Latest news with #MartinWhitfield
Edinburgh Reporter
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Edinburgh Reporter
Whitfield meets with indigenous Wampís leaders
Martin Whitfield, MSP in Lothian East, met with Indigenous Wampís leaders from the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampís Nation (GTANW) on Monday. The leaders have spent a week in Scotland seeking the support of The Scottish Government and solidarity with the Scottish people to ensure their human rights are protected and respected by the Peruvian state, international governments and business enterprises, including financial institutions. In the meeting, the Pamuk (president) Teófilo Kukush Pati and the Director of Justice, Tsanim Evaristo Wajai Asamat, GTANW, explained that their politics and philosophy is based on that of their ancestors' traditional knowledge, which is centred on the notion of living well with nature and protecting their forests, rivers, biodiversity and culture. Ensuring that future generations can continue to live in abundance in their territory is their highest priority. The leaders discussed the human rights and environmental harms their community faces daily in their territory, due to illegal gold mining, illegal logging and oil extraction. The leaders detailed how the contamination of their rivers has resulted in polluted drinking water, as well as the contamination of vital food sources such as fish, as well as environmental harms these also constitute violations to their human rights. During the meeting, Martin Whitfield, MSP accepted an exclusive preview copy of a position paper on business and human rights, on behalf of Douglas Alexander, MP. The position paper co-authored by the leaders calls for the introduction of an outcomes-focused corporate accountability law in the UK, and details key principles that such a law should be modelled on to ensure UK businesses and finance respect individual and collective human rights, as well as the environment. Such a law would, for example, ensure that financial institutions stop financing activities that violate the human rights of Indigenous peoples and stop damaging the environments they steward. The Wampís Nation has direct experience of this: the State-run company PetroPeru, who owns the oil concession on their territory operates without their consent has received funding from UK financial institutions. Mr Whitfield said: 'It was a wonderful privilege to meet representatives from the Wampis Indigenous people of North Peru. The opportunity to learn about the environmental impact of illegal gold mining, logging and the risk of oil extraction was enlightening. The world has a responsibility to Indigenous peoples, who are often best placed to preserve and take care of environments they have coexisted with for millennia. As Pamuk Teofilo Kukush said, 'Our ancestors knew how to govern and how to respect nature.' As J P Macintosh former East Lothian MP said 'People…want a degree of government for themselves. It is not beyond the wit of man to devise the institutions to meet these demands.'' Pamuk Teofilo Kukush Pati, the Pamuk or elected president of the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampís Nation said: 'Our politics is wellbeing, tarimat pujut, or good living in harmony with nature, so we demand that funds support us in protecting our territory, our forest – which is 82% intact – and we will continue reforesting for the good of our generation, our people and for all. This is why we need funds to be designated directly to us, to support our activities, including reforestation, bioeconomy and productive initiatives. With access to larger funds, we would be able to better protect our territory across the two river basins, through the Charip socio-environmental monitoring group.' Tsanim Evaristo Wajai Asamat, Director de Justicia del Gobierno Territorial Autónomo de la Nación Wampís said: 'We've always looked after the territory, it is our culture to look after it, but this is coming back now even more strongly in part because non-Wampis people are attacking us, they want us to leave the territory. We are facing even more threats today than ever – before we didn't face as many threats as today, so our people could look after their farms, needs and livelihoods, but now the threat level is so high that our work has doubled, even tripled. Our daily needs still need to be met. So who is going to help us gain back this time? If we're needed to look after the territory and dedicating our time to this, who is going to work on the farms? Who is going to look after the fish? Educate the children? This is why we need direct funding.' The Wampís Nation's strong self-governance and self-determined strategies are proven to work, their territory – 1.3 million hectares of forests and waters in the northern Peruvian Amazon – comprises of 82% intact tropical forest. However, the lack of recognition of their human rights by the Peruvian state, as well as the lack of direct funding from both climate funds the Peruvian state receives and international climate funding hinders their efforts. The COP26 held in Glasgow in 2021 was a pivotal moment for direct funding of Indigenous peoples: the UK government committed to increasing its direct support for Indigenous peoples, including to secure their right to land and territories, and the upcoming COP30 in Brazil provides an opportunity for the UK to renew its commitments. Indigenous leaders from the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampís Nation (GTANW), situated in Peru, visit Martin Whitfield MSP to deliver a Position Paper they have co-written. Pamuk Teófilo Kukush Pati is the elected leader and Tsanim Evaristo Wajai Asamat is the Director of Justice. Pic Greg Macvean 30/06/2025 Indigenous leaders from the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampís Nation (GTANW), situated in Peru, met with Martin Whitfield MSP to deliver a Position Paper they have co-written. Pamuk Teófilo Kukush Pati is the elected leader and Tsanim Evaristo Wajai Asamat is the Director of Justice. Pic Greg Macvean 30/06/2025 Martin Whitfield MSP met with Pamuk Teófilo Kukush Pati is the elected leader and Tsanim Evaristo Wajai Asamat is the Director of Justice. Pic Greg Macvean Pic Greg Macvean 30/06/2025 Indigenous leaders from the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampís Nation (GTANW), situated in Peru, visit Martin Whitfield MSP to deliver a Position Paper they have co-written. Pamuk Teófilo Kukush Pati is the elected leader and Tsanim Evaristo Wajai Asamat is the Director of Justice. Pic Greg Macvean 30/06/2025 Indigenous leaders from the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampís Nation (GTANW), situated in Peru, visit Martin Whitfield MSP to deliver a Position Paper they have co-written. Pamuk Teófilo Kukush Pati is the elected leader and Tsanim Evaristo Wajai Asamat is the Director of Justice. Like this: Like Related
