Expression of Support for the Human Rights and Continued Existence of the Indigenous Peoples of Amazonia
Resolution text
Resolved, That The Executive Council, meeting virtually from June 8, 2020, to June 11, 2020, understands the historic aberration of imposing political boundaries on areas inhabited by indigenous peoples, the practice of which has caused untold suffering by native peoples around the world; and be it further
Resolved, That Amazonia, the area encompassing the Amazon River basin, is home to some 400 different tribes, each with its own unique language, culture, and territory, many of whom have had centuries of contact with outside cultures, and some of whom have had very little contact with outside peoples, which tribes represent a great repository of natural wisdom and cultural treasure, have been subjugated, oppressed, marginalized, and neglected by the political entities whose boundaries span the Amazon Basin, their lands being destroyed by deforestation and mining activities, their cultures being systematically decimated by the dominant culture, and their health being compromised by poor diets and ineffective, or nonexistent, health care systems; and be it further
Resolved, this present COVID-19 pandemic presents an existential threat to the indigenous peoples of Amazonia, as the virus spreads unchecked through their populations, as the nations in which they find themselves: Peru, Colombia, and Brazil, struggle to respond to this global crisis. The result of this crisis is that some of these tribes could cease to exist; and be it further
Resolved, That The Executive Council urges dioceses, congregations, and individuals to support, and recommit to, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as embraced by Episcopal Relief and Development, and calls upon the Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil, the Episcopal Diocese of Colombia, and The Anglican Church of South America, to continue to work diligently with aid agencies, international organizations, and their respective governments, to support the indigenous population of Amazonia in whatever way possible during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, seeking to assure the continuation of their languages, culture, and very lives.