Action
Research
The fundament for INFOE's publicity and lobbying activities
are interdisciplinary studies and expert reports on causes and
impacts of and the interconnection between environmental and cultural
destruction on all continents. As far as possible the are carried
out at the request of indigenous communities and in close cooperation
with them. Primarily the results should be useful to the people
concerned and their traditional environment. INFOE also organizes
congresses and seminars where research
results are being presented, theories and methods discussed and
political strategies are developed.
Examples for
INFOE research activities
- 1988: Radiological research was conducted on behalf of the
Western Shoshone near the nuclear test sites in Nevada / USA.
The results were placed at the disposal of the Western Shoshone.
- 1988: An expert report for the city of Moenchengladbach /
Germany on alternatives to tropical forest products.
- Since 1988 extensive research
on the participation of German companies in the destruction of
rainforests in Central Africa (especially Congo/Zaire) and the impact
on the forest people were undertaken.
- In 1989 a study was carried out on the activities of the German
Rheinbraun AG in Germany (open
cast coal mining) and Australia (uranium mining).
- In 1991 a strategy paper was
prepared, giving recommendations to the German federal government
on how to respect the rights of forest peoples.
- Since 1993 within the framework of a boreal forest project
strategies on protection and sustainable use of boreal forests
are being developed in cooperation with indigenous organizations
and forestry experts. The clearcut of northern virgin forests
in North America; Scandinavia and Siberia is being documented
as well as the cultural and economic impact on indigenous peoples.
- In summer and fall of 1995 a fact-finding-mission to Russia's
major oil and gas region, Khanty-Mansi autonomous okrug in Western
Siberia, was undertaken to give record of human rights violations
against nomadic indigenous reindeer herders. The results have been included into a parallel report to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which has been presented in Geneva on 28th May 1997.
- Currently the Swiss branch of INFOE is preparing a comparative
study on indigenous peoples and oil development in different
countries. This report will be published as a special issue of
our German language journal infoeMagazin.
We hope to have English, Spanish and Russian editions as well, so that we will be able to make the study available to the people concerned.
Topics
of recent INFOE-congresses were
