A/HRC/21/47/Add.2
unsatisfied basic needs among indigenous households — Formosa (74.9 per cent), Chaco
(66.5 per cent) and Salta (57.4 per cent) — the levels are alarming. Moreover, according to
a study conducted by the Ministry of Health, the income of indigenous households is on
average seven times lower than that of Argentine households as a whole.
74.
In order to address this situation, INAI has established the Directorate for the
Development of Indigenous Communities to design projects for the “comprehensive
development” of indigenous communities. The projects are based on assessments
conducted within the community assemblies and, according to INAI, “seek to legitimize
and consolidate land tenure, in implementation of Act No. 26160, which will be the main
focus of action for the next two years”.7 The Special Rapporteur has not received any
information on the success of these projects, but he notes the important recognition of the
close link between protection of the lands of indigenous peoples and their economic and
social development.
75.
Nevertheless, there has been no adequate response from the authorities to the
demands of indigenous peoples regarding access to services in their communities. For
example, in the community of Aguas Calientes, in El Carmen department of Jujuy
province, several families from the community claim that they have neither a home of their
own nor clean drinking water, despite repeatedly reporting this situation to the authorities.
Also, in Quebrada de Maimará, in Jujuy province, the Special Rapporteur was informed
about efforts by members of the communities in the region to build the necessary
infrastructure to bring drinking water to the area where they live, since the authorities had
not taken any action in that regard.
76.
The reasons cited for the failure to implement national development projects
include: delays in signing the relevant agreements between the federal and provincial
governments; delays in signing the agreements between the provincial and municipal
authorities; and difficulties in finding specialists to carry out the projects. There are also
cases in which development projects proposed by the indigenous communities themselves
have been rejected by the provincial government because the communities do not hold the
title to their land.
77.
Of particular concern regarding access to basic services is the situation faced by the
Nivaclé indigenous people, whose traditional territory covers the border area between
Paraguay and Argentina. According to the information received, some 130 Nivaclé families
who are living in Formosa province and include at least some members born in Argentina
do not hold Argentine identity documents because the State authorities consider them to be
Paraguayan. This lack of identity documents prevents them from accessing basic services.
78.
The Special Rapporteur was also informed about development proposals put forward
by the indigenous peoples themselves. An interesting example is the Diaguita community
of Amaicha del Valle, in Tucumán province, which is conducting a self-development
project that involves, inter alia, the installation of a communal winery, the installation of
solar panels, and the management of forest sanctuaries. Representatives of the community
said that the secure legal status of their lands had been essential to the success of these
projects.
7
16
INAI, “Desarrollo de las comunidades indígenas”, available at: www.desarrollosocial.gob.ar/Uploads/
i1/Institucional/2.DesarrolloDeComunidadesIndigenas.pdf.
GE.12-14947