Chiapas: Protest against meeting of governors on climate and forests

On 26 September, some 40 indigenous persons from communities in the Lacandon jungle and members of civil organizations carried out a protest in front of the auditorium in which was taking place the sixth Annual Meeting of the Working Group of the Governments on Climate and Forests (GCF), with the presence of officials from 16 local governments of six countries (Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, the U.S., Peru, and Nigeria, countries that hold between 15 and 20% of all of the world’s forests).  The goal of the official event was to “generate viable strategies to implement programs of care” for jungles and tropical forests, as well as to exchange information and progress with regards to the program Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD).”

Some of the protestors remained in front of the entrance of the auditorium, protected by municipal police, while others who had entered previously read a declaration to the participants of the meeting that affirms that “We come here today, in front of you, to denounce the programs and projects of the looting of our territories and resources that for some time the bad governments have attempted against us, now with a new pretext: climate change and the project called REDD.”  The protest ended with a march through the center of the city.  Several activities including forums and workshops were held at the same time as the goings-on in the official space over the course of the week.

For more information (in Spanish):

Inicia en Chiapas VI reunión de Gobernadores sobre Clima y Bosques (La Jornada, 25 de septiembre de 2012)

Chiapas es sede de la 6ª reunión del Governors Climate and Forests Task Force GCF (Boletín de prensa del gobierno del estado, 25 de septiembre de 2012)

Aplicar REDD Plus en el campo, orgullo y responsabilidad para GFC: Agustín Teras (La Jornada, 26 de septiembre de 2012)

Protestan indígenas en reunión de clima y bosques en Chiapas (La Jornada, 26 de septiembre de 2012)

Protestan contra Cumbre verde en Chiapas (El Universal, 26 de septiembre de 2012)

http://reddeldia.blogspot.mx/cion.

For more information from SIPAZ (in English):

Chiapas: civil organizations criticize the programs of compensation for carbon emissions (28 September 2012)

Chiapas: Forest programs threaten indigenous peoples (2 June 2011)

México: COP-16 in Cancún (27 December 2010)