By Emily Sanders

Despite the reputation held by Canada for its comparatively respectful human rights practices, the country’s recent actions in Indigenous territories both at home and abroad has caused Vancouver businesses to gain notoriety in Latin America as the worst in the extractive industry. Both in terms of environmental degradation and human rights violations, the Canadian government has failed to prevent the corrupt behaviors of its extractive industries —the result of lacking policy standards and enforcement on the part of the Canadian government.

Reposted from Pretty Good Productions

By Tom Miller

This Land is for All of We: A Small Rama Community in Bangkukuk, Nicaragua, Speaks Out About the Grand Canal Project

"Photo by Greg Westfall"

The right to health is the most basic of human rights, argues Indigenous Maasai scholar Ben Koissaba, of Kenya, in conclusion to his participation at the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples that took place September 2014 in New York.  “[It’s] fulfillment is both a precondition to, and a by-product of, the enjoyment of all other rights,” he explains.  In a recent publication, Koissaba evaluated progress towards the right to health for Indigenous Peoples of Africa. Around the world, Indigenous Peoples suffer from greater illness and poorer quality of care than other groups.

By Madeline McGill

The Maasai are one of the most well known Indigenous people in Africa. Their colorful dress and unique cultural customs make them a landmark of Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania. With their population estimates numbering well over a million between the two countries, they maintain a sizable cultural identity amidst their ancestral lands.

 By Madeline McGill

Further complications between extraction industries and Indigenous Peoples have been unveiled in a new report published by First Peoples Worldwide. The report, The Indigenous Rights Risk Report: How Violating Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Increases Industry Risks, found that U.S. extractive companies expose shareholders to tangible risks in neglecting the rights of the Nation’s Indigenous Peoples.

On Tuesday, December 9, 2014, at around 10:30 am Radio Juventud was raided by the Guatemalan Public Ministry, while Olga Ajcalon was on air broadcasting her women’s rights and education program. Radio Juventud has been serving the rural community of Sololá, Guatemala for over 10 years and has greatly contributed to educating and informing the surrounding communities.

Photo Copyright diamond-studios.com

On November 27^th, a group of organizations representing local farmers, Indigenous communities, and environmentalists gathered to protest in the Capital of Corrientes, Argentina, to demand an end to the land-grabbing by foreign investors in the province.

Across Argentina, Corrientes has the highest percentage of its land being sold to foreign investors, leaving communities unable to continue their traditional agricultural practices, animal grazing, and with diminishing levels of fresh water.

For Peruvian Times – December 9^th – fillmore0274@rogers.com

By Nick Fillmore

London-based multinational company, GCM Resources Plc, is desperately moving to implement an immense open pit coal mine in northwest Bangladesh, forcibly displacing an estimated 130,000 people and destroying the homes, lands, and water sources of as many as 220,000 people.  On November 26, 2014, the company’s CEO, Gary Lye, attempted to conduct consultation with locals in Phulbari and was met with angry crowds.  “He had to leave the town in two hours.

Photo: Alfonso Lopez Tejada and Jose Fachin at the COP 20 in Lima. Photo by ACODECOSPAT Kukumas

In Lima, Peru, the United Nations Climate Change Conference known as COP 20 is currently taking place, and finally, Indigenous leaders have been given a seat at the table.