Side Event: 12:00-13:30, Wednesday September 30th
Room: Vivace 1
Recognizing Indigenous People’s rights to their ancestral territories is essential, but recognition alone is rarely enough. Too many Indigenous Peoples whose rights to their territories have been recognized are still being forced into a defensive, fire-fighting mode to protect their territories, resources, and cultures from external threats.
This side event is an opportunity to hear about Plan de Vida (Life Plan), a powerful approach to self-determined development in indigenous territories.
The event will be co-hosted by Jeremias Tunubala and Liliana Muelas, the leaders of the Cabildo Misak in the Colombian Cauca. The Misak first developed the Plan de Vida (Life Plan) approach that has since been taken up by hundreds of Indigenous Peoples across South America. When done well, the Plan de Vida has resulted in stronger governance and defence of indigenous territories on the basis of self-determined development.
Plan de Vida changes the rules of engagement. Instead of Indigenous Peoples having to prove their right to exist in the face of unprecedented change, Indigenous Peoples propose and implement their own long-term visions of the future. Thus despite facing great imbalances and injustices, Indigenous Peoples can make sure that the starting point of their conversations with governments and corporations is where they have come from, where they are at today, and where they want to go in the future.
The side event is also the European launch of LifeMosaic’s Territories of Life video toolkit, a series of 10 videos that shares stories of resistance, resilience, and hope from Latin America, Africa, and South-East Asia, with communities on the frontline of the global rush for land. The aim of the toolkit is to share stories, experiences, and ideas between communities, to help spark discussion and new visions for the future, and to support Indigenous Peoples’ struggles to defend their rights, territories, and cultures.
Organizers: Cabildo Misak and LifeMosaic
*This side event will be held in English and Spanish.
