Riverine People’s Council – PA

Strengthen the Council and guarantee the human rights of families that were removed from their homes on the banks of the Xingu River because of the construction of the Belo Monte dam.

• Articulation of the Riverine Council.
• Monitoring of the Xingu River.

In 2015, riverine families living on the islands and shores of the Xingu River were removed from their homes to make way for the reservoir of the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant in Pará. Although these families have their history and way of life deeply linked to their territory, they were not considered in their particularities and were not offered, at the time of the river withdrawal, an alternative that allowed them to continue to guarantee their livelihood. Since then, the riverine people’s struggle to return to the river’s shore with dignity. In November 2016 the Riverine Council was formed, which is now the sovereign authority to conduct the process of organizing the families and setting the criteria and areas for resettlement – previously done unilaterally by Norte Energia, the concessionaire of Belo Monte.

In June 2015, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office published a document systematizing irregularities in the removal of residents, indicating the risk of serious human rights violations. The document recommended that the situation of these peoples be dealt collectively and stated that the way the displacement process was conducted refrained their chances of maintaining their livelihoods and the transmission of traditional knowledge, implying the risk of precluding dignified existence and social reproduction, requiring immediate interference in the process. The creation of the council took place before collective action became necessary, having the riverine people as protagonists. Consisting of 28 representatives, the Riverine People’s Council holds meetings and monitors the Xingu River, initiating a social recognition process.

- Xingu Vivo Movement (Xingu Lives Movement).
- ISA - Instituto Socioambiental (Socio-Environment Insitute).
- SBPC - Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Science.
- Federal Public Ministry.