A/HRC/33/42/Add.2 provisions of the agreement nor of a decision on the criminal charges of abduction against the members of the community that had taken the settlers prisoner. They also said that the number of settlers in the area had increased in recent months. For its part, the Government said that it had decided to compensate the settlers so that they would leave the occupied lands and was awaiting approval for the necessary budget from the relevant authorities. 43. In addition to seeking the registration and upgrading of their lands, the indigenous peoples demanded recognition and reinforcement of their own systems of governance, which means recognition of their institutions and their management of their natural resources, the exercise of their traditional systems of justice and the resources needed to perform those functions. Representatives of the indigenous peoples said that receiving title to their lands did not lead to a recognition of their right to manage their natural resources. 44. Government representatives stated that various international donors had expressed interest in supporting programmes to strengthen indigenous governments and their management of their lands and natural resources. Representatives of indigenous peoples, meanwhile, have tried to incorporate guarantees on territorial rights and governance into the negotiations between Honduras and the European Union on Voluntary Partnership Agreements under a European Union initiative on Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade. The aim of the initiative is to stop illegal logging and improve forest governance at the global level. D. Investment projects 45. The indigenous peoples stated that various energy projects, and also extractive, agroindustrial, tourism and infrastructure projects, had infringed their rights. They maintained that these activities had been conducted without due observance of international standards on prior consultation. In many cases, there had been disclosure or consultation only once a licence had been granted. 1. Energy projects 46. In recent years, the Government of Honduras has promoted an energy policy relying on renewable energy sources in the form of hydroelectric and wind projects, among others, with a view to reducing the use of fossil fuels. In 2010, 40 contracts were approved under a legislative decree on hydroelectric projects. Of these, 21 would affect Lenca, Garífuna, Pech, Tawahka, Miskito and Tolupán communities, which had not been consulted. 47. One of these projects was the Agua Zarca dam in the Río Blanco region in Intibucá, which led to an extremely divisive situation involving threats, harassment, criminalization and the murder of indigenous Lenca leaders opposed to the project. The Special Rapporteur has included some comments on the situation in Río Blanco in the annex to this report. 48. The Special Rapporteur was informed about other dams on which there had been no consultation and which would affect Lenca communities, including those of San Rafael, Chinacla, Gualcarque and Los Encinos. Some four dams that would affect various Tolupán tribes in Yoro are set to be built without prior information or consultation. According to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Ethnic Groups and Cultural Heritage, proceedings have been initiated for the offence of abuse of authority against officials who issued environmental licences for various hydroelectric projects without having undertaken previous consultation, including the Agua Zarca project, the La Aurora project, which would affect sources of water serving Lenca communities in La Paz, and a dam on the river Wampu, which would affect the Pech people. 49. Another controversial project is the Patuca I, II, and III series of dams in La Mosquitia. The construction of the Patuca III dam has started in Olancho Department and GE.16-12632 11