Indigenous Peoples - July 2013
Workshop on the political participation of
indigenous leaders comes to an end
The Organization of American States (Department of
International Law of the Secretariat for Legal
Affairs) held a workshop on good governance and
political participation for indigenous leaders,
members of nongovernmental organizations, and
government officials working on indigenous issues.
It was held at the Spanish
Cooperation Training Center
of the Spanish Agency for
International Development
Cooperation (AECID) in La
Antigua, Guatemala, on June
17-21, 2013.
The workshop was inaugurated by Mr. Jesús Oyamburu,
Director of the Spanish Cooperation Training Center
in La Antigua, Guatemala and by Mr. Luis Toro
Utillano, Senior Legal Officer at the OAS Department
of International Law.
There were 27 participants: from Costa Rica, El
Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, and
Suriname, as well as Guatemala. Speakers included
professors, national indigenous leaders involved in
political and community affairs, and staff of the
OAS Secretariat for Political Affairs and the OAS
Secretariat for Legal Affairs.
This activity combining training and empowerment in
indigenous issues was possible thanks to the
logistical support of the Spanish Agency for
International Development Cooperation (AECID) and to
the financial support of the German Government (BMZ)
and the German Development Agency (GIZ).
The Workshop forms part of the "Department of
International Law's Program of Action to Strengthen
the Participation of Indigenous Peoples in the
inter-American System," which seeks to enhance the
political impact of the indigenous peoples through
proposals combining concepts relating to the
inter-American system, democratic values, and
communication strategies, in addition to identifying
the players and institutions involved, while
emphasizing actions that further gender equity.
Special emphasis is also
placed on activities in
which training is imparted
by the participants
themselves, so that they can
replicate what they learn
and organize training
courses in their communities
or workplaces, using their
own resources. In the last
year alone, such replication
in participants' communities
and workplaces has led to
the training of more than
400 people by persons who
were awarded grants to
attend our workshops.
Thanks to the funds provided
by the German Government
(BMZ) and the German
Development Agency (GIZ),
the Department of
International Law has
engaged in the following
training activities in the
past five years:
• Workshops on the political participation of
indigenous women aimed at strengthening leadership
by promoting greater participation of indigenous
women in efforts to forge a society of empowered
citizens (la construcción ciudadana) (Ecuador in
December 2010; Guatemala in June 2011; Chile in
December 2012, and now in La Antigua, Guatemala.
• Workshops on the planning, design, execution, and
evaluation of projects aimed at generating aptitudes
and skills for self-management (Panama in November
2009; Peru in May 2010, Ecuador in November 2010,
and Guatemala in June 2011).
• Courses on good
governance, covering various
decision-making processes,
methods for formulating
public policies, and
institution-building (Panama
in November 2009 and Peru in
May 2010).
• Training in comprehensive
use of the inter-American
system for the promotion and
protection of human rights,
aimed at familiarizing
indigenous leaders with that
system and showing them how
to make effective use of it
(Colombia in December 2009;
Costa Rica in September
2010; Peru in November
2011,and Mexico in July
2012).
For additional information about Indigenous Peoples,
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