World Bank’s Forest Investment Programme in Peru denounced by indigenous organisations who demand suspension of consultation process 

On the eve of a government consultation of indigenous peoples in Yurimaguas on the latest draft of its Forest Investment Plan, an initiative financed by the World Bank’s Forest Investment Programme, to address deforestation, indigenous peoples organisations in the San Martin and Loreto regions of the Peruvian Amazon have rejected both the planned consultation as well as warned that the latest draft still fails to respect their rights. They highlight the failure of the Peruvian government to conduct consultation in good faith due to inadequate prior notice or allocation of sufficient time for the event as well as the failure to include the Candoshi, Shawi and Shiwilo peoples in the same consultation process. More seriously still they highlight that the current proposal includes plans for the creation of the Shawi regional conservation area (ACR Shawi), a new protected area that overlaps with indigenous peoples’ customary lands. They say that this plan has not respected indigenous peoples rights to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and, as a result, risks serious land and resource conflict with indigenous peoples. The organisations call for the suspension of the planned event in Yurimaguas and its postponement to the 20th August. They insist that in order to provide sufficient input from indigenous peoples the consultation must take place over 2- 3 days. Finally they highlight that they will be alerting the World Bank to these incidents and they will continue to collect evidence for a prospective formal complaint. “We indigenous peoples are in no rush, we want things to be done well, with respect and in good faith”.