On the morning of Tuesday, April 3, during the Plenary Session of the National Assembly, an attempt was made again to include in the agenda a proposal to strengthen the Yasuní-ITT Initiative and the inclusion of Block 31 (which is located in the heart of the Yasuní National Park, right next to the ITT block).
This is the second time this year that an attempt has been made to place the debate within the Assembly, and it is the second time that the assembly members have refused to debate the issue. The first attempt was a month ago (on February 2) with a result of 59 votes in favor, 2 blank votes and 39 abstentions; 63 were needed to include the proposal in the discussion (find out who the assembly members who refused to debate this issue are). from here).
This time, the proposal was again presented, but the vote did not allow the issue to be discussed; 44 assembly members abstained on this occasion and 4 voted against. Therefore, the proposal did not go to the plenary session of the Assembly. The 4 votes against were from: Blanca Ortíz, Beti Carrillo, Beethoven Chica, and Rolando Panchana* (President of the Biodiversity Commission), all (like the majority of abstentions) were from assembly members of the ruling PAIS party bloc. This vote, like the last time, has been described by environmental groups as a "tremendous incongruity" between the official discourse and the concrete actions.
According to Assemblywoman Romo (who presented the proposal to her fellow Assembly members), the issue of oil exploitation in Block 31 should be considered and approved by the Assembly. To do so, she relies on Article 407 of the Constitution, which "prohibits the extraction of non-renewable resources in protected areas and in zones declared as intangible, including forestry exploitation. Exceptionally, said resources may be exploited at the reasoned request of the Presidency of the Republic and after a declaration of national interest by the National Assembly, which, if it deems it appropriate, may call for a popular consultation."
After the initial denial by the assembly, President Cordero responded that they would ask the Minister of Non-Renewable Natural Resources and the Minister of the Environment for the necessary information on the location of Block 31 before making a decision.
As a result, the Amazon Campaign for Life delivered maps showing the location of the aforementioned block.
Why does the Assembly not want to discuss a resolution to strengthen the Yasuní-ITT Initiative (considered the most important environmental initiative and event of recent years)? (see statistical table of surveys)
Why do the PAIS (governing party) assembly members refuse to assume their obligation to debate the future of Block 31, which is to debate the future of the Yasuní-ITT Initiative and the Yasuní National Park itself?
Why do they continue to claim that this is a priority project for the government and pass up opportunities like these to demonstrate consistency with their discourse?
We demand clear and immediate answers regarding their actions.
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