Simons prepares protection law, VIDS calls for recognition of full living areas

The Vereniging van Inheemse Dorpshoofden in Suriname (VIDS, Association of Indigenous Village Chiefs in Suriname) had previously asked the government not to promulgate the law, because, according to the organisation, it provides insufficient protection for the full traditional living areas and collective rights.

According to Simons, the intended promulgation forms part of the accelerated approach to the land rights issue for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples. In doing so, the government is opting for dialogue based on the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC): free, prior and informed consent.

The president said that the size of the areas will be adjusted following consultations. The annual address did not explain which boundaries are being proposed and when the promulgation is to take place.

VIDS considers protection zone too limited

On August 31, VIDS handed over its collective resolutions on the law to the Kabinet van de President (Office of the President). The documents were received by Theresia Cirino, a member of the presidential working group Grondenrechten en Decentralisatie (Land Rights and Decentralisation). Among other things, the organisation requested that the law not be promulgated and that the full traditional living areas be legally protected.

The existing arrangement is intended to temporarily protect communities by prohibiting new concessions for, among other things, logging, gold mining, sand extraction, mining and large-scale agriculture within a radius of five kilometres around village centres.

According to VIDS, that zone is inadequate. The traditional residential and living areas extend beyond the immediate surroundings of the villages. The association also fears that the temporary arrangement could further delay the final recognition of land rights.

Collective rights and existing concessions

A fundamental objection of VIDS is that the arrangement does not recognise collective ownership rights and that the areas concerned remain state land. The organisation therefore calls for legal recognition of collective rights and protection of the full traditional territories.

Key News previously also reported on VIDS’s objection that existing third-party rights are protected, while the collective rights of Indigenous communities are not recognised. According to the association, protecting only a limited zone therefore does not provide an adequate solution to conflicts over land use.

VIDS further demands implementation of the Kali’na and Lokono judgment of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, respect for FPIC and legal recognition of the Traditioneel Gezag. The organisation also calls for the granting of concessions within Indigenous territories to be halted.

Adjustment of areas not yet elaborated

The announced adjustment in size addresses an important objection of VIDS: the limited protection zone. However, the annual address does not indicate how the government intends to address the other objections, including the absence of collective ownership rights and the position of existing concessions.

Nor does the address indicate that VIDS has agreed to the intended promulgation. The earlier resolutions specifically contain a request not to promulgate the law. This leaves the question of how the announced consultations will lead to an arrangement that both offers protection and accommodates the collective rights invoked by the organisation.