 Good day My name is Jim Davis. I'm the Africa Partnerships Coordinator here at Kairas Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives And we're very pleased to have with us Verney Yoko Gandiano She is with the in Agbo-Yom in a bullion Group affiliated with the indigenous group affiliated with the Cordelia Peoples Alliance in northern Philippines And also joining us My name is Connie Soryo and I coordinate the partnerships program in the Asia Pacific and in Agbo-Yom with Verney with us today The bull is a partner of the yeah of Kairas in Asia Hi Verney So I'm Verney Yoko Gandiano I Am with in Agbo-Yom. That's an alliance of indigenous women's organizations in the Cordelia And it's affiliated with the Cordelia Peoples Alliance, which is very much involved In the independence of land life and resources of indigenous peoples in the Cordelia area fighting for self-determination In your view, Verney What are some of the most pressing questions That indigenous communities are dealing with around resource extraction Okay, yeah, that's a very important question. So right now the indigenous the Cordelia region which is largely inhabited by indigenous peoples in the Philippines are the attention of the Philippine government in terms of Extracting the natural resources particularly on its mineral resources So the Cordelia regions were rich in natural resources particularly mineral resources and at the moment around 66% of the indigenous Cordelia ancestral domain have been applied by Mining transnational corporations including five Canadian Mining corporations so that that has the Philippine government has really become very aggressive in terms of Offering these natural resources to foreign Corporations, especially after the enactment of the Philippine mining act of 1995. So this law has actually given all the rights including water rights, timber rights, eviction rights, repatriation of capital to them Countries of the mining companies coming to operate in the Cordelia region and giving no rights at all to the indigenous peoples So this has really become a very serious issues serious issue among indigenous peoples and particularly to women who are very much dependent to the land and natural resources Verney you touched on the Canadian connection. Can you elaborate on this? Can you say a bit more? Yeah, so I've mentioned a wonderful that there are five Canadian mining companies Which have applications in the Cordelia region. This includes the Ivan who mines the Terra Nova, the Sol Futara, the Olympus, Olympus Pacific Mining and Golden the Golden Valley resources, but actually the Yeah, Ivan who, the Ivan who, Terra Nova, Olympus Pacific Mining have like started with their with their Yeah, the exploration with their exploration and happy to inform Kairos and of course the Canadian public that these operations have been opposed, these exploration activities of this mining this Canadian mining companies have been opposed locally and it's very important that the Canadian public and well indigenous peoples all over the world were also having same struggles, know that this has been opposed and continue to be opposed at the local level and this information is also brought to a wider not just Cordelia affected communities, but even other communities affected by mining in the Philippines And I'm wondering if you can also patch on you know the complicity or if I may say this company's operation in the region aggravating the human rights situation in the Cordelia. Yeah, it's very much the struggle against the operation of these mining companies is very much connected to the human rights of indigenous peoples and of women in the Cordegera and of course in the Philippines where Canadian mining companies are also operating Well, even if it had been the history in them in the Of indigenous peoples in the Cordegera that where there are development aggression projects where there is resource extraction by the state and by Comparations, there is also militarization and of course it's very obvious now that the state of militarization in the Cordegera region is found in areas where there are applications and When militarization happens, there is of course the violation of human rights of the communities and and so there is this deployment of a big number of Government soldiers and Yes, and there's like direct attack to the communities the leaders of organizations opposing mining activities and other development aggression are being Become the targets and they they really suffer various forms of human rights violations Even you know the threat to their lives like some of them some of our leaders have actually been subject Have actually been victims of extrajudicial killings perpetrated by the state We're finding that all over the world that human rights defenders are very vulnerable Let me let me just ask you about to something that we've heard a lot about here It's the United Nations declaration of the rights of indigenous people And I'm just wondering How useful is it? In asserting indigenous people's rights over access and control of the resources and their ability to say no To exploration and development that would have negative impacts on On their land and way of life Okay, so the United Nations declaration of the rights of indigenous people is actually a product of indigenous people struggles all over the world wanting Wanting their rights to be recognized internationally So we are really very well the Cordillera people's alliance had been part of developing or coming up with them That declaration that we're happy that finally in September 13 2007 this was adopted by the United Nations, but of course we're having problems with like the big The powerful Governments all over the world, which includes the Canadian government has not signed has not signed The declaration so actually the indigenous people's including my my organization is campaigning campaigning and putting pressure in the governments of Canada United Nations Australia New Zealand to sign To adapt the tools to sign the declaration well in terms of how the UN is really Advancing or like Facilitating the recognition of our rights. Well, I can say that it's a document It's an additional human rights document or tool that indigenous people's can use all over the world to