HAY Bi-National Yanomami and Ye'kuana Forum - Brazil and Venezuela

General

This project aims to support community members to participate in, and communicate the outcomes of a Bi-National Yanomami and Ye'kuana Indigenous Forum, so that challenges, problems and strategies are debated based on Yanomami and Ye'kuana needs, in the Brazilian Yanomami Territory. Key issues and threats faced by indigenous communities living in Brazil and Venezuela include: land management, youth migration to cities, organisational strengthening, illegal small-scale gold mining, and the growing threat of large scale mining projects and difficulty to access quality health care in the most remote communities. The Yanomami and Ye'kuana Binational Forum is an initiative that promotes the exchange of experiences and joint actions of the Yanomami and Ye'kuana people living on both sides of the Brazil / Venezuela border, in an area covering about 23 million hectares. By combining its nine indigenous organisations - five Brazilian and four Venezuelan - the Forum seeks to influence public policy and bi-national cooperation to respect indigenous rights guaranteed in both Constitutions, with the participation of civil society.