Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Andes

Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Andes
Name	Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Andes
Formation	1980s
Headquarters	Andes Region
Region served	Andes Mountains
Membership	Indigenous organizations
Leader title	Executive Secretary

Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Andes is a regional federation that brings together indigenous federations, unions, and movements from the Andes Mountains across national boundaries such as Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina. It functions as a platform for collective advocacy connecting local communities in the Altiplano, Amazonian foothills and highland municipalities with transnational bodies like the United Nations and the Organization of American States. The coordination has links with social movements, peasant federations, environmental networks and cultural institutions throughout South America.

History and Origins

The coordination traces roots to agrarian and indigenous mobilizations in the late 20th century, influenced by events and actors including the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, the Bolivian National Revolution, and the land occupation waves that followed the Mexican Revolution's ideological legacy. Early gatherings referenced precedents such as the First Congress of the Peoples of the Andes and regional meetings that involved leaders from Confederación Campesina del Perú, Central Única de Trabajadores (Bolivia), and delegations from Ecuadorian Indigenous Movement (CONAIE). International influences included solidarity from Solidarity (Poland), the Non-Aligned Movement, and human rights advocacy stemming from cases in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights that inspired comparative strategies. Prominent indigenous figures and intellectuals who participated in formative rounds had ties to institutions like the National University of San Marcos, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, and cultural projects associated with Ireneo Funes and scholars linked to the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences. The coordination institutionalized mechanisms after dialogues featuring representatives from Bartolina Sisa Confederation, Federación de Campesinos de Cochabamba, Asamblea Nacional de Ecuador, and other national bodies.

Membership and Structure

Members include national federations such as Confederación Campesina del Perú, Central Obrera Boliviana, CONAIE, National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC), Mapuche Organizations from Chile, and Asamblea Permanente de Derechos Humanos-linked groups. Representation extends to ethnic communities like the Quechua, Aymara, Kichwa, Shuar, and Guambiano peoples, as well as regional unions like the Syndical Confederation of Rural Workers of Bolivia and urban indigenous associations in Lima, La Paz, Quito, Bogotá, and Santiago. The structure typically combines a secretariat, technical commissions, and thematic working groups informed by alliances with NGOs such as WISE, environmental networks like Amazon Watch, and academic partners including Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and Universidad de Chile.

Political Advocacy and Campaigns

The coordination has engaged in campaigns on territorial rights, natural resource governance, and cultural autonomy, aligning with international instruments like the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, advocacy before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and strategies used in cases such as the Awas Tingni judgment. Campaigns often intersect with environmental protests involving Pachamama defenders, opposition to extractive projects exemplified by conflicts over Tipnis, oil disputes in Loreto Department (Peru), mining controversies near Cochabamba Department, and resistance to large infrastructure projects like dams referenced in disputes similar to the Yacyretá and Chixoy controversies. The coordination has coordinated electoral observation, produced policy proposals used in deliberations at legislatures such as the Congress of the Republic of Peru, Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional de Bolivia, and has lobbied presidential administrations and ministries including those in Ecuadorian government and Chilean government cabinets.

Social and Cultural Programs

Programs promote indigenous languages, traditional knowledge systems, and cultural revitalization tied to institutions such as the National Institute of Culture (Peru), museums like the Museo Nacional de Antropología (Bolivia), and festivals similar to the Inti Raymi and Alasitas celebrations. Initiatives collaborate with educational bodies like Ministry of Education (Peru), bilingual schooling projects at Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, and health campaigns that draw on intercultural medicine frameworks linked to clinics in Potosí and Napo Province. Cultural programming engages with artists, writers, and intellectuals associated with the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, the Biblioteca Nacional del Perú, and researchers at the Smithsonian Institution and Museo del Oro (Colombia).

Governance and Decision-Making Processes

Governance follows deliberative assemblies resembling models used by Zapatista Army of National Liberation councils and indigenous cabildo practices found in Andean communities. Decision-making relies on plenary sessions, consensus-oriented protocols, and delegates from organizations such as the Bartolina Sisa Confederation, Federación Nacional de Cooperativas Avícolas (example cooperative allies), and regional chapters from Cusco, Puno, Oruro, and Imbabura. Legal advisory functions reference jurisprudence from the Constitution of Bolivia (2009), constitutional debates in Ecuador (2008 constitution), and indigenous rights jurisprudence adjudicated by the Supreme Court of Justice of Bolivia and national courts in Peru and Colombia.

Relations with States and International Bodies

The coordination engages with intergovernmental forums including the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the World Bank on social safeguards, and the Inter-American Development Bank on development projects. It negotiates with ministries and Congresses in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina and maintains ties with international NGOs such as Oxfam, Amnesty International, and Greenpeace. The coordination has submitted shadow reports to bodies like the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and participated in regional summits with the Union of South American Nations and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.

Challenges and Contemporary Developments

Contemporary challenges include pressures from extractive industries like multinational mining firms tied to disputes similar to those involving Newmont Mining or Barrick Gold, infrastructure projects financed by lenders such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and political polarization seen in elections across Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. Internal dynamics reflect debates over representation between urban indigenous associations and rural communities, generational leadership transitions, and coordination with feminist indigenous movements such as Bartolina Sisa-related networks. Emerging developments include digital mobilization using platforms connected to actors like Socialism and Liberation networks, alliances with climate justice coalitions at COP climate conferences, and strategic litigation in venues such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and national constitutional tribunals.

Category:Indigenous rights organizations Category:Andean politics Category:Social movements in South America