THE SAAMAKA PEOPLE NEED YOUR SUPPORT

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.

JOIN THE MOBILISATION ON JUNE 28

Download our media kit and spread the word on social media, among friends, and in your community.

 

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