Sawhoyamaxa Community v Paraguay a good example of effective strategic litigation and advocacy

• Autor: Sofía Maruri Armand-Ugón
• Cargo: Abogada. Mst (c) in International Human Rights Law, University of Oxford
• Páginas: 115-121

SAWHOYAMAXA COMMUNITY V PARAGUAY:

A GOOD EXAMPLE OF EFFECTIVE

STRATEGIC LITIGATION AND ADVOCACY1

SOFÍA MARURI ARMAND-UGÓN*

"Without our land, we are dead.

We want to return to our land"

Aparicia González

Introduction

Over the last decades, the rights of indigenous peoples have gained significant vi-

sibility and recognition in international and regional instruments and institutions. For

instance, the International Labor Organization approved the Convention No. 169 con-

cerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries in 19892; the United

Nations established the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in 2000 as a high-le-

vel advisory body to the Economic and Social Council and also adopted the UN Decla-

ration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 20073, which deals with aspects of streng-

thening the distinctiveness of indigenous societies within the institutional frameworks

of existing States4; and american states approved the American Declaration on the Rights

of Indigenous Peoples in 20065.

Furthermore, national, regional, and international courts have received numerous

cases concerning the rights of indigenous peoples. Rights to land and natural resour-

ces have been among the most litigated and contentious issues for indigenous peoples

across the globe6. They serve the purpose of protecting indigenous identity as defined

by the cultural and spiritual attachment of a community to its traditional lands7. One

case regarding these issues is that of Sawhoyamaxa Community v Paraguay, litigated before

the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. It represents a proper example of effective

strategic litigation and advocacy as it made social, political, and legal contributions to

the advancement of land rights in the region and worldwide.

* Abogada. Mst (c) in International Human Rights Law, University of Oxford. Profesora aspirante de “Derechos Hu-

manos” en la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad de Montevideo (Uruguay). ORCID id: http//orcid.org/0000-0002-

9745-7191. m.maruri@um.edu.uy

1 El siguiente artículo fue presentado como ensayo dentro de la materia “Fundamentals of International Human Rights

Law” en la Maestría de Derecho Internacional de los Derechos Humanos en la Universidad de Oxford, en Marzo de 2020.

2 Adopted on 27 June 1989, C169, available at: https://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::-

NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C169 (accessed March 22, 2020)

3 UN Doc. A/Res/61/295. Adopted on 13 Sept. 2007 by a vote of 143 in favour, 4 against (Australia, Canada, New

Zealand, and US), and 11 abstentions.

4 Daes, p. 38.

5 OAS AG/RES.2888 (XLVI-O/16): adopted at the thirds plenary session, held on June 15, 2016).

6 Strategic Impact 2018, p. 23.

7 Pentassuglia 2011, p. 167.

REVISTA DE DERECHO DE LA UNIVERSIDAD DE MONTEVIDEO — NÚMERO 37 — AÑO 2020 — https://doi.org/10.47274/DERUM/37.6