Human rights commission urges monitoring of Brazil’s flood recovery efforts
SAO PAULO (AP) — The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is calling for a permanent monitoring system to track Brazil’s compliance with its recommendation s following the devastating floods that struck southern Brazil one year ago.
Javier Palummo, the commission’s special rapporteur, told The Associated Press Thursday the initiative aims to maintain a permanent channel with Brazil’s government and “strengthen public accountability, give international visibility to good practices, and monitor risks of setbacks—especially in the most affected areas and for vulnerable groups.”
Between April and May 2024, unprecedented floods hit nearly all the municipalities in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. Over 2.3 million people were affected. Hundreds of thousands were displaced and 182 died, according to official data. Analysts compared the scale of devastation to Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans in 2005.
A new report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights released Wednesday highlights stark inequalities in the recovery process. Indigenous and quilombola communities —which are home to descendants of escaped slaves—, female-headed households, and unhoused people have faced significant challenges in accessing reconstruction aid and public services.
“These groups often reported being excluded from recovery planning,” Palummo said. “The lack of land regularization and limited institutional engagement reinforce historic inequalities.”
Palummo visited flood-hit areas in December. He cited the solidarity of a quilombola community where women led relief efforts as especially moving. He also pointed to the Mbyá-Guarani people of Eldorado do Sul, who lost their homes and school first to flooding, then to a construction project. Forced to resettle near a highway, they now face insecurity, health risks, and cultural loss.
“These disasters are not just natural—they’re worsened by chronic neglect,” he said. “They reflect deep structural inequalities and growing climate vulnerability fueled by unplanned urban growth, environmental degradation, and environmental racism.”
The report, he said, is the first of its kind by the commission affiliated with Organization of American States. Palummo will present the findings next week to local communities in Porto Alegre and to federal and state officials. He will also speak at a public hearing May 8 in Brasília.
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By GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA
Associated Press
