The Amazonian Women Defenders of the Rainforest collective expresses its profound rejection of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Ecuador and Canada. This agreement has been negotiated in an opaque manner, without due consultation with the Indigenous Peoples, nor with the peasant, Montubia and Afro-descendant communities, whose rights and territories will be directly affected.

On multiple occasions, we have been clear and emphatic that this FTA promoted by mining interests threatens human rights and ecosystems, and therefore, we have demanded that free, prior and informed consultation be complied with, so that there is a guarantee of human rights.

However, we have not been heard and rather we have been excluded from this process, violating both our constitutional rights and rights recognized by international instruments.

The little public information that exists indicates that the agreement plans to contain international arbitration mechanisms, despite the fact that these mechanisms are incompatible with human rights, and also despite the fact that in a 2024 referendum, the Ecuadorian people voted against allowing international arbitration.

It is understood that this agreement would still have to be approved by legislators in both countries. Therefore:

1. We urge legislators in Ecuador and Canada to vote against this agreement, as the negotiation process already threatens the environment and human rights and goes against the will of the people.
2. We alert the international community about the possible aggravation of the human rights situation that this would imply, caused by the FTA and Canadian mining companies.
3. We call on the international community to repudiate and publicly reject this treaty, and to denounce the serious impacts caused by Canadian companies in Ecuador and Latin America.
4. We reaffirm our struggle to protect Mother Earth and human rights, and our resistance against harmful projects that violate our rights and damage the environment.

Amazonian Women Defenders of the Rainforest