advance and to put forward their issues concerning I mean, yeah concerning everything that About indigenous people's rights and it's so it's also very important that The the UN dream has to be like has to be Used to as an as an educational tool among indigenous people so that they will be They will be aware that there is such a There is such a declaration on the other hand even without the UN declaration the rise of indigenous people's I think indigenous people's have been asserting the rights for a long long time And given that there is already one there is the UN. It is say like an additional material to push states corporations governments to Respect to recognize the rise of indigenous peoples and especially now that Well, the rich the powerful nations have become really more aggressive in looking into the natural resources of Of the of the world which are mostly found indigenous peoples That the indigenous lands that we use this declaration to like Stop the Incursions Yeah, like I mean we have the UN trip at the international level, but specifically the Philippines actually There is the indigenous peoples rights act that is enacted by the Philippine government and I'm wondering How is that, you know, uh, how is that useful in terms of? Supporting and aiding Yeah, indigenous peoples to assert their right and have a yeah the exercise fp, you know, the free prior and informed Consent for mining companies or any kind of development, you know To to enter the community Yeah, in the case of the Philippines we have the We have the indigenous peoples rights act, but I would say that My organization the Cordelia peoples alliance have been very critical about about this for the reason that it has many Many loopholes, but one one important provision that we can actually use In the the indigenous peoples rights act is the free prior and informed consent Now it's talking about the free prior and informed consent unfortunately that the government agency the national commission and indigenous peoples which is supposed to implement the indigenous peoples right has like Has worked in complicity with the corporations So even violating the free prior free prior and informed consent provision So there we have like several cases of manipulation of how the National commission of indigenous peoples and only the mining companies have really manipulated the provision of free prior informed consent So one of one of the things that they do They do very badly is to like organize faith or bogus tribal leaders or organizations and They make the agreement or they They have these bogus tribal leaders or Tribal indigenous peoples organizations to give them the free prior informed consent But the truth is the the communities or the the real organizations are asserting the Their right to land and natural resources have Opposed or are not willing to give their Consist their free prior informed consent to these corporate interests Do you find it contradictory like on one hand? We have the mining act of 1995 that allows you know kinds of opens up the country for the exploration of You know multinational companies, right and then you have the indigenous peoples rights act So I mean how do you how do you reconcile or is it from the very beginning? It's a contradiction You know in one hand you want to protect the rights of the indigenous peoples to say yes or no To the exploration of you know They're in their lands and on the other hand you have this Act that allows any companies to apply for mining concessions Yeah, it really is a very big Contradiction although in the part of the state or the government They used the lame reason that the philipin mining act was set up two years before the And yeah before the enactment of the indigenous peoples trying that but in any case But in any case if it's a government or if the state seems you're in protecting upholding the rights of indigenous peoples then It wouldn't matter whether the mining act the philipin mining act was in place before the indigenous peoples rights act Was enacted so it's really a very big contradiction and it really um, you know, it really um Frustrates indigenous peoples organizations Uh, that the philipin government is using that as a reason to answer Whenever to answer our Our questions whenever we challenge them that they should already Recognize or they should um Yeah, they should look into the cause of indigenous peoples of repealing the philipin mining act of 2000 Of 1985 at the same time looking into how the you know, uh, there had been like recommendations from indigenous peoples like from Cordillera peoples alliance of like Looking into how the philipin government should have made the Not just limit the themselves in the indigenous or the existing indigenous peoples rights act, but like considering also recommendations arising from indigenous peoples organizations especially with with more aggressive operations of corporations in expecting the remaining resources of indigenous peoples And I think well aside that there is say already the united nation Of the rest of indigenous peoples the whole world is complaining and talking about climate crisis And if we're talking about climate crises and other forms of crises We should learn our lessons from the indigenous peoples when how they have on how we have asserted our defended our land and natural Natural resources and this should this resources should not be looked upon by the powerful nations Our full governments and corporations for their own profit But they should look at how indigenous peoples have sustainably used these resources As I believe that we don't have another world There's no other world that we will go the planet earth is our only Only world and even if we don't We still need a land to uh to settle our bodies. So, um, yeah, it's a message to Not just for indigenous peoples, but to the people all over the world, especially to all the corporations and the powerful Governments ruling the world that they should really learn from the indigenous peoples Experiences. Um, I'm wondering if you can also kind of expound a bit on to work or doing at the regional level I understand that in a bullet is a member or us actually doing the secretariat work for Rim the and speaking regional, you know, uh, formation of women in