Suriname Government and Indigenous Leaders Advance Protection Law for Living Areas

President Jennifer Simons of Suriname is preparing to announce the Wet Bescherming Woon- en Leefgebieden, a law that would bar new mining, sand, gold and timber concessions in designated indigenous and tribal territories. The presidential working group on Decentralisation and Land Rights, chaired by Edgar Dikan, met with the Vereniging van Inheemse Dorpshoofden (VIDS) to discuss the draft legislation and its impact on land‑rights disputes.

The dialogue continued with a follow‑up meeting on 5 August, where VIDS chair Muriel Fernandes stressed the need for further consultations. Both sides agreed to organise a mini‑congress later in the month for indigenous and tribal representatives, with the possibility of government participation, to address remaining questions before the law’s formal proclamation.