Ecuador must respect the will of the people and halt oil drilling in Yasuní Park: Independent experts

GENEVA  – Marking the one-year anniversary of a historic popular consultation in Ecuador in which nearly 59% of more than 10 million people voted in favour of banning oil exploitation in Yasuní National Park, independent human rights experts have expressed alarm at reports of new wells being drilled in the Park and urged the Government and businesses it owns or controls to urgently implement the will of the people, and accelerate the transition processs.

"Through the vote, the Ecuadorian nation sent a clear message to the Government: Ecuador should prioritise protecting the climate, the environment and Indigenous Peoples who depend on it and shift away from an economic model based on depleting natural resources and fossil fuel extraction," the experts said.

Yasuní National Park, one of the most biodiverse places on earth, is a sanctuary for countless species, and home to indigenous Peoples, including Peoples in voluntary isolation, who have preserved their way of life for centuries. It is also vital for regulating climate and its protection will avoid millions of additional greenhouse gas emissions. However, despite a clear mandate from the Ecuadorian population and the Constitutional Court, progress in implementing the popular consultation's results has been slow.

"Any delay or deviation from the popular consultation’s mandate risks undermining environmental protection and climate action efforts, the integrity of Ecuador's democratic processes, and threatening human rights”, the experts said.

“As a result of the vote, existing and future projects must be halted and dismantled, and the environment restored. The future of Yasuní National Park, its inhabitants, future generations, and the global environment depends on the actions taken today," they said.

While acknowledging that the Amazon region block contributes 13% of the nation's crude oil production and that the phasing out of oil exploitation in the Yasuní Park is expensive and complicated, the experts encouraged the government to comply with its legal obligations, advance a just transition, including funding development through other means, without circumventing the decision of the people. Such alternative means are identified in a report by the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights following his visit to Ecuador from 28 August to 8 September 2023, as well as in an Open Letter sent to Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa following his election in October 2023.

The experts, who have previously engaged with the government on this issue, also called for continued engagement with civil society and Indigenous Peoples to ensure their voices are heard and their rights respected throughout the process.