mining. Yeah, so, uh, uh, In a boyogue is also part of a an international network of women and mining so specifically on the issue of mining we're able to Brought our Our issues and mining to that network and at the same time learn from how other Women all over the world not necessarily indigenous peoples of how they're defending their land from the onslaught of mining corporations Aside from the international network of women in mining we also have like We were able to Be part of other women's networks of which we are able to Bring the issues of indigenous women particularly on the issue of mining so, um on the 13th to 16th of this Of this month, we attended an international women's conference and Two of the very important workshops of which were part is the Women in Development Aggression Workshop, which we were able to Bring the the issues faced by indigenous women and other women's Women sectors of women affected by mining so that was like organized by cows Yes, and aside from that I know who you go as also part of the workshop on the struggles of indigenous women So in that, uh, we uh, we got to we got to To see that you know, it's not only us They need to know some women and peoples of the Cordillera region in the Philippines who are experiencing the onslaught of mining corporations but also other women women's organizations like in Latin America And uh, we're uh speaking about although this is not only on mining like, you know, the very indigenous peoples of Canada are also experiencing development aggression in the form of like, um Lagging operations in their Yeah What would you say are the positive steps of indigenous communities That you know, uh, what would they look like? Any positive steps that uh, they aspire to? Well, the fact that we are opposing the uh, the different forms of development aggression And I'm happy to say that indigenous women are In the four line in the forefront of opposing this development aggression. It's a very positive step This is one way by uh, this is a manifestation of indigenous women Empowering themselves and empowering other women should Telling the wider community that they're not just they're only uh for the homes But they're also very much involved in the struggle and I I believe that they're the indigenous women's involvement in in their community struggles is because indigenous women have a very, um and have a very, um Yes, and uh, yeah, holistic View on the land and how this relates very much to the lives of indigenous peoples and because indigenous women are also very much involved in the in in In ensuring that their families and their communities will survive So it's a very it's an issue It's a very important survival issue for indigenous women. That's why they are very much involved So when aside from the local organizing, I think it's very important also for indigenous women and peoples to like Bring these issues to the wider public not just among indigenous peoples. So bring this to um to Love these issues to government to To the local and national governments at the same time calling the attention of like groups outside of the country, especially in in the countries where These companies are coming from so it's very important that the canadian public at the same time Legislators or parliamentarians from canada and your government should also be aware of this These issues so networking advocacy at the weather level and well, of course linking this issue this issues of indigenous peoples to other peoples and women's organizations and movements all over the world like the one that was just set up in montreal From august 13 to 16 the international women's alliance, so this would be another like forum by which indigenous women's voices could be heard and brought to a wider level Especially since you know majority of the of the mining companies are registered here in canada And in the philippines more than half of the companies have applied for mining processions in the philippines like canadians um, i just want to mention too that um In canada we have you know bill c 300 That is going to be voted on i think as soon as the parliament assumes in in september But also to mention that according to the our peoples alliance And you know will be part of that is one of those international organizations have sent letters of support Addressing the parliament supporting the passage of you know Recognizing that it's not it will not resolve You know all issues that indigenous communities and affected communities face But i think it's a step forward In penalizing Companies mining companies who are right, of course bill c 300 is uh, canadian proposed canadian legislation That would restrict canadian support for canadian mining companies That do not meet international minimal standards for human rights And environment concerns Again your perspective bernie is good That kind of effort help and support be the resistance You know you're waiting in in your country and specific countries against you know the introduction of mining companies Yeah, that's uh, that's the reason why the court we are people's alliance and in the u.s. like supported The Of canadian organizations like kairos To endorse the bill c 300 and actually uh, and uh, well, yeah, like only uh, like uh, conning mensch would Of course, we don't Like we don't we don't look at the bill c 300 as like the The the the solution but like what calling mensch on it's a step Is step forward? Yeah, actually we also presented that in our in the in the resolution that we had In the workshop on women and So, um, of course, uh Yes, we are we are happy Well, uh, what's important for me is like, uh, uh, we have canadian parliamentarians who Who have carried on the campaign and who are who are less We are able to work when in terms of the issue of mining and other forms of extractive industry of which uh, canadian companies are And just to let well, you know, um the kairos campaign for the fall is Is titled this land our life basically focusing on you know indigenous rights and Gas and oil resource extraction Yeah, and of course, uh, the corny area people's alliance. I mean the boy is also, uh, Happy that kairos has like Paying out with this campaign which is very much supported of the current issues that indigenous people's and women are facing