The elders of the Guambiano people stand against Terminator

Statement against Terminator by
The Ancestral Authority of the Misak (Guambian) People of Colombia

THE ANCESTRAL GOVERNMENT OF THE GUAMBIAN PEOPLE, IN FULL USE OF THEIR RIGHTS IHNERITED BY THE CUSTOMARY LAW, THE LIFE MANDATE AND THE PRESENCE OF THE MISAK PEOPLE AS RECOGNIZED IN THE COLOMBIAN POLITICAL CONSTITUTION

Rejects Terminator and gives its solidarity to the Global Campaign of those Peoples and organizations that fight against it. As well we reject all types of Terminator technology (Genetic Use Restriction Technology or GURTs) and demands that all governments and international bodies ban this technology to ensure that it never to be approved and yo avoid damage to our food sovereignty.    

This statement is made in the Vereda Santiago, ancestral territory, day 15th of March 2006.

Tata. FRANCISCO ALMENDRA V.
Governor Cabildo Guambia

Tata. GONZALO YALANDA
Governor Cabildo Kurakchak

Taita. ALVARO MORALES C.
Coordinator of the Plan de Permanencia Cultural

Taita. MARIO CALAMBAS M.
Coordinator of the
Concejo Superior de la Adjudicatura Project

Taita MANUEL A TUNUBALA
Member of the Municipality of Silvia

THE ANCESTRAL GOVERNMENT OF THE GUAMBIAN PEOPLE, IN FULL USE OF THEIR RIGHTS IHNERITED BY THE CUSTOMARY LAW, THE LIFE MANDATE AND THE PRESENCE OF THE MISAK PEOPLE AS RECOGNIZED IN THE COLOMBIAN POLITICAL CONSTITUTION

The Misak (Guambian) People of Silvia Cauca, Colombia gives its solidarity to those peoples and nationalities in the world that fight in defense of the natural resources and biodiversity that is part of our traditions and livelihoods and everyday life in our ancestral nationalities.

We completely reject the application of biotechnology through bioprospecting, biopiracy and cognopiracy in favor of multinationals, and also we reject the introduction of Terminator genes, transgenic organisms and laws that limit the right to have access to our own biodiversity for food, and our knowledge of it for medicines, for ornaments, and forestry among others. Scientists and multinationals come into our communities to steal the products we have developed through thousands of years, exploiting with utmost cruelty our patrimony, then making records and applying for patents saying that they are researching and discovering great things in our name.   

We, ancestral Peoples in Cauca Department, organized with our authorities, strongly demand to maintain the de facto moratoria on Terminator by countries gathered at the CBD that got together in order to decide about our biodiversity and ancestral knowledge maintained by us for more than 30 thousand years.

This is our peoples’ patrimony and the ones governing now in our countries take decisions and atributions violating our ancestral laws and special rights.

We demand to all the governments and international bodies to ban these technologies and anti-human practices that are not ethical, and that the decisions be taken with true consultation and have the prior informed consent because this is our biodiversity and knowledge we are talking about; we demand respect for our rights - this is our responsibility, and as our duty we will defend biodiversity with all the strength of the peoples in order to prevent outsiders to access our territories. 

This statement is made in the Vereda Santiago, ancestral territory, day 15th of March 2006.

Atentamente,

Tata. FRANCISCO ALMENDRA V.
Governor Cabildo Guambia

Tata. GONZALO YALANDA
Governor Cabildo Kurakchak

Taita. ALVARO MORALES T.
Coordinator Plan de Permanencia Cultural

Taita. JESUS MARIA ARANDA J.
Coordinator educational program

Taita JESUS ANTONIO TUMIÑA
Coordinator educational program

Taita JUAN BAUTISTA MUELAS
Advisor in tradicional agriculture

ESNAIDA TOMBE HURTADO
General Secretary of the Cabildo

JUAN ESTEBAN MORALES T
Secretary of zona cacique