Indigenous communities’ livelihood in Colombia is threatened as they are struggling to keep their ancestral territory. The Arhuaco peoples have organised themselves and are making a last stand to prevent more mining concessions in their territory and create sustainable development.
Recent reports by UN experts and human rights organizations document an alarming increase in violent attacks against and criminalisation of indigenous peoples defending their rights to their traditional lands and natural resources, particularly in the context of large-scale development projects. Intensifying global competition over natural resources increasingly makes indigenous communities taking action to protect their traditional lands and territories targets of persecution by State and non-State actors who want to silence them and dissuade others to support them.
Conference programme for "Defending the Defenders" - Building New Alliances for Protecting Indigenous Peoples' Rights"
Read the programme for the International conference in Copenhagen themed "Defending the Defenders - New Alliances for protecting indigenous peoples' rights" hosted by IWGIA.