V Continental Summit Abya Yala - Cauca, Colombia

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V Continental Summit
of

Indigenous Peoples and Nations of Abya Yala

II Continental Summit of Indigenous Women

Indigenous Reserve of María Piendamó, Cauca Colombia.

November 10-16, 2013

 CONVOCATION

As Indigenous Peoples of Abya Yala, children of Mother Earth, we have come a long way together towards the realization of our self-determination, both in the defense of our territories as well as in determining our own ways of life for the future. This long road, which originates in our communities, bringing together both men and women, has been strengthened historically in four continental summits: Teotihuacan (Mexico, 2000), Kito (Ecuador, 2004), Iximche' (Guatemala, 2007) and Titicaca (Peru, 2009). In these spaces of encounter we have shared our culture, spirituality, languages, ancestral knowledge, problems and challenges, alternatives and dreams, and we have reaffirmed our undiminished and inalienable Rights as Indigenous Peoples.

Along this journey, since the First Summit of Teotihuacan 2000 to the IV Summit 2009 in Titicaca we recognize the advances marked by our agreements:

Council of Indigenous Nations and Organizations of the Continent

We agreed to work together to bring the States to recognize the national and international legal instruments on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and that these be incorporated into their respective Political Constitutions.  In this sense, our Indigenous Peoples of the continent have contributed to the approval in 2007 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. However, we are still advocating and insisting that the Declaration be raised to the status of national law as has been realized in Bolivia.

It has been a long struggle and continues to be so for the Indigenous Peoples of Abya Yala to push for ratification by the states of ILO Convention 169. To date in the Americas only 15 of the 35 OAS member states have ratified the Convention. However, ratification alone is not enough to realize the full exercise of our rights and so the implementation of ILO 169 is one of the major challenges we continue to face.  For example, the implementation and application of the consultation process has both has light and dark histories in the region.  Experience shows that despite having the force of law, as in Peru, its application is still elusive.

In the second summit it was agreed to strengthen the process of articulation and alliances with other movements. Since 2005, the indigenous peoples have developed strategies to achieve greater exchange, visibility and support for proposals with other social movements of the continent and the world. These processes have enabled us to disseminate our political proposals and contribute to collective actions for a world in balance with Mother Earth inspired by the principle of Living with Wellness.

Indigenous Peoples have woven together these joint convergences and the result has brought about the creation of common regional-global agendas in recent years. One of the milestones along the way was made evident at the continental level by the contributions and proposals of indigenous women of Abya Yala from the First Continental Summit of Indigenous Women (Puno, 2009).

Another very important collective space has been the organization of the First Continental Summit of Indigenous Communication (Cauca, 2011).  As a result of mobilizations of indigenous Quechua, Aymara and Kichwas, progress has been made in the advancing the proposal of Sumac Kawsay, Living with Wellness as an alternative to crisis of civilization affecting humanity.

The Indigenous Peoples bring to the modern world a global proposal based on our ancestral lifestyles and daily life of respect, harmony and balance with all that exists on Mother Earth. We believe that the western way of life with it’s projections of unconstrained economic growth has reached its limit and to heal Mother Earth is necessary to return to the culture of life, the Indigenous Peoples principle of Sumac Kawsay, Living with Wellness.  However, in the present context we are witnessing the deepening of actions of state repression and criminalization targeting us as Indigenous Peoples standing in defense of our territories and rights.  Without our free, prior and informed consent and in the name of supposed national development our territories are granted in concessions to companies who implement mega-development projects that threaten our cultural survival as Indigenous Peoples.

The predatory economics of extractivism that causes displacement and pollution of Mother Earth is the model that prevails on the continent and we Indigenous Peoples are considered an obstacle to this development.  Therefore, it is necessary to continue to articulate our demands and proposals, define strategies to enhance the processes towards completion of a new civilizational paradigm supported by the principle of Living with Wellness, strengthening the implementation of indigenous rights to be recognized by the states, and to promote recognition of the Rights of Mother Earth.

