'After Covid, we will have learnt many things, and one of them is health: to take care of ourselves and value our body more, to find a way to take care of ourselves in a natural and organic manner'.
We first interviewed Romel, a Mayan human rights defender and member of the Regional Indigenous and Popular Council of Xpujil, in 2018. Today on Earth Day, we’re really glad to share a follow-up story about Romel’s work for the protection of nature, land and the rights of indigenous peoples and minority populations in Mexico.
In this video, Romel reflects on the impact of the Covid pandemic on human rights defenders’ work, and its influence on large touristic projects such as the Mayan Train. This megaproject will bring huge consequences for the indigenous populations and minority communities that live in the territory and therefore, many organisations, as well as Romel, are fighting against its construction and for the preservation of land and our environment.
'There is a responsibility for big tech companies to uphold human rights to make sure that they are not complicit in the violation of human rights, especially in the context of genocide.'
‘The Egyptian authorities must open the civic space for civil society to play its role. They must stop persecuting human rights defenders, political opponents, and journalists simply for doing their jobs. The UN and the international community must maintain pressure on them to comply with human rights standards.’
'Indigenous communities must have better political representations to ensure our rights are protected both constitutionally and in practice.'
