On Indigenous Peoples' Demands for Free, Prior and Informed
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Document generated on 09/25/2021 2:39 p.m. Revue générale de droit Contesting the Limits of Consultation in the Amazon Region: On Indigenous Peoples’ Demands for Free, Prior and Informed Consent in Bolivia and Peru Deborah Delgado-Pugley Justice environnementale et droits humains : comprendre les Article abstract tensions et explorer les possibilités While states have legal rights over more than 60% of the world’s forests, Environmental Justice and Human Rights: Investigating the Tensions, around one billion people inhabit and “manage” them often without proper Exploring the Possibilities legal recognition. Many countries are moving towards conferring legal rights Volume 43, Special Issue, 2013 over forested land to a broad range of private actors such as individuals or communities. However, and perhaps not surprisingly, two thirds of on-going URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1021213ar violent conflicts involving rural communities are driven by contested claims over land and resources. In many Latin American countries, statutes and DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1021213ar regulations on consultation have recently become strategic issues, even though these laws are suppose to comply with treaties and declarations signed by See table of contents states some years or even decades before. Is it reasonable to claim that international approaches to indigenous rights, such as the ILO Convention 169 (1989) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Publisher(s) Peoples (2007) have actually begun to influence domestic regulations in a comprehensive manner? In that sense, what is the concrete impact of these Éditions Wilson & Lafleur, inc. approaches in policy-making processes? Is the recognition of the right to consultation bringing improvement to environmental conditions in the ISSN jurisdictions concerned? These questions are hereby addressed by means of two case studies where laws on consultation had parliamentary approval and 0035-3086 (print) were promoted by State’s agencies, but were contested by indigenous peoples’ 2292-2512 (digital) movements: the framing of the Peruvian National Law on Consultation (Law No. 29785) and the ad hoc Law on Consultation (Law No. 222) over a planned Explore this journal road through the Indigenous Territory and Isiboro-Sécure National Park, regarded as the basis for the Bolivian Law on Consultation. Cite this article Delgado-Pugley, D. (2013). Contesting the Limits of Consultation in the Amazon Region: On Indigenous Peoples’ Demands for Free, Prior and Informed Consent in Bolivia and Peru. Revue générale de droit, 43, 151–181. https://doi.org/10.7202/1021213ar Droits d'auteur © Faculté de droit, Section de droit civil, Université d'Ottawa, This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit 2013 (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ 25731_RGD_hors_serie.book Page 151 Monday, November 18, 2013 8:26 AM Contesting the Limits of Consultation in the Amazon Region: On Indigenous Peoples’ Demands for Free, Prior and Informed Consent in Bolivia and Peru DEBORAH DELGADO-PUGLEY* ABSTRACT RÉSUMÉ While states have legal rights Alors que les États détiennent over more than 60% of the des droits juridiques sur world’s forests, around one plus de 60 % des forêts du billion people inhabit and monde, près d’un milliard “manage” them often without de personnes habitent et proper legal recognition. « gèrent » ces ressources sans Many countries are moving recevoir une reconnaissance towards conferring legal juridique adéquate. Beaucoup rights over forested land to a de pays commencent à broad range of private actors conférer des droits juridiques such as individuals or sur des terres boisées à une communities. However, and panoplie d’acteurs, soit des perhaps not surprisingly, acteurs individuels privés ou two thirds of on-going violent encore à des communautés. conflicts involving rural Cependant, et peut-être que communities are driven by cela n’est pas étonnant, les contested claims over land deux tiers des conflits violents and resources. In many impliquant des communautés Latin American countries, rurales sont fondés sur des statutes and regulations on prétentions contestées de consultation have recently droits de propriété qui ont become strategic issues, even pour objet des terrains ainsi * Assistant Professor, Faculty of Sociology, Catholic University of Peru. PhD Joint Fellow Université catholique de Louvain and the École des hautes études en sciences sociales of Paris. (2013) 43 R.G.D. 151-181 