for biodiversity conservation. Hortensia is also a member of the Kimsakocha Women’s School of Agroecology, which promotes food sovereignty.
- Ivonne Ramos works with Acción Ecológica (Ecological Action), a longtime partner of KAIROS. Her environmental and human rights organization was created in 1986 and is a member of Ecuador’s Alliance for Human Rights umbrella group. Ivonne works for the protection of threatened environment defenders and accompanies processes of territorial defence led by women, making them visible to local, national and international bodies.
The women human rights defenders will bring attention to various issues, related to Canadian resource extraction activities, including the impact of increasing militarization, controversial executive decrees, violence associated with resource extraction projects without proper consultation or consent, the failure of the Ecuadorian government to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples, and impunity for those who commit human rights violations. The delegation will also discuss the false accusations, criminalization, threats, and attacks faced by human rights defenders in Ecuador. This crisis has gendered impacts on the security of women and girls but has received little attention despite its seriousness.
The delegation will be travelling to Ottawa to bring these concerns to Canadian parliamentarians and the Canadian government.
Finally, we want to echo and amplify Amnesty International’s call, inviting you to Send a Message to Canada’s Trade Minister.
Mentioned LINKS:
Free Trade Agreement negotiations – CCPA article
Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador
Amazonian Women Defenders of the Forest
Board of Potable Water Administrators of Victoria del Portete and Tarqui
Send a Message to Canada’s Trade
By Silvia Cristina Vasquez-Olguin, KAIROS’ Global Partnerships Coordinator for Latin America and Gender Justice
