By Pablo Garcia

James Anaya, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, dedicated his official visit to Peru this December to learning about the situation of the country’s Indigenous Peoples, especially with respect to the right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent regarding development projects and the effects of extractive industries on Indigenous Peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact. He met with government officials, Indigenous leaders, and corporate representatives in Lima, as well as in diverse towns and villages affected by resource extraction.

Indigenous women demand that the States recognize the authority and competency of their communities in the management of their lands, territories, and resources.

They pledge to be part of the solution to the food crisis that will consequently result in climate change.

Unanimously, the Indigenous women of the world declared that if States did not restore the control that the women had over their land, territories, and resources, it would not only put the communities’ lives in danger, but all of humanity as well.

Over two hundred women from Africa, the Arctic, Asia, Latin America, North America, the Pacific, and Russia are gathering in Lima, Peru from October 28th to 30th during the World Conference of Indigenous Women. They are demand the greater prominence of Indigenous women at every level of decision-making and calling upon governments to dedicate funding to attend to the specific needs of Indigenous women.  

Watch UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples James Anaya's opening address to conference participants.

Indigenous Women of the World Unite in Lima, Peru

Indigenous women leaders from every continent will join together in Lima, Peru, to demand that States eradicate violence.

On October 28 - 30, 2013 in Lima, Peru over 200 Indigenous women from all over the globe will gather in preparation for the UN World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in September 2014. The conference is a strategic opportunity that will enable Indigenous youth and women from the seven regions of the world to be informed, reach consensus and establish a common, political statement as a world-level Indigenous women's  movement.