Washington DC, August 9, 2024.– In the last year, the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) has strengthened its work of accompaniment and training of organizations and activists for the rights of Indigenous peoples in the Americas, to enhance their participation and advocacy in spaces for the promotion and protection of their rights.

As we commemorate International Day of the World’s Indigenous People on August 9, we highlight these actions once again to showcase the approaches and recommendations that Indigenous organizations and activists have made around various crucial issues, such as socio-economic inequality, intersectional discrimination, political participation, and human rights violations that affect their territories and communities.

“The participation of our counterparts in these international forums and in various national forums is essential, not only because it allows them to assume leadership roles in the political and social spheres, but also because it strengthens their voice and visibility at the global level, facilitating advocacy on development agendas,” says Lucía Chibán, Legal Program Officer for Latin America at Race and Equality. 

Participation and advocacy have been carried out in the Universal Human Rights System (United Nations) and the Inter-American Human Rights System (Organization of American States and Inter-American Commission on Human Rights). At the same time, the Racial Justice and Equality Program has carried out training processes on theses mechanisms which exist as spaces for the promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous populations. 

Denouncing the situation in Nicaragua in various forums

Last January, Race and Equality and other organizations held a training workshop for the preparation of reports to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for its Fourth Cycle for Nicaragua at the United Nations, which resulted in three Indigenous and community organizations preparing and submitting reports to the UPR.

Within the framework of the 23rd session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, held in April of this year, Race and Equality organized activities to denounce the situation of indigenous peoples in Nicaragua and accompanied Tininiska Rivera, daughter of the Miskitu Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera, former deputy of the Yatama party and current political prisoner of Daniel Ortega’s regime. 

In her speech at the Forum, Rivera denounced that her family is being threatened for seeking information about her father, who has been forcibly disappeared since September 2023.

Between November 6 and 11, 2023, Race and Equality organized an advocacy tour in Washington DC in which human rights defender Amaru Ruiz participated. He provided relevant information to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), with an emphasis on the differentiated violations against indigenous peoples and Afro-descendant communities in the Northern Caribbean region of Nicaragua. 

In a thematic hearing in the framework of the 188th period of sessions of the IACHR—in December 2023—Race and Equality, together with organizations from Nicaragua and other countries in the region, presented relevant information on illegal mining and its negative impacts on human rights and the environment, with special emphasis on Indigenous peoples and Afro-descendant communities.

During the 190th period of sessions of the IACHR, in July 2024, Race and Equality and other organizations participated in a thematic hearing on the situation of Indigenous peoples on the North Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, denouncing human rights violations that occur with the tacit approval of the State, through systematic patterns of violence and discrimination against communities to dispossess them of their territories. 

Indigenous Women in Brazil Advocating before CEDAW 

With the support of Race and Equality, the Associação de Mulheres Indígenas em Mutirão (AMIM) prepared and submitted an alternative thematic report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) before it considered Brazil, which took place on May 23, 2024. The report covers a range of issues affecting indigenous women and girls from the Karipuna, Galibi Marworno, Galibi Kali’na, and Palikur communities, on the border with French Guiana. Key concerns include gender-based violence, health problems, and the impact of development projects and climate change. 

Claudia Renata Lod Moraes, from AMIM, attended the session and participated in advocacy initiatives beyond the review, such as a meeting with the Official of the High Commissioner for Brazil, Liliana Trillo Diaz, and discussions with various Special Procedures mandates. In addition, she participated as a panelist at an in-person event in Geneva on May 23, with the theme “Diverse Women in Intersectional Dialogues”. At this event, LBT (Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender) women, along with indigenous, Black, and quilombola women, shared advocacy strategies aimed at ensuring that their recommendations to CEDAW lead to political and social transformations through an intersectional approach.

In its concluding observations on the eighth and ninth periodic reports of Brazil, the Committee expressed concern about intersectional forms of discrimination and the economic and social disadvantages faced by indigenous and quilombola women, as well as women of African descent in the country.

Denouncing illegal mining and threats to territories before EMRIP

Last month, during the meeting of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), we had the honor of officially accompanying the Iepé Institute and collaborating with indigenous organizations through the Amazon Cooperation Network of Brazil, of which Iepé is a part. We accompanied two leaders of the “Aliança em Defesa dos Territórios”, which represents the Kayapó (Kabu Institute – Doto Tatak Ire), Munduruku (without physical presence), and Yanomami (Hutukara Associação Yanomami – Julio Ye’kwana) Indigenous peoples. During their participation, the leaders emphatically denounced illegal gold mining in their territories, mercury contamination, and systemic violations that affect their lands, lives, and rights. In this context, they made two oral statements, participated in a side event, and held bilateral meetings with UN Special Procedures and representatives of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. 

Representation of Indigenous women leaders at CSW68 and the OAS General Assembly

In March 2024, Race and Equality participated in and supported the participation of the Enlace Continental de Mujeres Indígenas de las Américas (ECMIA) in the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), which included an extensive schedule of official activities and side events. Their discussions focused on the economy and the impact of poverty on the lives of Indigenous women, approached from an intergenerational, intercultural, gender equality, and individual and collective rights perspective. 

Patricia Torres Sandoval, from ECMIA, also participated in the 54th Regular Session of the General Assembly, which took place from June 26 to 28 in Paraguay, where she was in charge of reading and presenting the Indigenous Declaration to the 54th General Assembly of the OAS.

In her speech, she advocated for the rights of Indigenous peoples to be respected; for mining concessions to be prohibited on their lands, especially for lithium; for mechanisms to be established to eradicate the criminalization of land defenders and forced displacements due to climate change and insecurity; and for the resolution of cases of rape against Indigenous women to be expedited.

Empowering young Indigenous leaders

In Colombia, we highlight the important role that youth leadership plays in advancing the promotion and guarantee of the rights of indigenous peoples. In this sense, Race and Equality and the Organización Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas (ONIC) are developing the project “Empowering the voices of indigenous and Afro-descendant youth: building stronger communities for equity and inclusion in Brazil and Colombia”.

Within the framework of the activities that we have developed together, one of the main objectives is to increase visibility of the U.S.-Colombia Action Plan for Ethnic and Racial Equality (CAPREE). Likewise, the importance of advocacy through the use of international standards for indigenous peoples in the Inter-American Human Rights System and the Universal System for the Protection of Human Rights. 

At Race and Equality, we are firmly committed to supporting the participation of indigenous counterparts in international spaces, as in this way they contribute to denouncing the structural marginalization and multiple forms of discrimination faced by indigenous communities. Through high-impact policy documents, our partners have presented developed proposals that reflect their dedication, resilience, and collaborative spirit in defending their rights.