Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador

Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador
Name	Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador
Native name	Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas del Ecuador
Founded	1986
Headquarters	Quito
Region	Ecuador
Leaders	Jaime Vargas, Leonidas Iza, others

Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador is a national indigenous political organization in Ecuador that represents a coalition of Kichwa, Shuar, Awá, Achuar, Shiwiar, Sapara, Secoya, Cofán, Waorani and other nationalities. Formed to unite diverse indigenous federations and national organizations, it became a central actor in rural mobilization, land rights litigation, and national politics alongside parties and movements such as Movimiento Pachakutik and interactions with administrations like those of Rafael Correa and Lenín Moreno. The confederation has engaged with regional bodies including the Organization of American States and influenced constitutional processes such as the 2008 Constituent Assembly. It balances traditional governance models with engagement in institutions like the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

History

The organization traces roots to federations such as the Ecuadorian Indigenous Federation (FEI), CONAIE's antecedents, and local organizations in provinces including Imbabura Province, Napo Province, Pastaza Province, Zamora-Chinchipe Province and Morona Santiago Province. Key early events included mobilizations in response to structural adjustment policies of the International Monetary Fund and clashes over resource extraction promoted by multinational firms like Chevron Corporation and BHP. During the 1990s it coordinated national indigenous uprisings that intersected with presidencies of Sixto Durán Ballén and Jamil Mahuad, culminating in alliances with urban social movements linked to actors such as Movimiento Alfarista and civil society organizations including Centro de Derechos Humanos groups. The 2000s saw strategic litigation in national courts and coordination with the Andean Community and United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to assert collective rights recognized in the ILO Convention 169.

Organization and Structure

The confederation operates through a federative council model drawing representatives from provincial and local federations such as the CONAIE provincial juntas and canton-level organizations in places like Cotopaxi Province and Chimborazo Province. Leadership has included presidents, general secretaries, and a governing assembly with delegates elected by nationalities including Kichwa of the Sierra, Kichwa Amazonian, and Shuar Federation of the Amazon. Internal organs coordinate policy with external partners such as Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement–New Country and international NGOs like Amazon Watch and Oxfam. Traditional authorities—such as aunt and elder councils and community assemblies drawn from Yasuní National Park communities—influence decision-making alongside statutory committees for finance, legal affairs, and territorial defense.

Membership and Constituent Nationalities

Membership comprises dozens of nationalities and hundreds of local federations, including prominent groups: Kichwa people, Shuar people, Achuar people, Shiwiar people, Secoya people, Cofán people, Waorani people, Siona people, Huaorani people, Chachi people, Tsáchila people, Mestizo federations in mixed territories, and provincial organizations in Esmeraldas Province and Manabí Province. The confederation recognizes indigenous legal pluralism, customary authorities like apús and traditional councils, and coordinates with rural peasant movements such as the Unión Nacional de Educadores and smallholder associations in Sierra Ecuador. It has liaised with Afro-Ecuadorian organizations including Afro-Ecuadorian Congress participants in multiethnic coalitions.

Political Activities and Advocacy

Politically, the confederation has pursued electoral strategies through alliances with Pachakutik while maintaining autonomous mobilization capacity, negotiating with administrations from Abdalá Bucaram to Lenín Moreno and confronting extractive policies under Rafael Correa. It has used litigation in the Constitutional Court of Ecuador and petitions to institutions like the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to defend territorial rights against corporations such as Repsol and state concessions in the Oriente. The confederation has advocated for rights codified in the 2008 Constitution of Ecuador, including recognition of intercultural rights, collective property regimes, and consultation procedures referenced in ILO 169 and UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Social and Cultural Programs

Programs have included bilingual intercultural education initiatives developed with the Ministry of Education (Ecuador) in coordination with indigenous teachers' unions and universities such as Universidad Central del Ecuador and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. Cultural preservation projects have documented languages like Kichwa language, Shuar language, and Achuar language with support from institutions including the Smithsonian Institution and regional cultural centers in Quito and Tena. Health initiatives have partnered with the Ministry of Public Health (Ecuador) and international agencies such as the Pan American Health Organization to address malaria and maternal health in Amazonian cantons like Francisco de Orellana Canton.

Major Protests and Campaigns

Major mobilizations include the 1990s national uprisings that influenced the fall of governments during crises, the 2000 indigenous-led protests that affected Quito governance, and the 2019 national strike that negotiated with Lenín Moreno's cabinet over fuel subsidy removal and extractive policies. Campaigns have targeted projects such as mining concessions in Chinchipe River basins, oil exploitation in Yasuní National Park, and hydroelectric projects proposed by firms like China National Petroleum Corporation and Ecuadorian Institute of Electricity. The confederation has coordinated roadblocks, marches to Palacio de Carondelet, and international advocacy tours to forums in Geneva and New York.

Influence on Ecuadorian Policy and Law

The confederation shaped the inclusion of plurinational recognition and collective rights in the 2008 Constitution of Ecuador, influenced the formulation of prior consultation rules referenced in national statutes, and pressured reforms in land titling administered by the Institute for Agrarian Development (Ecuador). Its legal victories before national and regional courts advanced jurisprudence on indigenous consultation and territory, affecting extractive licensing and environmental impact assessments overseen by institutions like the Ministry of Environment (Ecuador). Through alliances with political parties, NGOs, and international bodies such as the United Nations Development Programme, it remains a decisive actor in negotiations on resource governance, intercultural policy, and human rights in Ecuador.

Category:Indigenous peoples in Ecuador