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COMECE meets with indigenous leader ahead of the Pan-Amazon Synod

On Friday 5thJuly 2019 COMECE welcomed Mr. Adriano Karipuna, indigenous leader from the Brazilian Amazon region, to discuss the challenges faced by local communities and to gather views ahead of the Bishop’s Synod for the Amazon, which will take place in Rome on 6-27 October 2019.

(Credit: COMECE)

Accompanied by Mr. Cleber César Buzatto – Executive Secretary of the Indigenous Missionary Council of Brazil (CIMI) – Mr. Karipuna pointed out the need to address human rights, socio-economic and ecological challenges by protecting the land rights of indigenous communities and preserving their traditional practices.

In the context of the recently concluded EU-Mercosur negotiations and of the on-going review of the EU Action on Human Rights and Democracy, COMECE advocates for a reinforced emphasis on indigenous people through an effective access to justice to counter violation of their rights, as well as an inclusive participation of indigenous representatives in all processes affecting their communities.

In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), COMECE also encourages the EU to take ambitious steps to ensure policy coherence between its trade and development policies by adopting effective legislation on corporate social responsibility and by playing a constructive role in the UN negotiations on a binding Business & Human Rights treaty.

This meeting follows the September 2018 Brussels’ visit of the Red Eclesial Panamazónica (REPAM) presidency and the June 2019 dialogue event “How can the Church and the EU support Human Rights defenders in the Amazon?” with Mr. José Batista Afonso, lawyer of the Brazilian Bishops’ Comissão Pastoral da Terra (CPT).

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