HRREC Human Rights Clinic Contributes to the Creation of Indigenous Reserve in the Peruvian Amazon

By University of Ottawa

Human Rights Research and Education Centre, HRREC

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On April 10, the Peruvian Ministry of Culture created the Yavarí Tapiche reserve in Loreto (a region in the heart of the Amazon). This Indigenous reserve is over 1 million hectares long and is the home to at least 3 Indigenous Peoples living in voluntary isolation.

The creation of this reserve, the largest in Peru, is in part, a consequence of a precautionary measure that our Human Rights Clinic with IDL and ORPIO (2 leading Peruvian NGOs) filed before the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights. In the submission, our organizations requested the protection of the rights to life and territory of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation in the Peruvian Amazon.

In preparation for this submission, students of the Business and Human Rights in the Americas Project researched international standards on the rights to life, health and territory of Indigenous Peoples. This is a significant achievement for Indigenous Peoples in Peru and the Amazon region, and also a great experience for the students who participated in the submission.