Maya Leaders Alliance
Punta Gorda Town, Monday, September 29th, 2014.
A delegation of Maya Leaders, headed by President of the Toledo Alcaldes Association, Mr. Alfonso Cal, has been commissioned by the Alcaldes’ assembly to deliver a letter to the Prime Minister. Consequently, on September 25th, 2014, the Maya Leaders Alliance and Toledo Alcaldes Association met with the Honourable Prime Minister, Dean Barrow, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Belmopan.
The letter asserts our collective rights as a Maya People to our traditional lands and resources. It also notifies the Government of Belize that the Alcaldes are developing a proposal for a framework for consent agreements by oil development and other extractive industries for activities on our Maya traditional lands. The framework will specify various aspects that must be included in any consent agreement with Maya villages for oil related development activities. For example, all consent agreements should include but are not limited to: impact assessment, mitigation and monitoring; compensation for land use and disturbances; and benefit-sharing.
This proactive initiative by the Maya People manifests our commitment to explore opportunities for constructive, respectful, and good faith engagement with the Government of Belize and extractive companies on Maya traditional lands, looking forward to a future in which the legal status of those lands is no longer in dispute. We hope that this meeting with the Prime Minister is a part of a process that will enable the Maya people to develop long term plans on the use, enjoyment, and management of our natural resources. These plans form part of a vision to revitalize our Maya communities and guarantee their prosperity.
The meeting generated common understandings on several key issues. The Prime Minister assured the Maya Leaders that the government agrees that the Maya People must be respected, consulted, and included in initiatives that impact or can impact our communities. He communicated a welcome commitment to dialogue and engagement with the Maya People. We are encouraged by this new commitment from the Honourable Prime Minister. The Maya Leaders and Maya People greet the opportunity to engage in a respectful dialogue to seek acceptable resolutions to the many issues that affect the long term wellbeing of our communities and the future development of Belize as a young nation with much potential.
For more information on the fight to defend Mayan land rights, see our campaign here!
