Problems and Purpose

Oil extractivism in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve in Ecuador started over a decade ago, causing damage to the livelihoods of indigenous communities in surrounding areas, to biodiversity, and to the environment at large. The purpose of the Ecuadorian referendum, spearheaded by the Yasunidos, was to vote to end oil extractivism in this area.

Background History and Context

The Yasuni is an highly diverse Biosphere Reserve located in the Ecuadorian Amazon and designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1989 [1]. Bearing in mind the rich diversity of the region, in 2007 the president in office vowed to keep the oil block number 42 - also known as block ITT (Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini)- underground [2]. However, in 2013 citing economic distress, the promise was broken resulting in the birth of the civil society organization Yasunidos. The name Yasunidos is a play on words between Yasuni and unidos meaning united. The purpose of the Yasunidos is to end oil extractivism in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon [3]. For years, the Yasunidos pushed for a referendum that would formalize this process.

In 2016, oil extractivism began in the Block 42 of the Yasuni after a failed attempt by the Yasunidos to call for a referendum to halt oil extractivism-not because of a lack of will by the people, but because the government questioned the validity of the signatures [4]. Since then, the Yasunidos continuously pushed for a referendum to determine whether oil extractivism should continue for years.

Finally, after long periods of deliberation and activism, the mission to have a referendum reached a critical point. On May 9th, 2023 the Constitutional Court of Ecuador ruled that there had to be a referendum on whether oil extractivism was to continue in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon [5]. It established that the referendum had to happen at most 75 days from May 9th, which was a big step for the Yasunidos. The referendum question was framed in such a way that voting “yes” would mean oil extractivism would need to cease. For the purposes of this case study, the key dates in which this participatory process took place were from May 9th, 2023

- August 20th, 2023.

This national referendum was not the first time the Ecuadorian populace has been asked to vote on deeply complex issues; thus there was a precedent for this type of work. Most recently in

in 2018, there was a national referendum regarding potential amendments to the Ecuadorian Constitution as well as other issues of national importance. Ecuadorians voted on issues of national importance, which included environmental considerations [6].

Organizing, Supporting, and Funding Entities

The entities that organized and supported the efforts of the Yasunidos were ordinary citizens, students, and other supporting civil society organizations such as the feminist non profit Surkuna. Specifically for Surkuna, this is a civil society organization that, though focused in the gender equality realm, lends support to other social justice organizations / movements.

Organizers were well integrated within Ecuadorian society, and given the participatory nature of the organization, the inclusion of many sectors of the society was built into the fabric of the Yasunidos from the beginning. Leaders of the Yasunidos have been rotating since its creation in 2013, but as a civil society organization, there are many partnerships among other civil society organizations. There is also specific legal representation within the Yasunidos, as the process to achieve a referendum has been largely rooted in legal disputes and effective legal justice advocacy.

Participant Recruitment and Selection

Participation was open to all. Although people were not coaxed with rewards to be a part of this movement, there is a high level of commitment with the issue of extractivism in Ecuador, and thus the populace was highly receptive to the Yasunidos’ initiative. Because of the grassroots nature of this mobilization, the participants of this movement were recruited through online engagement, and specific volunteer positions were filled through an inquiry form on their website [7].

Methods and Tools Used

The movement was spearheaded by digital campaigning on social media to gain traction for the yes vote. Because of the scope of the social movement, the main source of documentation surrounding these processes is found on social media pages from the Yasunidos. It required online “discussion” because of the digital political campaign of the Yasunidos [8]. This process culminated in the referendum vote of August 20th, 2023 [9]. Social media was a very big factor for the movement, because informational and educational videos were shared [10]. There was a deliberative forum held to discuss the yes vote with different organizations in July 2023 [11].

Overall, grassroots organizing tactics and participatory citizens’ dialogues were paramount to this process.

What Went On: Process, Interaction, and Participation

Between May 9th and August 20th 2023 there was a political campaign spearheaded by the Yasunidos through their message of “Sí al Yasuní”, or Yes to the Yasuni. The chronology of events is as follows: May 9th- Constitutional Court gives the go-ahead for the referendum, June 21st- the National Electoral Council calls for the referendum to begin, June 30th- the Yasunidos register to participate in the referendum, July 22nd and 23rd - there is a national assembly with over 50 organizations committed to the cause, August 1st through 3rd- there is a meeting of “alternative communicators” who are briefed over how to discuss the Yasuni and further the movement to protect the environment, August 14th- there is a mobile caravan that begins traveling the country to talk about the Yasuni and help people vote yes, August 15th- there is a

public debate organized by the National Electoral Council, August 17th- the Yasunidos end their political campaign ahead of the election, August 20th- the referendum is held and the yes vote wins [12].

