On July 29, 2021, the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA) and Equitable Origin (EO) launched the course «Right to Consultation and Free, Prior and Informed Consent.«
The course seeks to strengthen the knowledge of the Indigenous participants to guide their communities and organizations in consultation processes on activities that affect their lives and territories and help them effectively defend their rights, pointing out the national and international mechanisms available and for them file complaints of violations.
Throughout this course, we will be working with 22 Indigenous leaders who are members of different organizations: the Inter-ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Jungle (AIDESEP) of Peru; the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE) of Ecuador; the Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Colombian Amazon (OPIAC) of Colombia; the Organization of Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon (ORPIA of Venezuela) and the Regional Indigenous and Popular Council of Xpujil (CRIPX) together with the Indigenous Network of Tourism of Mexico (RITA). Course participants are 57 percent male Indigenous leaders and 43 percent women Indigenous leaders, of different communities and peoples. Additionally, there are 11 subject matter experts teaching the course, of which 80 percent are Indigenous.
The course started with an inaugural module where the participants, the technical team of the project, and the representatives of the sponsoring organizations had the opportunity to introduce themselves. They were also able to ask questions about the content of the course and the use of the virtual platform.
In this first session of the course, Roraima González, COICA Technical Coordinator for the CEFO Indigenous Project, opened with a welcome to everyone present. Later, Tabea Casique Coronado, Coordinator of Education, Science and Technology of COICA highlighted the importance of virtual education and the right to free, prior, and informed consent. Then, Andrés Tapia, CONFENIAE Communications focal point, expressed the relevance of this course, since the Amazon and Indigenous territories are affected by the exploitation of resources and this FPIC is a tool to protect Indigenous territories.
Soledad Mills, EO’s Chief Executive Officer, said a few words of welcome and expressed her gratitude to the technical team, the participants, and the teachers who are part of this course. Next, Bruno Taborga, Director of the Project “Resource Hub to Strengthening Indigenous Rights (CEFO Indígena)” explained the objectives of the project and how the course’s subject matter was born. Pablo Yépez Coordinator of the project in Ecuador fraternally greeted and welcomed the participants from the different organizations and countries.
Later, the course participants made a brief presentation. Participants emphasized the importance of this learning space promoted by COICA and EO. Some of the attendees mentioned their appreciation for the organization of this course and the opportunity to learn to improve and strengthen Indigenous rights in each country. Additionally, a few participants mentioned that these tools will contribute to the preservation and defense of their territories and the ways of life of the Indigenous Peoples of the region.
Rubén Pinto, teacher, and tutor of the course gave a brief presentation about the topics to be covered and the dynamics of the course. Likewise, Elizabeth Rodriguez, EO Consultant, presented the profile of the teachers who will contribute to the materialization of this education initiative.
Finally, the FUNDER team led by Graciela Sánchez, responsible for managing the COICA learning platform, presented a brief induction on the use of the platform.
By way of closing, teacher Martín Vásquez expressed the importance of these training and articulation spaces for leaders of the Amazon basin and encouraged the participants to take advantage of these training spaces.
For three months, it is expected that the members will gather valuable knowledge, experiences, and tools about FPIC in order to put their knowledge into practice in the different communities.
The start of Module # 1 is scheduled for Thursday, August 5 at 9 am (Quito time).