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La pandemia de Covid-19 ha perjudicado en diferentes formas la vida en los pueblos y comunidades Indígenas, afectando la salud, la economía, la alimentación, la educación, entre otras áreas. ¿Cómo ha vivido esta pandemia la Tribu Yaqui? ¿A qué dificultades se ha enfrentado? ¿Qué acciones han tomado las autoridades comunitarias para hacer frente al Covid-19? ¿Cómo  los ocho pueblos que conforman esta Tribu están retomando las actividades que realizaban antes de la pandemia? 

Además de afectaciones en el tema de la salud, la pandemia de Covid-19 ha acarreado problemas a nivel económico, educativo, alimenticio, entre otras áreas. En la agricultura, las afectaciones han sido graves, pues muchos pueblos y comunidades Indígenas perdieron sus cosechas, lo que impactó de manera directa en la soberanía alimentaria. 

Durante la pandemia por Covid-19 muchos aspectos de nuestra vida cotidiana se han transformado y la educación no ha sido la excepción. En estos años, las clases dejaron de ser presenciales y se llevaron a un entorno virtual, una medida que permitió evitar más contagios. Pero, ¿qué pasó con la educación en los pueblos y comunidades Indígenas? ¿A qué se enfrentaron los estudiantes en lugares donde muy poca población cuenta con equipos para acceder a clases virtuales o en donde no existe servicio de internet?  

La pandemia de Covid-19 ha afectado de diferentes maneras la vida en los pueblos y comunidades Indígenas. Se han vivido afectaciones en la salud, en la economía, en la alimentación, en la educación, entre otras áreas. A pesar de esta situación, los pueblos Indígenas han buscado formas para lograr que su mundo espiritual y terrenal se mantengan en equilibrio, ¿cómo lo han hecho? 

El agua es un bien común imprescindible para la vida, sin embargo, muchos pueblos y comunidades Indígenas carecen de acceso a agua limpia y potable. Durante la pandemia de Covid-19, este vital líquido ha resultado aún más importante en la preparación de alimentos y medicinas, el aseo personal y el lavado constante de las manos, no obstante, para millones de personas este servicio es irregular o nulo, afectando principalmente a las mujeres Indígenas, que son las responsables del cuidado de la familia. 

El agua es un bien común imprescindible para la vida, sin embargo, muchos pueblos y comunidades Indígenas carecen de acceso a agua limpia y potable. Durante la pandemia de Covid-19, este vital líquido ha resultado aún más importante en la preparación de alimentos y medicinas, el aseo personal y el lavado constante de las manos, no obstante, para millones de personas este servicio es irregular o nulo, afectando principalmente a las mujeres Indígenas, que son las responsables del cuidado de la familia. 

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.