THE SAAMAKA PEOPLE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

Case update: January, 2026

For centuries, the Afro-descendant Saamaka people have protected their forests, rivers, and biodiversity in Suriname—safeguarding a vital part of the Amazon. In April 2024, the government approved a gold-mining concession, nearly half of which overlaps with Saamaka traditional territory, including sacred and intact rainforest areas. In response, more than 125 Saamaka community members united to issue the Goejaba Declaration, peacefully rejecting the concession and demanding mining stop on their land. Thanks to community-led geospatial evidence, the project is currently on hold. However, Saamaka leader and human rights defender Hugo Jabini—and other leaders who spoke out—are now facing serious threats.

We ask the government of Suriname to: 

  • Guarantee immediate protection for Hugo Jabini and other Saamaka leaders;
  • Reject the nine current gold mining plans that overlap with the Western part of the Saamaka territory and any future extractive projects anywhere on their ancestral land.

 

June, 2024
Join the Saamaka mobilization to protest against the deforestation of their home, to demand the full stop of the Palmera road and for the legal recognition of their land rights.

Aggressive deforestation and intrusive logging activities are threatening the Saamaka’s right to self-determination. These practices are devastating, not only to Saamaka ancestral lands but also to the rich biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest. 

The Saamaka people have lived in harmony with the Amazon rainforest for centuries. Their traditional knowledge and sustainable practices are invaluable to conserving this unique ecosystem. The destruction of their land is a direct assault on their culture, heritage, and way of life.

In 2007, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) ruled in the community’s favour mandating the government of Suriname to stop the logging and mining concessions in the area, demarcate their territory, and legally recognise their collective ownership rights over the land. 

14 years later, the government of Suriname has not fully complied with the ruling. On the contrary, Saamaka’s human rights continue to be violated, and logging and mining industries are destroying their forest at alarming rates.

Update October 2025

Protect the Forest for the Next Generation – Statement for COP 16, Cali, Colombia 2024

Association Saamaka Communities is committed to the recognition of collective land rights of Indigenous and Afro-Descendant Tribal Peoples in Suriname.

The Saamaka (Afro-Descendant Tribal People) have conserved a large area of ​​the Amazon rainforest for more than 3 centuries. The extensive living and habitat of the Saamaka covers an area of ​​approximately 1,400,000 hectares divided over 74 villages, which is also a habitat for all kinds of flora and fauna that live in harmony with the Saamaka. The maritime biodiversity of the Saamaka is maintained because people also depend on clean water for domestic purposes and fishing.

In the context of the theme for the COP 16: Peace With Nature, the Saamaka are the pure example of how people and nature can live in harmony with each other and maintain the balance of life.

Yet, our territories and our communities have also been under attack for centuries. In 2007, we achieved a major legal victory when the Inter-American Court of Human Rights mandated the government to stop logging and mining concessions in the area, demarcate their territory, and legally recognize their collective ownership rights over the land. Today, we are still waiting for our lands to be recognized and our human rights to be respected. Moreover, since 1990, 77% of deforestation within Saamaka lands has occurred after the ruling.

Therefore, VSG calls upon the UN CBD members and the Government of Surinames for urgent action to:

  • Pass the “Collective Rights of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Act” to secure the collective land rights of the Saamaka people and other Indigenous, Afro-Descendant Tribal Peoples.
  • Provide better climate and biodiversity financing to support sustainable development in Indigenous communities.
  • Empower Suriname’s young people to utilize the Amazon’s rich biodiversity for sustainable livelihoods.

Through this call, VSG reminds the world of the interconnectedness of human rights, climate change, and biodiversity. By supporting the Saamaka people and their cause, we can help to ensure true Peace with Nature and Communities.

 KEY FACTS

→ Suriname is the only country in the Western hemisphere that does not recognise the traditional ownership rights to land of indigenous and tribal people. 

→ Despite the 2007 ruling by the IACHR, the government has persistently granted concessions for logging and mining on Saamaka territory, without obtaining free prior and informed consent (FPIC): 

    • 32% of the Saamaka territory has been granted in concessions. 
    • A striking 77% of all negative impacts to the area have occurred since the 2007 ruling. 
    • Palmera N.V. road has expanded from 4 km to 42.7 km in two years, enabling access to hundreds of hectares of culturally and spiritually significant rainforest preserved by the Saamaka for nearly three centuries.
    • Tons of timber are being illegally taken from Saamaka territory without fair benefit sharing.
    • The concessions operating in the Saamaka people’s direct vicinity are responsible for degrading over 70,000 hectares of forest, and the direct deforestation of 30,000 hectares. 

OUR CALL TO ACTION

Join us in standing with the Saamaka people to protect their land and the Amazon rainforest. By signing this petition, you will:

⇒ Demand the Suriname Government fully comply with the ruling of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and sign the ILO Convention 169

⇒ Support Legal Action to recognize the Saamaka land ownership and self-determination rights 

⇒ Demand the stop road work and all logging activities along the Palmera road 

⇒ Demand that the government and logging industries comply with the three safeguards of the ruling:

• Ensure that Free Prior Informed Consent takes place for any development project according to Saamaka customs and traditions

• Guarantee that the Saamaka  receive a  fair share of benefits from any development plan within their territory

• Ensure that no concession will be issued within Saramaka territory unless and until independent and technically capable entities  perform a prior environmental and social impact assessment

 

Stand with the Saamaka people protecting the remaining 1.1 million hectares of undisturbed forest, which are both a sacred space for them and a carbon sink.  

Stand with the Saamaka

SURINAME THE GREENEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD?

Read new geospatial data  LandMark – Global Platform of Indigenous and community lands