Thus as the Indigenous Peoples of Abya Yala we self convene to gather at the V Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nations of Abya Yala, the Second Continental Summit of Indigenous Women and the III Continental Meeting of Indigenous Children and Youth to be hosted at the Indigenous Reserve of La Maria Piendamó, department of Cauca, Colombia, from November 10 -16, 2013.  In this process we call upon the Indigenous Peoples of the continent to convene in Preparatory Meetings to discuss and agree on proposals to be integrated into the agenda of the continental summit.

At the V Summit of Indigenous Peoples of Abya Yala, both men and women, we will gather and exchange, we will discuss and agree on actions on issues such as:

·      Alternatives to the colonial development model

·      Threats to indigenous territories: Megaprojects

·      Plurlnational States: Challenges and Implementation

·      Indigenous Diplomacy and World Conference on Indigenous Peoples (2014) and,

·      Continental Political Unity: Articulation and Alliances. 

OBJECTIVES:

General Objective

Develop and articulate strategies of Indigenous Peoples and their organizations confronting the capitalist neoliberal development model and outline the foundations for the construction of a new global civilizational paradigm supported by the principles of Living with Wellness, the Rights of Mother Earth and Plurinationality.

Specific Objectives

Assess the status of continental indigenous movement, our progress, setbacks and challenges in the realization of our proposals.

Set the foundation for political and economic strategies leading towards Living with Wellness.

Consolidate and articulate proposals and positions of the Indigenous Peoples Movement of Abya Yala in the context of the Indigenous Peoples Conference convened by the United Nations in 2014.

Visualize, articulate and consolidate the demands, proposals and strategies of indigenous women and indigenous children and youth.

Expand and strengthen the communication networks of the indigenous movement and our allies.

Location and Date

Indigenous Reserve of María Piendamó, Cauca Colombia.

November 10-16, 2013

Events that compose the V Summit

V Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nationalities of Abya Yala

II Continental Summit of Indigenous Women of Abya Yala

Ill Continental Meeting of Indigenous Children and Youth

Thematic Working Groups

Models of development: Neoliberal capitalism versus right to self determined development. Foundations for the construction of a new global civilizational paradigm, Living with Wellness and the Rights of Mother Earth.

Self-determination: Territory and natural assets. Consultation and Free, Pior, and Informed Consent.  Traditional Justice. Intercultural education and health.

Continental Indigenous Movement: Assessment of progress and setbacks in the implementation of rights and indigenous proposals.

The State and Indigenous Peoples: neoliberal and “progressive” governments. Participation in political dialogue. Construction of proposed public laws and policies.

Political Incidence: Indigenous Diplomacy. Participation in the international arena.  Mechanisms for the international protection of Indigenous Peoples Rights.

Indigenous Communication: Rights, Proposed policies and communication laws. Indigenous Communication networks and allies.

UN High Level Plenary/World Conference on Indigenous Peoples 2014, New York. Analysis of the proposals of the UN and the positions of Indigenous Peoples. Timelines, mechanisms of participation, agenda, proposals.

Continental Indigenous Political Unity: Articulation and Alliances 

Organizing Commission 

National Indigenous Organization of Colombia -ONIC

Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia – ONIC
E-mail: onic@onic.org.co Tel: (57)1 284 2168
Coordinadora y Convergencia Wakiq Kej' de Guatemala
Coordinadora Andina de Organizaciones Indígenas – CAOI
E-mail: caoi@coordinadoracaoi.org web
www.coordinadoracaoi.org (51)1 265 6250

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Links:
First Continental Encounter of Indigenous Nations, Pueblos and Organizations - Quito, Ecuador 1990
Declaration of Quito, 1990 
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Temoaya Declaration 1993
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Pachacutic Kundur Anka 2010  
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DISMANTLING
The Doctrine of Discovery
Abya Yala Declaration 2013
 

TONATIERRA 
www.tonatierra.org 
tonal@tonatierra.org