From the 8th to the 12th of March, Land is Life held a training session for Indigenous women as part of its ongoing Indigenous Women’s Program. The event, organized in Panamá, also served as the launch point for the new cohort (2024 – 2025) of the Women’s Program fellowship.
The meeting was a space for learning, sharing of experiences and knowledge, and building solidarity amongst Indigenous women. The session was attended by Fellows from Land is Life, as well as by Indigenous women from The Indigenous Women’s Network on Biodiversity. In all, five countries were represented – Mexico, Ecuador, Kenya, Colombia and, of course, Panama, where representatives of the Guna and Emberá Peoples were present.
The event was held in the Dad Naggue Dubbir community, in the Indigenous Comarca of Guna Yala, on the country’s Pacific Coast. In 2025 the community will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Guna revolution, and the return to the Guna People of control over their traditional territory.
Workshop participants engaged in discussions about the empowerment of women and youth in decision-making processes, and the importance of developing community protocols on Free, Prior and Informed Consent. They built their capacity to engage in negotiations of the Climate Change and Biodiversity Conventions, sharing their communities’ perspectives and experiences. Participants also learned about the unique governance structure of the Guna People, their history, and their culture, including a visit to the Mola Dibanan Galu Women’s Cooperative project.
The fellows present left the event inspired to start their local projects, which have one common goal: to strengthen the rights of Indigenous women.
