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This is a public service announcement about the coronavirus or Covid-19 disease outbreak.
According to the World Health Organisation, coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe illnesses. Covid -19 is a type of coronavirus that is now affecting over 162 countries out of 195.

Producer: Dev Kumar Sunuwar
Voices: Sanaton Laishram
Image: Washing Hands
Music
"Burn Your Village to the Ground" by A Tribe Called Red. Used with permission.
Links:
Coronavirus, World Health Organization

This is a public service announcement about the coronavirus or Covid-19 disease outbreak.
The Covid-19 Pandemic is upon us, and we all need to adhere to all the hygiene protocols.
While it is important to ensure the well-being of our elders in the time of this global pandemic, let us take care of our children too. If this is new for us, imagine the psychological impact it has on our young ones. Take the time to explain it to them, first hand, as opposed to what they see and hear on social media, television and radio.

La pandemia por COVID-19 y sus efectos siguen siendo una situación de gravedad, sobre todo ahora con nuevas variaciones del virus que se extienden por todo el mundo. La segunda ola del virus está perjudicando a muchos países y las comunidades Indígenas son algunas de las principales afectadas.

Imagine que la pandemia y sus olas, son como las olas del mar. El número de infecciones por COVID-19 aumenta y luego disminuye. Cada ciclo es una "ola" del virus. Este programa habla del tema y las precauciones necesarias para disminuir el contagio. 

El COVID-19 sigue siendo una situación de gravedad, sobre todo  ahora con nuevas variaciones del virus que se extienden por todo el mundo. En respuesta a esta emergencia y después de mucho tiempo de investigación, pareciera que la solución ha llegado; diferentes vacunas han salido al mercado y están llegando a muchos países. Personas de la tercera edad, médicos, servidores públicos, entre otros sectores de la población, han recibido ya una o dos  dosis.

Después de más de un año, el COVID-19 ha dejado más de 3,382,561 muertes en el mundo según el sistema de monitoreo de la Universidad de Medicina Johns Hopkins. Esta crisis sanitaria evidencia el acceso limitado a los servicios básicos de salud, lo cual sigue siendo un reto de gran escala para las comunidades Indígenas de todos los continentes.

The right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent means that governments have to inform indigenous communities about any development projects they want to start in their territories, and listen to their opinions before beginning the project.

The right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent belongs to all Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous communities should not let governments continue to destroy their territories and violate their right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

It is important that indigenous communities elect leaders who will fight for the interests of their people and not the interests of the government.

Article 10 of the UN Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples states that no one can forcibly displace indigenous communities from their territories.

States must obtain Free, Prior and Informed Consent from Indigenous Peoples before taking legislative or administrative measures which will affect them.

Governments cannot store dangerous materials on Indigenous Peoples’ lands without their Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

States should obtain Free, Prior and Informed Consent before approving any development project that will affect the lands and resources of Indigenous Peoples.

The UN Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples along with other international instruments, recognises the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent as a right of Indigenous Peoples.

For Indigenous Peoples, the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent is a fundamental, inherent and inalienable right.

Governments are obligated to comply with the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent that belongs to all Indigenous Peoples.

The negotiation process between the government and Indigenous Peoples should be free of threats, bribes or any manipulation by the government of the decisions of Indigenous Peoples.

It is important that indigenous communities obtain sufficient information prior to the start of a project in order to have an accurate discussion about the potential changes.

It is important to have all the information about the potential impacts of development projects on the environment, the community and the people. The information should be available in a way in which everyone can understand, and in the native language of the people it will affect.

The right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent is stated in national and international laws, and can be applied in defence of lands and territories when there is a project that will cause irreparable damage.

It is important to demand that this law is complied with because it protects the environment, guarantees clean water and air, and it is a mechanism of controlling development projects to ensure that truly benefit indigenous communities.

The right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent clearly states that the government should not force people to change their method of organisation, thinking, or decision making, nor spread inaccurate information to misinform Indigenous Peoples.

In order to ensure that the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent is complied with, there should be community meetings which make people aware of what is happening and could happen in their area. In addition to this, projects must be supervised in order to ensure that decisions made in the community meetings, are implemented during the development project.

For the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent to be correctly applied, it is important to know that this right is applicable to all Indigenous Peoples. It must be adhered to with respect for indigenous communities’ own methods of communication and each person’s opinion must be heard. Furthermore, it means that there should be meetings with representatives of the government, companies, and Indigenous Peoples in order to arrive at an agreement that benefits the community.

In order for this right to be applied fairly, it should respect the following: 1. From the start of a project, there should be a consultation with the Indigenous People of the area; 2. There should be sufficient time devoted to ensuring that the community receive all of the information about the projects and its impacts; 3. Information should be distributed in accordance with the traditional ways of each community; 4. Any form of trying to influence the opinions of the people should be avoided; 5. All the details of decisions taken should be recorded.