Project Overview
The fast-increasing expansion of extractive industries, infrastructure and real estate development in Suriname, as well as the country’s lack of legislation that recognise and protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights to their traditional lands have left Indigenous Peoples in this country in a highly vulnerable state. Their lands, forests, livelihoods and resources are continuously threatened, polluted and destroyed.
However, Indigenous Peoples are fighting back, reclaiming their rights.
In 2005, 2007 and later in 2015, after Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ rulings, Suriname was formally obliged to develop legislation that recognises and protects Indigenous and Tribal Peoples (ITPs) and their collective rights. Despite the court’s orders, there is yet no formal law that protects Suriname’s Indigenous and Tribal Peoples. Instead, violations of Indigenous rights in the country continue to be made. For instance, various land titles are being issued in Indigenous and Tribal lands disrespecting their property rights, without proper FPIC processes, and many times without the full knowledge of the involved communities.
In 2023 violations to Indigenous rights became even more alarming, as a presidential decree, which allows land lease titles to be easily converted into property titles, was passed. This increased ITPs vulnerability as many lease titles are in ITPs’ traditional territories. Suriname is also currently experiencing a rapid expansion of different extractive industries that pressure ancestral lands. The lack of effective regulation has allowed industries to encroach in ITPs’ collective lands.
In light of the critical situation, VIDS aims to implement a range of strategic actions that will help secure and protect Indigenous collective lands in 7 districts of the country.
The project which came into fruition after an extensive consultation process with the communities involved specifically aims to:
1. Strengthen the protection of Indigenous territories by designing and implementing Indigenous territorial monitoring and surveillance systems
2. Support demarcation and mapping processes in Indigenous territories that are not currently formalised
3. Strengthen traditional governance and management systems of project communities by helping update, develop and implement village regulations and develop and implement territorial Indigenous management processes
4. Improve the preparedness and capacity of community leaders so they can effectively participate and exert their influence in the development of legislation that intends to protect Indigenous Peoples and their territories in Suriname
