In an open letter to the president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa Delgado, more than a dozen organizations, including the NGO Forum on environment and development, show their relief because of the decision to stop the closure of the Acción Ecológica. They also stressed the importance of freedom of speech and freedom of organization.
There is a plan to build a copper mine in the amazon rainforest of Ecuador in the midst of the Shuar territory. The nationally and internationally renowned NGO Acción Ecológica has continuously spoken out in favor of the Shuar and against the mining project. As a consequence, the Ecuadorian government has claimed that the NGO supported violent actions in the area. On December 20, 2016, a process leading to the closure of Acción Ecológica was started which led to a wave of international support from various NGOs, members of parliament, celebrities, and activists.
In their letter, the signing organizations also demand that a Peace and Enlightenment Commission for the territories of the Shuar in the Morona Santiago province be established. They also ask for the initiation of a national dialogue between all actors. This dialogue should have a long-term objective for finding financial alternatives to the exploitation of raw materials in the fight against poverty.
You can download the entire letter here.