Gaia Amazonas

We hope to be a reference on issues of transboundary impact for an Amazon Basin vision, with connections to forestry transparency, environmental economics, cultural valuing, and building social capital for awareness raising and impact. We will continue working for the recognition of indigenous peoples’ political and administrative rights over their territories. We will seek new horizons for the construction of governance models that are appropriate for the cultural and ecological diversity of the country.

Although the State has established the conditions to advance in establishing Indigenous Territorial Entities (ETIs), this is a process that demands that strengthening of the internal organization and administrative capacity of the indigenous associations, which implies continuous support and specialized advice for the training of leaders in different areas (for example, teaching, administration, health, environmental management and administration) so that indigenous people can take on responsibility for the political-administrative management of the ETIs, strengthening local governance of the indigenous communities and with social capacity for decisions, management and administration.

We are committed to strengthening the capacity the Associations of Traditional Indigenous Authorities (AATIs) for the conservation and political-administrative management of their territories, based on their cultural values, existing legislation and international agreements. When they are organized, indigenous people will have the capacity to administrate and manage their territories, areas of tropical forest which, using their traditional knowledge, will be effectively conserved.  We will also deal with the study and management of compensation schemes for environmental services, which allow the indigenous people to decide on the destiny of benefits that are obtained, through interadministrative agreements with the State.

We will continue to support and advise indigenous people in their process of setting-up AATIs, in the departments of Guainía and Vaupés, supporting their organizational initiatives and the definition of their own programs for education, health, self-government, productive projects, and training of leaders. We will continue supporting the AATIs in Amazonas and Vaupés for establishing ETIs, and so that they continue their processes of coordination with the State and with other entities. As the AATIs start to consolidate their different processes, we will widen the spaces for participation with the provincial Government of Amazonas in the Permanent Panel for Interinstitutional Coordination (MPCI) to include environment and productive projects, among other themes.

We will continue with the processes of awareness raising and capacity building for public officials at the national, regional and local level, on existing norms that concern indigenous people, thereby facilitating negotiations by indigenous authorities and their articulation with state entities. The continuity of these actions seeks to achieve a genuine dialogue between public officials and indigenous people.

We will continue to provide legal advice to the communities and their Associations of Traditional Indigenous Authorities (AATIs), for the understanding and interpretation of laws, for the construction and implementation of intercultural programs in education, health and environmental management; also in strengthening their own government, management of public funds, planning, and the structure and functioning of the State. The aforementioned, is aimed at disseminating the significance and scope of their rights and responsibilities as public entities and future Indigenous Territorial Entities (ETIs).

We will continue to support the production and marketing of non-timber forest products with low cultural and ecological impact, from the Apaporis, Mirití and Pirá Rivers, in Amazonas and Vaupés.

We will carry out activities for the promotion and strengthening of the exchange of experiences and information, and collaboration between indigenous communities and organizations, non-government organizations, and government entities at the national and international levels.

- Gobernanza ambiental para la conservación y sostenibilidad

- Sistema continental de áreas protegidas

- ARA

- Siama

- Amazonas 2030

- RAISG

- Canoa

- Alianzas transnacionales y programas de intercambio