16.The Committee notes with concern the reports regarding the negative impact of projects involving the exploitation of natural resources, including illegal mining and logging, on the territories of indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian peoples, which cause irreparable damage to the environment and affect their traditional forms of subsistence and exploitation of land and resources, such as hunting, fishing, farming and small-scale mining. The Committee is also concerned at the tensions between outsiders and the indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian peoples living in these territories. The Committee is particularly concerned at the situation facing Afro-Ecuadorians in the Province of Esmeraldas and the Amazonian indigenous peoples living on the west and south-east borders of Yasuní National Park.

17. In view of the fact that the protection of human rights and the elimination of racial discrimination are essential for sustainable economic development, and recalling the role of both the public and private sectors in this regard, the Committee urges the State party to:

(a) Guarantee the full and effective enjoyment by indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian peoples of their rights over the lands, territories and natural resources that they occupy or use, in the face of incursions by outsiders who exploit natural resources, both legally and illegally; 

(b) Ensure the effective implementation of protection measures and safeguards against negative environmental impacts and in support of the traditional ways of life of indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian peoples; 

(c) Adopt the necessary measures to ensure that the use of water by the mining industry does not impair access to water for the indigenous and Afro- Ecuadorian peoples living in these territories; (d) Guarantee that indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian peoples affected by natural resource activities in their territories receive compensation for any damage or loss suffered and participate in the benefits arising out of such activities.