As part of the Resource Hub to Strengthen Indigenous Rights Project (Resource Hub) that is being implemented by the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA) and Equitable Origin, a workshop on Free, Prior and Informed Consent workshop was held on August 12 and 13 of this year in the Shiwakucha community of the Arajuno region in the Pastaza province of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
The workshop allowed for space to analyze, debate and exercise Indigenous collective rights that allow the consolidation of self-determination, through the development of adequate FPIC capacities, These capacities provide Indigenous leaders with the knowledge to defend their territory. Their lands are affected by the exploitation of natural resources by the government, mining, oil, logging, hydroelectric companies, among others. The first day of the workshop began at 4am with the celebration of the ancestral rite «Wayusa upina», in order to begin with the energy of nature and to welcome all of the participants.
The event was attended by 22 leaders of the organizations Pastaza Kikin Kichwa Runakuna (PAKKIRU), Association of Indigenous Communities of Arajuno (ACIA), Federation of the Shuar Nationality of Pastaza (FENASH-P), as well as the participation of members of the Anzu River, who presented their organizational experiences with territorial defense processes.
Dr. Yajaira Curipayo, a delegate of the Pastaza Ombudsman’s Office and Dr. Lenin Sarzosa, CONFENIAE legal advisor, both spoke at the event. Dr. Lenin Sarzosa presented the legal foundations of the right to consultation, defense of the territory and its application in specific cases.
The Resource Hub Project promotes spaces for organizational strengthening and the capacities of members of Indigenous Peoples’ communities.