25731_RGD_hors_serie.book Page 152 Monday, November 18, 2013 8:26 AM 152 Revue générale de droit (2013) 43 R.G.D. 151-181 though these laws are que des ressources naturelles. suppose to comply with Dans plusieurs pays treaties and declarations d’Amérique latine, les lois signed by states some years et les règlements sur la or even decades before. Is it consultation sont récemment reasonable to claim that devenus des enjeux international approaches to stratégiques et cela même si indigenous rights, such as the ces lois sont censées se ILO Convention 169 (1989) conformer aux traités et aux and the United Nations déclarations signés par Declaration on the Rights of les États plusieurs années Indigenous Peoples (2007) auparavant. Est-ce have actually begun to raisonnable de prétendre influence domestic regulations qu’en matière de droits des in a comprehensive manner? autochtones, les instruments In that sense, what is the internationaux telles la concrete impact of these Convention de l’OIT 169 approaches in policy-making (1989) et la Déclaration des processes? Is the recognition Nations Unies sur les droits of the right to consultation des autochtones (2007) bringing improvement to commencent à influer de environmental conditions in manière concrète sur the jurisdictions concerned? l’élaboration des lois These questions are hereby nationales des États? Si oui, addressed by means of two quels sont les effets concrets case studies where laws de ces approches en ce qui on consultation had concerne le processus parliamentary approval and d’élaboration des lois? Est-ce were promoted by State’s que la reconnaissance du agencies, but were contested droit à la consultation sert à by indigenous peoples’ améliorer les conditions movements: the framing of environnementales dans the Peruvian National Law les États concernés? Ces on Consultation (Law questions seront examinées No. 29785) and the ad hoc par l’entremise de deux Law on Consultation (Law études de cas où les lois sur la No. 222) over a planned road consultation avaient obtenu through the Indigenous l’assentiment du parlement et Territory and Isiboro-Sécure étaient aussi soutenues par National Park, regarded as des agences de l’État, mais 25731_RGD_hors_serie.book Page 153 Monday, November 18, 2013 8:26 AM DELGADO-PUGLEY Limits of Consultation in the Amazon Region 153 the basis for the Bolivian Law qui étaient contestées par des on Consultation. mouvements des peuples autochtones : le cadre qu’ont fourni la Loi sur la consultation (Peruvian National Law on Consultation No. 29785), ainsi que la Loi sur la consultation ad hoc (no 222), pour construire une rue à travers un territoire autochtone (Parc national Isiboro-Sécure), est considéré comme le fondement de la loi bolivienne sur la consultation. Key-words: Free prior Mots-clés : Principe de and informed consent, consentement préalable donné consultation, Amazon Basin, librement en connaissance de indigenous peoples’ cause, consultation, bassin movements, Peru, Bolivia. de l’Amazone, mouvements des peuples autochtones, Pérou, Bolivie. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction............................................................................................ 154 I. Indigenous Rights Regime and Latin American Post-Neoliberal Economic Growth......................................................................... 158 A. Tracing Consultation to Indigenous Peoples in the Latin American Context............................................................ 160 B. Why Compare Consultation Processes in Bolivia and Peru?.................................................................................... 162 II. Conceptual Framework: When Consultation Becomes a National “Dispositif ”................................................................................... 163 III. Contesting Prevalent Approaches and Reclaiming Change: The Peruvian Case....................................................................... 166 A. Main Contentious Issues................................................. 168 B. Lessons from the Peruvian Case........................................ 171 25731_RGD_hors_serie.book Page 154 Monday, November 18, 2013 8:26 AM 154 Revue générale de droit (2013) 43 R.G.D. 151-181 IV. Standing Against the Rescinding of Political Gains: The Bolivian Case................................................................................ 172 A. Contentious Issues ........................................................... 174 B. Some lessons from the Bolivian Case................................ 176 Conclusion .............................................................................................