The referendum was done in person at a nationwide level in Ecuador, but the Yes to the Yasuni campaign also had a big online presence to encourage Ecuadorians living abroad to vote in the referendum. Overall, there were 757,000 people who signed their name to have a referendum and 2000 electoral observers involved in the referendum itself [13]. On August 20th, 2023, the outcome of the referendum was that 59% of Ecuadorians felt that oil extractivism should not happen in the Yasuni, meaning that the “yes” option won with around 5 million votes [14]. The results of the referendum were widely known and publicized to the Ecuadorian public given the nature of the process.

Influence, Outcomes, and Effects

The initiative achieved its intended results to democratically halt oil extractivism in Block 42 of the Yasuni. The Yasunidos effectively influenced public policy by halting oil extractivism, business institutions by changing the socioeconomic model of extractivism in that region, and the social fabric of the community by rallying support for the Yasuni. Taking into account that Ecuador went through a recent election in October 2023, the implementation of the referendum's decision remains to be seen. As an aftermath, several dialogues and deliberations are still happening across Ecuador to figure out the ways that the decision will go into place.

For instance, there was an important dialogue that happened in Quito where different stakeholders, including international ones, discussed the follow-up of the referendum and how to enforce its decision from September 23rd-24th, 2023 [15]. On November 18th, 2023, from the Yasunidos’ Instagram page there was a call to share people’s experiences of the process to have a greater understanding of the participatory process that went on [16].

Analysis and Lessons Learned

This case study demonstrates the long-term considerations when it comes to social justice issues. The referendum, which was a tangible action step that is allegedly a right of the citizenry, was ten years in the making because of the institutional and political barriers present [17]. Now that the referendum has passed, it is important to note that the work does not end.

Currently, the Yasunidos are in the process of figuring out ways through which they can hold the government accountable for enforcing the referendum's decision [18]. Thus, the movement prevails.

See Also

Constitutional Referendum and Popular Consultation of Ecuador in 2018 – Participedia Referendum – Participedia

Social Media – Participedia

Deliberative Forum – Participedia

References

1. UNESCO. (2023). Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, Ecuador. Retrieved from: https://en.unesco.org/biosphere/lac/yasuni
2. Rosero, S. (2023). La larga lucha por salvar al Yasuní de la explotación petrolera. El País. Retrieved from: https://elpais.com/america-futura/2023-05-27/la-larga-lucha-por-salvar-al-yasuni-de-la-explot aci on-petrolera.html
3. Yasunidos. (2023). Nosotrxs. Retrieved from: https://www.yasunidos.org/nosotrxs/
4. https://news.mongabay.com/2016/09/ecuador-begins-pumping-oil-from-famed-itt-block-in-y asuni/
5. Rosero, S. (2023). Id.
6. Participedia. Constitutional Referendum. Retrieved from: https://participedia.net/case/5756
7. Sí al Yasuní. (2023). Únete. Retrieved from: https://sialyasuni.com/unete/
8. Participedia. Online Deliberation. Retrieved from: https://participedia.net/method/4232
9. Participedia. Referendum. Retrieved from: https://participedia.net/method/4912
10. Participedia. Social Media. Retrieved from: https://participedia.net/method/4939
11. Participedia. Deliberative Forum. Retrieved from: https://participedia.net/method/4345
12. Yasunidos. (2023). Nuestra Historia. Retrieved from: https://www.yasunidos.org/nuestra-historia/
13. @yasunidos (2023). ¡Gracias por decirle sí a la vida, #SÍalYasuní!. Instagram. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/CwUAGVbN0Cv/
14. Rosero, S. (2023). Una consulta popular le dice sí a proteger el Yasuní. El País Retrieved from https://elpais.com/america-futura/2023-08-21/una-consulta-popular-le-dice-si-a-proteger-el- yasu ni.html
15. Yasunidos & Revolución Científica Abya Yala (2023). Asamblea por la Vida y el Territorio - Comunicado. Instagram. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx3-UgQLERF/?img_index=1
16. @yasunidos (2023). ¡Cuéntanos! Instagram. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/CzzvN1mLmVq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=M zRlODBiNWFlZA==
17. Bernal, A., Holst, J. (2023). Ecuador Votes to Keep Yasuní Oil in the Ground in Historic Referendum. Nacla. Retrieved from: https://nacla.org/ecuador-yasuni-oil-historic-referendum
18. Entre Pueblos. (2023). El 19 de octubre arranca en Madrid la gira ‘Yasunicemos el mundo’, que recorrerá 10 localidades españolas. Retrieved from: https://www.entrepueblos.org/news/gira-yasunicemos-el-mundo/

External Links

Instagram, public account of Yasunidos - @yasunidos: https://www.instagram.com/yasunidos/ Website of Yasunidos: https://www.yasunidos.org/

Specific campaign website Sí al Yasuní: https://sialyasuni.com/

Notes

The original submission of this case entry was written by  Daniela Montalvo, a Master of Public Service candidate at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. The views expressed in the current version are those of the authors, editors, or cited sources, and are not necessarily those of the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.