MLA turns to the UN for intervention

Cristina Coc

In late October the Maya Leaders Alliance expressed outrage that US Capital Energy was erroneously giving the impression that the Mayan communities were in favor of oil exploration on communal lands. In their fight for enforcement of Court rulings affirming that the Mayas have communal land rights, the MLA has also turned to the United Nations seeking its intervention on its Rights to Food. According to Christina Coc the UN has now written to the US government to ensure that US Capital Energy upholds human rights standards in Mayan communities.  Coc says it is good news.

Via phone: Cristina Coc, Spokesperson, Maya Leaders Alliance

“We as the Maya Leaders Alliance and the Toledo Alcaldes Association have been engaging various UN bodies, including the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Food and we are very pleased to know that our efforts have produced some results.  We’ve seen the press release where the Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Food have written to the U.S. Ambassador to call on the U.S. to ensure that a U.S. company, U.S. Capital Energy, that they uphold human rights standards, that they uphold their responsibility and their obligation to particularly the Mayan communities where U.S. Capital has a permit to drill for oil.  We are very pleased that the Special Rapporteur is seeking to engage the United States government, through its ambassador, to ensure that a foreign company, their company upholds these obligations and these human rights standards.  One in particular is looking at the Mayan people’s rights to the land that they use and occupy.  It reiterates our point that says that any company who is operating on Maya land should first seek the free, prior and informed consent of the communities that they will impact and it highlights the fact that this company has not proven with sufficient evidence the social impact that the activities will have on the communities in the Sarstoon-Temash area, specifically the Mayan communities.  In fact, they haven’t even adequately provided consultation for the environmental impacts which is why they are right now obligated to do and despite the fact that we have tried to engage the company and the Government of Belize the company still has an obligation to the communities that they impact regardless if the companies have been given permits from the Government of Belize.”