On November 3rd 1993, a group of Indigenous People and peasants from the northern Ecuadorian Amazon filed a lawsuit against one of the world’s most powerful transnational oil companies, Texaco (now Chevron), for environmental crimes. At that moment, the<\/span> Union of People Affected by Texaco (UDAPT)<\/span><\/a> was officially created.<\/span><\/p>\n

The lawsuit is the founding milestone of an organisation that has been fighting for life for 30 years, and is also perhaps the main reason for its international recognition. The<\/span> big screens at the latest concert in Ecuador of former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters<\/span><\/a> showed \u201cChevron, you have to pay the people now, they sued you and you lost, you polluted the Earth, you owe them 9 billion dollars.\u201d<\/span> The court order these messages refer to was issued 11 years ago and ratified in 2018<\/span><\/a>, but there are still 30,000 victims waiting for it to be enforced.<\/span><\/p>\n

UDAPT also supports another emblematic case of the socio-environmental struggle,<\/span> the case of gas flaring<\/span><\/a>, in which nine girls affected by the burning of liquefied gas sued the State of Ecuador. Just like the lawsuit against Chevron, the ruling of this case, which is in favour of eliminating the gas flares,<\/span> is not being respected<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

When life is at stake, giving up is not an option<\/b><\/p>\n

In three decades UDAPT has never given up. It has remained united and has strengthened its grassroots organising. Since its inception, UDAPT has been made up of six Indigenous nationalities: Quichua, Shuar, Siona, Siekopai, Cof\u00e1n and Huaorani, as well as peasants settled in the area. They elect their representatives every four years and hold regular assemblies. They also have secretariats for women, youth and the elderly, as well as ongoing health, education and research projects in the territories.<\/span><\/p>\n

On their 30th anniversary, we spoke with Ramiro Ortiz, sub-coordinator of UDAPT, member of the Cof\u00e1n Indigenous People. The leader made reference to the damage caused by Texaco since its arrival. Although the transnational company left the Ecuadorian Amazon in the 1990s, it had been exploiting the lands of Sucumb\u00edos and Orellana provinces since the 1970s and its harmful effects continue today: toxic waste, contamination of rivers, air, soil and underground soils, loss of biodiversity, extremely high rates of cancer in the population, forced displacements and destruction of cultures.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ortiz believes that this 30-year process is sustained by the union of diverse Indigenous nationalities, who put aside their different languages, ways of life and worldviews, to seek a just and comprehensive reparation for all communities and their future generations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Against racism and corporate impunity<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter 30 years of litigation, after obtaining four rulings in favour of the inhabitants of the Amazon, with 16 judges finding Chevron guilty of the damage caused in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon, today with an arbitration award based on a Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement, the aim is to leave the more than 30,000 people affected by the toxins left behind by Chevron defenceless.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

UDAPT’s latest<\/span> statement<\/span><\/a> makes it clear in just five lines that its struggle is also against transnational impunity, which is why the organisation is a member of the<\/span> Global Campaign to <\/span>Reclaim People’s Sovereignty,<\/span> Dismantle Corporate Power <\/span>\u00a0and Stop Impunity<\/span>.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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4\ufe0f\u20e3 weeks to the #BindingTreaty<\/a> negotiations!<\/p>\n

Corporations profit from their impunity while people are left without justice<\/p>\n

We need the Treaty to protect people and prevent corporate violations of human rights@Pablofame<\/a> from @udapt_oficial<\/a> via @realworldradio<\/a> @StopTNCimpunity<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/TzvIqBq2bL<\/a><\/p>\n

— Friends of the Earth International (@FoEint) September 28, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n