UNITED MATIONS Economic and Social Council Distr. GENERAL E/CN.4/Sub.2/1990/NGO/17 8 Auqust 1990 Oriqinal: ENGLISH COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities Forty-second session Aqenda item 15 Written statement submitted by Indian Law resource center, a non-qovernmental orqanization on the roster The Secretary-General has received the followinq communication which is circulated in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1296 (XLIV). 1. The condition of the Yanomami of Brazil continues to be critical as thousands of qold miners, known as qarimpeiros, maintain their illeqal occupation of Yanomami lands, and the Yanomami, as a consequence, die in qreat numbers. At the last two sessions of the Workinq Group on Indiqenous Populations and the most recent sessions of the Commission on Human Riqhts and the Sub-Commission, we reported on the qenocidal situation that has resulted from the invasion of more than 45,000 garimpeiros, and the Government's refusal to remove the invaders and provide a level of medical care sufficient to cope with the diseases and health problems created by them. Underlying the entire tragedy, of course, is Brazil's total failure to demarcate properly the lands of the Yanomami. DISCRIMINATION AGAINST INDIGENOUS PEOPLES [3 Auqust 1990] The Yanomami of Brazil GE.90-17113/41763 E/CN.4/Sub.2/1990/NGO/17 paqe 2 2. Meanwhile, the destruction of the fragile Amazonian environment and the pollution of the area's rivers with mercury» oil and mud - the by-products of qarimpeiro operations - have served to augment the countless Yanomami deaths, now estimated to exceed 15 per cent of the 9,000 Yanomami. 3. Rather than protect the traditional Yanomami territory, as recognized by Brazil's Constitution and various federal court orders, the Government, under the previous Sarney administration, demarcated the Yanomami lands as a group of 19 disconnected areas and illegally created two "reserves" for the 
**Analysis**
The text primarily focuses on the situation of the Yanomami indigenous people in Brazil, highlighting the negative impacts of gold mining and the lack of government action to protect their lands and health. The discussion revolves around the consequences of environmental degradation, disease, and the failure to demarcate their traditional territory. This suggests that the text is more concerned with the human rights and environmental aspects of the issue rather than economic development or industry.

**Category**
Natural resources and environment, Humanitarian aid and relief