Faxinalense People Task Force – PR

Defining an agenda together with state and municipal agents to enforce the compliance of state and municipal laws to create and maintain the Aresurs (Special Areas of Regulated Use) and the due transfer of resources from the Ecological ICMS to the Faxinalense communities.

• Mobilize the communities through a seminar to present the project and elaborate a work strategy.
• Training workshops.
• Facing institutional violence.

Despite the achievements made at the state level by the Faxinalense communities that are part of the Faxinalense People Task Force, the communities face problems that can be classified into two different types of institutional violence: 1) State Scope – the resistance and disregard by the Environmental Institute of Paraná (IAP) to create new ARESURs demanded by these communities in the Faxinalense areas; and 2) Municipal scope – the municipal government violates the laws and rights of these peoples by not transferring the financial resources related to Ecological ICMS (a state tax) to the traditional communities or by just transfers a small part of the due amount.

In 2005, the First State Meeting of the Faxinalenses People was held in Irati, and the “Faxinalense People Task Force” group was organized, which was later included in the “Traditional Peoples and Communities Task Force Network”. The group was created to organize the Faxinalenses communities into a political-organization to propose ways to build their identity and strategies to resist the violations of rights caused by the state’s omission. The main achievements of the Faxinalense People Task Force was: 1) The mapping of several communities that made their traditional practices visible, as well as their resistance and demands; 2) Regulation of new Aresurs (Special Areas of Regulated Use), recognizing the importance of the collective use of the Faxinalense territory and its capability to promote biodiversity; 4) Conducting trainnings on Ethnic and Collective Rights, discussing their rights as a traditional community, which are guaranteed by legal apparatus; 6) Approving the State Law 15,673 / 2007, which establishes the recognition of the Faxinalense identity and community agreements.

- Traditional Peoples and Communities Task Force Network.