Indigenous human rights and environmental defenders are killed on a daily basis.
Indigenous human rights and environmental defenders are killed on a daily basis.
December 17, 2019, was the official close of the United Nations’ International Year of Indigenous Languages, which aims to draw attention to language loss and the need to strengthen and revitalize them.
By Samantha Freedman
By Laura Simpson Reeves
Yesmi Ajanel (Maya K’ich’e) comes from the highlands of Guatemala. At the age of 10, she moved from San Cristobal Totonicapan to Quetzaltenango. This change opened her eyes to the gap that society was creating between being from a city and being from a small town. Even though the distance between the two locations is only about 40 kilometers, the discrimination is part of social behavior. “For a long time, I hid my Indigenous identity to fit in but later, I realized that I was hiding my roots, my mother’s roots, and my family.
On November 1, 2019, Chile cancelled its hosting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (UNFCCC COP 25) meeting due to unrest in the country, which also highlighted the marginalization of Indigenous Peoples. Spain will now host the meeting during the same time frame, on December 2 -13, 2019, in Madrid, under the presidency of the Chilean government. The move impacts Indigenous Peoples and delegates coming from the global south who are facing obstacles in obtaining visas, in event planning and implementation in this short period of time.
OVERVIEW:
On October 23-25, 2019, the Central America Donors Forum was held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, with over 300 attendees, 100+ panelists, and more than 30 sessions addressing migration, corruption, democracy, economic development, and social movements. It was a fully packed three day gathering where public and private sectors had the opportunity to bridge alliances. Cultural Survival’s Rosy González (Kakchiquel Maya), Indigenous Rights Radio Program Coordinator, and Nati Garcia (Maya Mam), Indigenous Youth Community Media Fellowship Coordinator, participated in the conference.
By Dev Kumar Sunuwar
On October 30 - November 2, 2019, Purdue University in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA, hosted a four-day conference to celebrate the world’s Indigenous languages by raising awareness among universities and other actors about the global movement for Indigenous language revitalization and promotion.
Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.