A new report by Survival International alleges that the United Nations has been complicit in the violent eviction of Indigenous people from six World Heritage Sites in Africa and Asia. According to the report, these sites are frequently the stolen ancestral lands of Indigenous peoples, who are being forcibly kept out through intimidation and terror. Caroline Pearce, the director of Survival International, stated that UNESCO, the scientific and cultural branch of the U.N., must revoke World Heritage Status from any site where such abuses are occurring.
In a 2010 decision regarding the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania, UNESCO stated that the Maasai population and their cattle should not exceed the property’s capacity. However, reports have surfaced of Maasai being arrested, tortured, and having their cattle stolen, with the government even cutting off health services in an effort to drive them away. A Maasai leader expressed feeling sick and confused, attributing the evictions to UNESCO’s endorsement.
In 2018, UNESCO advised the Democratic Republic of the Congo to expel illegal occupants from Kahuzi-Beiga National Park, which resulted in the removal of Indigenous Batwa. A subsequent report from Minority Rights Group accused Congolese soldiers of rape, murder, and burning alive over 20 Batwa individuals. One Batwa woman recounted being assaulted by soldiers in 2021, expressing resolve to remain in the forest despite the dangers.
The report also touched on the forced evictions of Indigenous peoples from Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Republic of the Congo, Kaziranga National Park in India, Chitwan National Park in Nepal, and the Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex in Thailand. UNESCO, in response to the report, denied the allegations and emphasized its commitment to upholding the rights of Indigenous peoples in the management of World Heritage Sites.