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
SNP's ‘senseless' nuclear ban ‘damaging Scotland'
The Scottish National Party (SNP) is under pressure to ditch its 'senseless' nuclear power ban over fears the policy risks hurting the economy. A poll of Scots by Britain Remade, a campaign group, showed that more than half of SNP voters would like Scotland to make greater use of nuclear power, which has been staunchly opposed by the party since the 1970s. According to the survey, 52pc of those who voted SNP in 2021 believe nuclear power should be part of Scotland's energy mix to meet Holyrood's net zero target in 2045. Overall, 56pc of Scots support nuclear. The results are surprising because opposition to nuclear energy has historically been one of the SNP's defining policies. Britain Remade has called for the rapid construction of new nuclear power stations in Scotland to ensure that the technology remains part of its energy mix. It is also campaigning for the development of Small Modular Reactors in Scotland as the group believes the mini-nuclear reactors can help to secure jobs in the sector and maintain energy security. Just a third of SNP voters surveyed said they opposed the development of nuclear power while 15pc said they were undecided. Martin Whitfield, the Labour MSP for South Scotland, said: 'This senseless policy is harming our energy security, economic potential, and hampering our ability to deliver on Scotland's climate change commitments. 'If we don't act soon to end this ideological opposition, Scotland will lose its nuclear energy capacity entirely, damaging jobs and the economy, including East Lothian.' The results of the polling come as Britain Remade called on the SNP to abandon its opposition to nuclear power stations. Britain Remade, which campaigns for economic growth, warned that the SNP's opposition to new nuclear power stations could cause Scotland to miss out on significant levels of investment as well as thousands of jobs. EDF Energy confirmed in December that it would extend the operational lifespan of the Torness nuclear power station until at least 2030. Yet, beyond the end of the decade there is significant uncertainty about the future of nuclear power in Scotland. John Lamont, the Conservative MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, said encouraging the construction of nuclear power stations is 'basic common sense because it would bring energy bills down for workers, businesses and families'. He added: 'Everyone seems to be able to see the huge benefits of nuclear energy, except the SNP. John Swinney's government is out of touch with the views of mainstream Scotland.' Scotland's first nuclear power station was opened in 1959, at Chapelcross in Dumfries and Galloway. It was in operation until 2004. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
01-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
SNP's ‘senseless' nuclear ban ‘damaging Scotland'
The Scottish National Party (SNP) is under pressure to ditch its 'senseless' nuclear power ban over fears the policy risks hurting the economy. A poll of Scots by Britain Remade, a campaign group, showed that more than half of SNP voters would like Scotland to make greater use of nuclear power, which has been staunchly opposed by the party since the 1970s. According to the survey, 52pc of those who voted SNP in 2021 believe nuclear power should be part of Scotland's energy mix to meet Holyrood's net zero target in 2045. Overall, 56pc of Scots support nuclear. The results are surprising because opposition to nuclear energy has historically been one of the SNP's defining policies. Britain Remade has called for the rapid construction of new nuclear power stations in Scotland to ensure that the technology remains part of its energy mix. It is also campaigning for the development of Small Modular Reactors in Scotland as the group believes the mini-nuclear reactors can help to secure jobs in the sector and maintain energy security. Just a third of SNP voters surveyed said they opposed the development of nuclear power while 15pc said they were undecided. Martin Whitfield, the Labour MSP for South Scotland, said: 'This senseless policy is harming our energy security, economic potential, and hampering our ability to deliver on Scotland's climate change commitments. 'If we don't act soon to end this ideological opposition, Scotland will lose its nuclear energy capacity entirely, damaging jobs and the economy, including East Lothian.' The results of the polling come as Britain Remade called on the SNP to abandon its opposition to nuclear power stations. Britain Remade, which campaigns for economic growth, warned that the SNP's opposition to new nuclear power stations could cause Scotland to miss out on significant levels of investment as well as thousands of jobs. EDF Energy confirmed in December that it would extend the operational lifespan of the Torness nuclear power station until at least 2030. Yet, beyond the end of the decade there is significant uncertainty about the future of nuclear power in Scotland. John Lamont, the Conservative MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, said encouraging the construction of nuclear power stations is 'basic common sense because it would bring energy bills down for workers, businesses and families'. He added: 'Everyone seems to be able to see the huge benefits of nuclear energy, except the SNP. John Swinney's government is out of touch with the views of mainstream Scotland.'
