Indigenous communities and labor organizations in the Argentinian province of Córdoba filed a formal complaint before the International Labour Organization (ILO) against the province.
The complaint alleges a failure to conduct the legally required prior, free and informed consultation process in connection with a casino-hotel development project on the shores of the Cruz del Eje reservoir.
The filing was announced at a press conference in Cruz del Eje, where union representatives and environmental groups confirmed that local administrative and judicial avenues had been exhausted before escalating the case to the international body.
The project, promoted by the Córdoba provincial government, is planned for an area classified as a Native Forest Red Zone and linked to indigenous communities.
Juan Yacobs, Secretary General of CTA Autónoma Punilla, said the project was advancing without complying with legal requirements, including prior consultation, public hearings and environmental procedures.
Mariela Tulián, a representative of the local indigenous community, said the development forms part of a broader pattern of pressure on communal lands. She added that the site overlaps with the Quilpo Archaeological Reserve, which contains hundreds of ceremonial and sacred sites, and questioned the provincial judiciary’s handling of the case.
Federico Giuliani, Secretary General of CTA Autónoma Córdoba, said the union federation had adopted the case as part of a broader defence of workers’ rights and territorial sovereignty.
He also pointed to previous complaints filed before the ILO under Convention 169 as precedent, arguing that international escalation reflects the lack of effective local remedies.
The organizations said they will continue pursuing actions across judicial, legislative and advocacy channels.
Argentina ratified International Labour Organization Convention 169 in 2000, making prior, free and informed consultation with indigenous communities a legal requirement for projects affecting their territories
