We are pleased to invite you to two unique and powerful panels at Columbia University, associated with the current United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues:
Indigenous Amazonian Guardianship
Wednesday, April 19th, 11am, Teachers College, Thompson Hall Room 229
Indigenous rights groups note that Indigenous peoples sustain 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity, including ecosystems essential to global climate, fresh water, and food security. This underscores the centrality of Indigenous thinking and action on a range of guardianship issues. In the Amazon, a vast, complex, and threatened eco and socio-system, Indigenous guardianship is indispensable to the future. However, states and the international community often marginalize, displace and threaten indigenous communities. This has a range of negative impacts, on both the natural environment and the Indigenous peoples who live in and with the Amazon. This panel will bring leading Indigenous Amazonian voices together to discuss the role of these peoples in guardianship, the challenges facing these communities, and action being taken by Indigenous actors to re-center Indigenous voices, perspectives and action.
Indigenous views on the Colombian Peace Agreement
Friday, April 21, 11am, Teachers College, Horace Mann Room 150
In the context of the peace process between the Colombian government and the FARC (2012-2016), the signing of the Peace Agreements, including the Ethnic Chapter, the unsuccessful Referendum (2016), and the subsequent Congressional ratification of a revised peace deal, it is imperative to understand the views, concerns and needs of the diverse indigenous peoples of Colombia. Indigenous peoples often suffer the brunt of war, and also bring underappreciated and powerful wisdom to peacebuilding. As political actors, indigenous peoples should be, but often are not, central to any peace process. This panel explores a range of critical issues from the indigenous Colombian perspective, from justice to historical memory, and from the pursuit of human rights to the ongoing and widespread deadly violence against indigenous leaders.
Refreshments will be served. Thank you to our world-class event partners: NIA TERO, AC4, Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Institute of Latin American Studies, Kent Global Leadership Program on Conflict Resolution, MD-ICCCR, and SIPA International Organization and UN Studies Specialization