» Peru struggles over the Amazon
Peru and USA signed a Free Trade Agreement in 2006 and in June 2008, Peru’s president passed several decrees and laws regarding the Forest and wild life. The decrees, which were justified as necessary within the clauses of the FTA with the US, facilitate the transfer of Amazon land and resource rights to oil, mining, logging and agricultural companies to the detriment of traditional inhabitants. They also set the stage for the privatization of water resources. This allows, through active state intervention, the deforestation of large areas of primary rainforest for the benefit of national and transnational corporations. UN agreement related to Indigenous Peoples rights (to which Peru is a signatory) and Peruvian Constitutional provisions regarding the inclusion of Indigenous peoples in legislation in forest areas matters have been bypassed, making those decrees unconstitutional.

In protest, on April 9th, indigenous peoples' groups called for an indefinite strike until the anti-constitutional decrees are withdrawn. This was followed by a State of Emergency, and a violent surge of repression against the passive protesters in the Amazon region. Many groups stood in solidarity across the world. In India, during a Conference of the National Forum for Forest People and Forest Workers, a resolution in the form of an open letter to the president of Peru was passed, standing in solidarity with Peru’s Indigenous people (NFFPFW Open letter to President, Peru).