The President of Peru Ollanta Humala has given his approval to a law which gives the indigenous communities a right to be consulted over development being planned on their lands. The law was enacted by President Humala in Bagua which is a region in the Amazon where more than 30 people were killed in 2009 while protesting against oil and mining projects.
President Humala is hopeful that the new law will ensure that the indigenous Peruvians are treated like full citizens. The new law will ensure that the mining and energy firms consult the rural communities about any new projects that they are planning on their ancestral territories to avoid the kind of conflicts that have stalled investments in the past few years.
Human rights groups have been calling for this consultation law for the indigenous communities for a long time. The law stops short of giving the communities a veto power over new projects. It has also been welcomed by the industry leaders in the resource rich country. The conflicts have taken more than a hundred lives in the past.
The previous President Alan Garcia had blocked a similar law. After the consultation law was signed hundreds of indigenous tribesmen gathered in Bagua to see President Humala. He told the crowds that the law was an important step towards building a republic that respects all its nationalities. He added that the law would encourage investment by reducing social conflict as it had the backing of business groups.
Peru has become the world’s fastest growing economy thanks to the commodities boom. In the next decade the Andean nation expects to gain over $ 50 billion in terms of investments. The boom was stalled due to the frequent conflict caused as mining companies tried to build new projects in ancestral lands of the indigenous communities.