Indigenous peoples and oil
Seminar in Helsinki, Finland, February 5-7, 1999
More and more indigenous communities all over the world are
affected by oil and gas exploration and production. The oil
industry has systemically violated indigenous peoples' right to
life and self determination. The imposition of massive industrial
projects on their land is threatening both physical and social
existence of cultures which are often ecologically exemplary.
These concerns have prompted a coalition of Finnish NGO's and
individual activists to invite representatives of indigenous
people from oil producing areas to tell about their plight and to
discuss together strategies to defend the
earth. In the seminar we have a unique opportunity to hear at one
place the voices of the Khanty and the Nenets from Siberia, the
Ogoni from Nigeria and peoples from Ecuador and Columbia.
The organizing NGOs are the Fourth World - First Peoples Finland,
the Friends of the Earth Finland, the Service Centre for
Development Cooperation, the Shell Boycott Campaign, Tinku
Finland, the Committee on Fenno-Ugric Issues of the Student Union
of the Helsinki University, the Finland-Russia Friendship Society
and the M.A. Castrén Society. Furthermore in the organizing
committee there are several independent activists and
reasearchers.
The seminar takes place in the main building of
the Helsinki University at the city centre. (The address:
Fabianinkatu 33, 3rd floor, the small festival hall.) It begins
at 5 pm on Friday February the 5th and continues on Saturday from
11 am till 4 pm. The working languages are English, Russian,
Spanish and Finnish. The entrance is free of charge.
Some of the quests arrive already on 1st of January and leave on
14th of February. Between these dates there are several other
events and cultural programs besides the seminar in different
parts of the country where the quests give talks and participate
in discussions. For example on 1st of February there is a
workshop in the Institute for Human Rights of Ĺbo Akademi
University in Turku on international law and indigenous peoples.
You may inform us of your coming and inquire further information on the seminars and other events, of the following persons:
Ulla Lehtinen tel. +358-2-235 3757,
-250 2191, fax: - 251 7465,
address: Fourth World Finland, Eerikinkatu 5, FIN-20100 Turku,
email: First.people@sci.fi
Riitta Raunio tel. +358-9-512 1882, email: Liitis.eny@sci.fi
Jouni Nissinen tel. +358-9-612 3997, email: Jouni.nissinen@kepa.fi
Olli Tammilehto tel. +358-9-171 246, email: Olli.tammilehto@helsinki.fi
More information about
oil and indigenous peoples:
http://www.mediakylpyla.hel.fi/kodit/kim/
http://www.ran.org/oilreport/intro.html
http://uwa.moles.org/
http://www.corpwatch.org/
http://www.laneta.apc.org/oilwatch/index.html
http://antenna.nl/aseedeur/oilwatch/index.htm
http://www.moles.org/ProjectUnderground/index1.html
http://www.seen.org/wbkey.html
http://www.koeln-online.de/infoe/report.html
About khants and nenetses:
http://arcticcircle.uconn.edu/SEEJ/Khanty/
http://arcticcircle.uconn.edu/SEEJ/Yamal/
http://www.helsinki.fi/~tasalmin/sketch.html
http://www.sll.fi/TRN/TaigaNews/News13/RussianOil.html
http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/bwi-wto/rusoil1.htm
http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/khants.shtml
http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/nenets.shtml
http://www.suri.ee/eup/ob.html
http://www.suri.ee/eup/khants.html
http://www.suri.ee/eup/nenets.html