Mr. President, the indigenous and Afrohonduran people and their
successors creators of an important natural patrimony, cultural and social
heritage that has historically been being eroded through dominance and
exclusionary policies; for this reason the 9 peoples/culture which constitute
the diversity that is our country are writing to you concerned about the risk
of invisiblelization that we are about
to suffer at the hands of your Administration under the pretext of improved
management of public finances.
For more than five hundred years, we, the indigenous and
Afrohonduran peoples have been suffering the dispossession of lands ancestrally
owned and inhabited by our people, discrimination, marginalization, exclusion, the
absence of public policies and differentiated actions designed to correct
inequities have prevented equality and full enjoyment of our human rights,
in-spite that what organizations like the UN,
OAS, ILO, European Union, African union, CELAC, UNASUR and SICA, concern
by the situation in which we have been subjected, first by the colonizers and
then by Creole Governments, have enacted two separate instruments that
recognize our individual and collective human rights as the Convention 169 of
the ILO and the Declaration of the rights human of indigenous peoples, the
International Convention against all the forms of Racial Discrimination, the Declaration
and Plan of action of the third World Conference against racism and the
Declaration and Plan of Action of the
First World summit of the African Descendant, amongst others.
Mr. President, we were all very hopeful when the nationalist
government headed by Ex-President Porfirio Lobo Sosa took very responsible
actions, measures and public policies for social inclusion and the promotion of
development with identity of indigenous and African descendant peoples, el
EX-President Profirio Lobo Sosa demonstrated political will through the
creation and operation of the SEDINAFROH and other complementary policies of
affirmative action. For this reason we are deeply concern that your inaugural
speech did not make explicit mention of the existence of indigenous and African
Descendant peoples as subjects of the multicultural, plurietnic and
multilingual state that is Honduras; i.e. in one Nationalist Administration we
exist and in the other, we cease to exist. Similarly, the participation of our
peoples have been excluded in the Covenant or Pact for Honduras, additionally in
the configuration of your cabinet there has been no mention or the naming any
indigenous or African descendant citizen as members of your cabinet, a clear
negation of our inclusion in all aspects of National politics.
The decision was publically announced that your Administration
was to eliminate the Ministry of indigenous peoples AKA (SEDINAFROH) which
would be a setback in the construction of institutions for the recognition and
safeguards of the rights of peoples recognized worldwide as the main victims of
racism and exclusion. Administrations like yours, arising from an electoral
process observed and overseen by the national and international community are
obliged to comply with and enforce the Constitution of the Republic, treaties
and conventions, laws and other legal provisions, as well as the oath that you
took at the time of your inauguration as President of all Hondurans.
Mr. Presidente in the previous year, during the political
campaign, you made a commitment with the indigenous and Afro-honduran peoples
when you signed the campaign commitment for the inclusion and development of Indigenous
and Afro-honduran peoples, this instrument is an agenda that mainly counts on the
political, economic, social, cultural, academic and environmental growth of our
peoples, and it is primarily based on the dynamics of inclusion and development
with identity of the people themselves. This instrument was formulated through
a highly participatory process resulting from two separate consultations with
the concerned populations, which allowed the participation of different
community actors to include politicians, entrepreneurs, academics, diplomatic corps,
international cooperation, organized civil society and the media. It contains
the most important and legitimate aspirations of the Indigenuos and
Afro-honduran peoples. Mr. President, that said we urge you to take the
following actions:
Appoint within Social and economic
cabinet a specific Commission to follow-up on the commitment of presidential campaign
so that together with its representatives of indigenous and Afro-Honduran peoples
render performance measures to each of its points elaborated in campaign
commitment." (See paragraph 24 of the campaign commitment).
Guarantee the permanence, technical
and budgetary stability of the Secretariat of indigenous and Afro-Honduran SEDINAFROH
(see paragraph 18 commitment to campaign).
Appoint representatives Afro Honduran
and indigenous people as Ministers and in positions within your Administration;
including the diplomatic corps, at least 30%. (See paragraph 21 of the campaign
commitment).
Mr. President, the development and economic growth of States is
vital to the maintenance and security of democratic societies, which means it
is not possible to conceive without different arrangements aimed at the
reduction and elimination of exclusion and discrimination. We firmly believe
that to the extent that we are allowed participation in the construction of a unbiased
Honduras, poverty can be overcome and there will be a fair distribution of its
riches; any other way is impossible.
Finally,
we request you take the measures of rectification of the aforementioned in
addition scheduling of the previously requested meeting to discuss this situation.
We can
further democracy by understanding that our main task is to advance the
construction of a Honduras with all of us and for all of us...
City
of Tegucigalpa M.D.C. to the 3rd day of the month of February two thousand
fourteen.
National
Commission of monitoring and compliance of the presidential campaign commitment
2014-2018
