In the period of June to October 2022, 65 villages Saamaka villages were informed about the implications of the draft law Collective rights of the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples for the communities. These consultations were part of the governance pillar of the Working-Landscape Programme of Tropenbos Suriname. During these community meetings the communities received information about the importance of FPIC (Free, Prior, Informed, Consent) for the awareness of receiving all the needed information prior to third parties coming to work in their territory. It was also stressed that consent in this context was referring to decision-making process.
Another aspect of the draft law that was mentioned during the consultations is the importance of the Benefit-sharing during negotiations with third parties. The last part of the draft law that is important for the communities is the set-up of the legal personality that will be representing the community in those negotiations. This legal personality should consist of representatives of women, youth and traditional authorities, to have a fair representation of the community. It is important to have all these group present in the legal personality so the interests of each group are taken into consideration. The Saamaka youth who participated in the consultations also had a learning/training experience, because they got to experience themselves how a community meeting (kuutu) is facilitated.
