Avilio Shaki, Director of the Shuar Arutam Community, Ecuador (Zamora Chinchipe Province, Ecuador)
I represent 47 communities and 6 associations, in a territory of 220,000 hectares, 13,000 inhabitants and 2,000 families.
For me to arrive as a representative of my organization is important and it is necessary to articulate policies among the organizations because we believe it is necessary to base participation and clarify the issue of Free, Prior and Informed Consultation as a fundamental right for indigenous peoples, since we are directly affected by extractives projects in our territories.
At no time until this date have we had any type of action by the state government, and we have not been the subject of FPIC procedures.
In our territory, there are large-scale mining concessions and exploitation projects. We have two concessions that are in our territory, one in Loguet, the other in Panantza San Carlos sector.
I received an invitation from COICA [to attend the workshop]. From Morona Santiago province I had to take a bus, a journey that takes a route from Gualaquiza to Macas to Puyo, from Puyo to Lago Agrio, in total it has been almost 16 or 17 hours of travel.
