Organization of American States requests immediate suspension of Belo Monte dam in Brazilian Amazon
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), part of the Organization of American States (OAS), has officially requested the Brazilian Government to immediately suspend the Belo Monte Dam Complex in the Amazonian state of Para, citing the project’s potential harm to the rights of traditional communities living within the Xingu river basin.
According to the IACHR, the Brazilian Government must comply with legal obligations to undertake a consultation process that is “free, prior, informed, of good faith and culturally appropriate” with indigenous peoples threatened by the project before further work can proceed. The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs must inform the OAS within 15 days regarding urgent measures undertaken to comply with the Commission’s resolution.
Read the Interamerican Association for Environmental Defence press release on this issue.