Indigenous and tribal peoples demand end to carbon credit agreement

Traditional authorities of indigenous and tribal peoples have recently noted with great concern and indignation the introduction by the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environment (ROM) of carbon credit trading. Suriname has signed an agreement with an international company to sell carbon credits.

“We, the managers and protectors of our territories, demand that further processes be stopped immediately and that all components and steps be reviewed,” stated the joint letter from the Association of Indigenous Village Heads of Suriname (VIDS) and the KAMPOS Tribal Peoples Partnership of Suriname, which was sent to the government.

If the government does not take action to stop the sale of carbon credits, the groups will be forced to take further steps. The international groups will also be told how Suriname intends to enter the carbon market while putting aside the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples.

Traditional authorities of indigenous and tribal peoples have condemned the state for offering the sale of carbon credits without respecting the right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and without recognizing collective property rights over their ancestral territories, of which the forest is part.

“The government has demonstrated countless times that it has little knowledge of, and no respect for, the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples,” VIDS and KAMPOS stressed. They noted that their rights are internationally recognized, including in the Climate Treaty and the Paris Agreement, as well as in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ judgment against Suriname. “These are legally binding obligations and are not desirable. We are rights holders, not just stakeholders, and we should be treated as such,” VIDS and KAMPOS said.