Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Bolivia

Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Bolivia
Name	Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Bolivia
Native name	Confederación de Pueblos Indígenas de Bolivia
Formation	1982
Headquarters	Cochabamba, Bolivia
Region served	Bolivia
Membership	Indigenous peoples of Bolivia
Language	Spanish, Quechua, Aymara, Guarani

Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Bolivia is a nationwide indigenous organization formed to represent and coordinate the political, cultural, and territorial interests of multiple indigenous nations across Bolivia. It has engaged with social movements, trade unions, political parties, and international bodies to advance indigenous rights, territorial autonomy, and legal recognition. The Confederation has played a visible role in national mobilizations involving rural peasant federations, urban social movements, and transnational indigenous networks.

History

Founded in the early 1980s amid transitions following the military juntas and the return to electoral politics, the Confederation emerged alongside organizations such as National Institute of Agrarian Reform (Bolivia), Movimiento al Socialismo, Bartolina Sisa National Federation, Central Obrera Boliviana, and Subcentral TIPNIS. Its formation drew on predecessors including regional indigenous federations, CSUTCB, and intercultural indigenous assemblies that responded to land reform issues and the implementation of the Land Reform Law and agrarian policies. The Confederation participated in key mobilizations of the 1990s and 2000s, interacting with events like the Water War (Cochabamba) and the Gas War (Bolivia), and negotiated with governments of presidents such as Víctor Paz Estenssoro, Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada, Eduardo Rodríguez Veltzé, and Evo Morales. Internationally it connected with forums like the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Organization of American States, and Global Indigenous Youth Caucus.

Organization and Structure

The Confederation’s internal governance reflects a federation model combining local syndicates, regional federations, and national assemblies, echoing structures seen in CSUTCB and Bartolina Sisa National Federation. Leadership rotates through elected juntas comprised of a president, secretaries for territories, culture, and land, and liaises with legal advisors linked to institutions such as the Plurinational Legislative Assembly, Defensoría del Pueblo (Bolivia), and municipal councils in cities like Cochabamba, La Paz, and Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Decision-making has used mechanisms influenced by indigenous customary law and practices observed in Aymara and Quechua jurisdictions, while engaging with legal instruments like the 2009 Constitution of Bolivia and the Indigenous Consultation Law.

Membership and Affiliates

Membership spans indigenous nations including Aymara people, Quechua people, Guaraní people, Chiquitano people, Moxeño people, Yuracaré people, Tacana people, and Ayoreo people, with affiliate organizations at municipal and departmental levels such as regional peasant unions, ethnic federations, and community councils in departments like Potosí Department, Oruro Department, Beni Department, and Pando Department. The Confederation has formal and informal ties with entities such as CIDOB, CONAMAQ, Federación Sindical Única de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia (FSUTCB), and transnational bodies like Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization partners.

Political Activities and Advocacy

The Confederation has engaged in electoral politics, policy lobbying, and street mobilization, coordinating with parties and movements including Movimiento al Socialismo, regional civic committees like Comité Cívico Pro Santa Cruz, and human rights organizations such as CEJIS and Amnesty International. Advocacy topics have included territorial titling under the Ley INRA, indigenous autonomy provisions in the 2009 Constitution of Bolivia, bilingual intercultural education with ministries like the Ministry of Education (Bolivia), and environmental defense relevant to projects involving Bolivian Gas fields and extractive industries tied to companies like YPFB and multinational firms. It has used forums such as the Summit of the Americas and collaborations with international NGOs like Rainforest Foundation.

Major Campaigns and Achievements

Notable campaigns include mobilizations for territorial demarcation that influenced rulings by the Plurinational Constitutional Tribunal, resistance campaigns during the TIPNIS conflict, participation in the movement that contributed to the election of Evo Morales, and sustained pressure leading to recognition of collective land rights under instruments akin to the ILO Convention 169 and the incorporation of intercultural rights into national law. The Confederation has also advanced cultural revival initiatives connecting to institutions such as the Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore and education reforms impacting indigenous language instruction in municipalities like El Alto.

Relations with Government and Other Movements

Relations have alternated between collaboration with state bodies—engaging ministers from the Ministry of Rural Development and Lands—and confrontation with administrations over resource extraction and infrastructure projects, aligning or clashing with movements like CSUTCB, Bartolina Sisa National Federation, and lowland federations such as CIDOB. It has interfaced with international actors including the United Nations, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and donor agencies like the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank on projects affecting indigenous territories.

Internal Challenges and Contemporary Issues

Internal debates center on representation between highland and lowland nations, leadership succession disputes mirroring tensions seen in CONAMAQ and CIDOB, generational divides involving youth activists from Sarayaku-inspired networks, and policy differences over alliances with political parties such as Movimiento al Socialismo. Contemporary issues include climate change impacts on Amazonian and Andean ecosystems, legal complications in application of the Indigenous Consultation Law, threats from agribusiness expansion in regions like Santa Cruz Department, and coordination with transnational indigenous rights litigation in bodies like the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Category:Indigenous organizations in Bolivia Category:Social movements in Bolivia