Guyana: a UN committee expresses concern about the construction of a power plant near an Amerindian village

by time news

2024-05-03 00:51:31

A UN committee, contacted by Amerindians of Guyana, expressed to France its concern about the project to build a photovoltaic power plant in this French overseas department in South America.

The West Guyana Power Plant (CEOG) project has been contested for years by the inhabitants of Prospérité (or Atopo Wepe), an Amerindian village of the Kali’na ethnic group located two kilometers from the site. They consider the plant too close to homes and ask to find another location for it.

Lack of consultation

In a letter addressed on April 26 to the French representation in Geneva, which AFP was able to read on Thursday, the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) said it was “concerned” by the fact “that it “there would have been no consultation or free, prior and informed consent of the Kali’na people before the approval of the project” and “by the negative impact” of the project on their lands, resources and traditional way of life”.

The committee, made up of 18 independent experts who have no power to constrain States, also says it is concerned by “allegations of excessive use of force by law enforcement, detention, legal proceedings and of criminal convictions against leaders and members of the Kali’na people.”

A complaint filed by the traditional village chief

The complaint was filed at the request of the village’s traditional chief, Roland Sjabere, by the Organization of Indigenous Nations of French Guiana (ONAG) with the support of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), an NGO based in Geneva.

“The questioning of France by the Committee is a victory for the Kali’na people and for all the people who have given us their support in our fight to preserve our lands and our traditions”, reacted the customary chief Roland Sjabere, in an ISHR press release.

In its letter, the committee explains that it “fears that the allegations received could constitute a breach of the obligations” of France vis-à-vis the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and “an attack to the rights of indigenous peoples.

Information to be provided before June 26

The committee asks France to provide information before June 26 on the allegations, in particular on the measures taken to “protect the human rights of the Kali’na people” as well as those adopted or envisaged to modify the location or suspend the project “until free, prior and informed consent is obtained from the affected indigenous peoples”.

“We urge the French authorities to cooperate with the Committee and take all necessary measures to resolve the long-standing tensions around the Prospérité village,” responded Madeleine Sinclair of ISHR.

This photovoltaic plant is intended, ultimately, to supply electricity to 10,000 homes via energy storage technology running on hydrogen.

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