Confederación de Pueblos Indígenas del Oriente Boliviano
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| Confederación de Pueblos Indígenas del Oriente Boliviano | |
|---|---|
| Name | Confederación de Pueblos Indígenas del Oriente Boliviano |
| Native name | Confederación de Pueblos Indígenas del Oriente Boliviano |
| Abbreviation | CIDOB |
| Formation | 1982 |
| Type | Indigenous organization |
| Headquarters | Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia |
| Region served | Bolivian lowlands |
| Leader title | Executive Secretary |
Confederación de Pueblos Indígenas del Oriente Boliviano is a major indigenous organization representing numerous indigenous nations of the Bolivian Amazon and lowlands, coordinating intercultural advocacy and territorial defense. It operates at the intersection of indigenous movements, regional politics, and international indigenous rights networks, engaging with transnational institutions and domestic actors. CIDOB has played a central role in mobilizations linked to land rights, natural resources, and cultural autonomy in Bolivia.
History
CIDOB traces roots to regional indigenous leadership that emerged amid agrarian and extractive conflicts in the 1970s and 1980s involving actors such as Jesuit missions, Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario (Bolivia), and agrarian unions in departments like Beni Department and Santa Cruz Department. Its formalization in 1982 followed precedents set by organizations like the Confederación Sindical Única de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia and contemporaneous mobilizations linked to the Chaco War legacy of territorial contestation and to international frameworks such as the International Labor Organization Convention 169. CIDOB later engaged with landmark events including the Water War (Cochabamba) and the Bolivian Gas War, aligning with federations like the Central Obrera Boliviana and indigenous platforms allied to leaders who participated in the 2005 Constituent Assembly of Bolivia. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s CIDOB formed alliances with organizations such as Coordinator of Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon Basin and participated in regional forums connected to Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization dialogues and United Nations mechanisms like the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Organization and Structure
CIDOB's internal governance combines traditional authorities and representative bodies modeled after federative structures seen in groups such as Movimiento al Socialismo-aligned syndicates and autonomist assemblies in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Its leadership includes an Executive Secretary and a National Council with delegates from constituent peoples, paralleling structures in organizations like Huairou Commission and Coordinadora Andina de Organizaciones Indígenas. Decision-making processes draw on customary protocols from nations such as the Guaraní people and Chiquitano people, while interfacing with state institutions including the Plurinational Legislative Assembly and the Ministry of Rural Development and Land (Bolivia). CIDOB maintains regional offices that coordinate with municipal governments like San Ignacio de Velasco and participate in inter-organizational networks with entities such as Fundación Tierra and international NGOs like Amnesty International and Oxfam.
Member Peoples and Territories
CIDOB represents a plurality of lowland nations including the Ayoreo people, Mojeño people, Tacana, Yaminahua, Machineri, Secoya, Movima, and Itonama. Its territorial claims span departments such as Pando Department, Beni Department, and Santa Cruz Department, covering indigenous territories like the Territorio Indígena y Parque Nacional Isiboro Sécure (TIPNIS) area and river basins tied to the Amazon River watershed. CIDOB's constituency interacts with neighboring indigenous federations like CONAMAQ and indigenous municipal governments in locations such as Riberalta and Trinidad, and its membership overlaps with communities engaged in cross-border dynamics with Brazil and Peru.
Political Activities and Advocacy
CIDOB has engaged in high-profile mobilizations, road marches, and legal actions comparable to the demonstrations associated with the Marcha indígena and alliances with leaders who negotiated during the 2009 Constitution of Bolivia process. It has lobbied legislative reforms related to rights enshrined in instruments like Law of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Bolivia) and participated in litigation invoking precedents from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and cases before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. CIDOB has coordinated with political parties, social movements, and civic platforms including Comcipo and regional civic committees in Santa Cruz Department to influence policy on extractive concessions, infrastructure projects such as the Villa Tunari–San Ignacio de Moxos Highway, and consultations under the International Labour Organization Convention 169.
Environmental and Land Rights Issues
CIDOB is prominent in struggles over deforestation, hydrocarbon exploration, agribusiness expansion, and logging linked to multinational firms and regional actors like YPFB and agro-industrial estates in Chiquitania. It has championed indigenous land titling, titling processes administered by institutions like the National Agrarian Reform Institute (Bolivia), and has contested projects impacting protected areas such as Isiboro Sécure National Park and Indigenous Territory (TIPNIS). CIDOB's environmental advocacy engages scientific communities associated with universities like the University of San Andrés and international conservation organizations such as WWF and Conservation International, while confronting extractive industry interests tied to corporations operating in the Bolivian Amazon.
Cultural Preservation and Social Programs
CIDOB supports cultural revitalization efforts among member nations—promoting languages like Guarayu language and Chiquitano language through intercultural education initiatives connected with the Ministry of Education (Bolivia), and collaborating with ethnomusicologists, missionaries, and cultural institutes such as the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Santa Cruz on documentation projects. Social programs coordinated with NGOs and agencies like UNICEF, Pan American Health Organization, and national health services address public health, bilingual schooling, and indigenous women’s leadership, intersecting with movements such as the Movimiento de Mujeres Indígenas.
Challenges and Contemporary Developments
Contemporary challenges for CIDOB include negotiating autonomy arrangements amid political polarization tied to parties like Movimiento al Socialismo and regional autonomist coalitions in Santa Cruz Department, addressing criminalization of activism and clashes reminiscent of incidents in the TIPNIS conflict, and dealing with the impacts of climate change on Amazonian livelihoods documented by research institutions like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Current developments involve digital advocacy through platforms linked to international campaigns with Global Witness, participation in multilateral negotiations at forums such as the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP), and strategic litigation before regional human rights bodies to secure legal precedents for territorial and cultural rights.