Solidarity Statement from
THE GLOBAL CAMPAIGN DISMANTLE CORPORATE POWER
AND STOP IMPUNITY
We support Mexican indigenous communities who are resisting the construction of another wind farm on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. We express solidarity, in concert with numerous Mexican organizations, with the people of San Dionisio del Mar, Juchitán de Zaragoza, San Dionisio Pueblo Viejo, San Francisco Pueblo Viejo, Alvaro Obregon, San Francisco del Mar, Santa Maria Xadani, Union Hidalgo , San Mateo del Mar and Santa María del Mar, who are being directly and indirectly impacted by this mega project.
These livelihoods and environment of these ancient communities will be severely affected by project investors: Marena Renovables investments, PGGM, Mitsubishi Corporation, Macquarie and the Inter-American Development Bank, none of which have consulted with the communities. The responsibility lies with the investors and transnational corporations that are benefiting from the energy produced by the project including subsidiaries and divisions of Fomento Economico Mexicano, SAB de CV (FEMSA) and Cerveceria Cuauhtemoc Moctezuma (CCM-Heineken).
We want to publicly denounce some of the most significant abuses committed by the transnationals involved in this mega project. For example: the corporations only pay 100 pesos (just over $ 7) per hectare per year to reserve the land needed to generate electricity; employment has been offered to the people of the communities, but what is actually being created trough that are shock troupes which will later provoke violence in the communities; building permits have been ignored; and finally the companies have promised payments of only 1.4% of earnings from the sale of energy for the use of the land, however once the power generation begins, the contracts are likely to be modified at the companies’ convenience, much like what took place with the construction and expansion of docks.
The fact that the IDB celebrates this project as “an important step in the development of viable renewable energy projects” is representative of the corporate capture of the development model that this bank calls “sustainable”.
For these reasons we demand:
– Stop the installation of the wind farm, which means ending the transportation of equipment – which for at least one month has been transported into the project area – until the affected indigenous communities have been consulted as is required by Convention 169 of the International Labour Organization, and that they unrestrictedly respect the will of the ikojts nation which has stated through the strong voice of its women: NO TO THE MEGAPROJECT.
– Immediately remove any pressure, threat and violence against indigenous communities and human rights defenders who have sympathized with the people ikojts in defense of their territory.
– Remove from the communities as soon as possible paramilitaries and other armed groups who terrorize and intimidate citizens who have spoken out against the wind project.
– Respect the Mexican state and national laws that provide a minimum of protection to indigenous communities, such as the Law of Indigenous Peoples of Oaxaca.
The Global Campaign to Dismantle Corporate Power and Stop Impunity was launched in June 2012 in order to unite the hundreds of struggles, campaigns, networks, movements and organizations that are combating transnational corporations and their impact on workers’ rights, the environment and life itself in every corner of the planet. The campaign believes that corporations are responsible for the ongoing repression and criminalization of social struggles and for the indecent economic, social and environmental conditions the majority of the world’s population lives in.
It is time, in México and around the world, that we say ENOUGH to the system of power and impunity that has been created by corporations in collaboration with morally corrupt governments and institutions.
STOP THE IMPUNITY!
