Land is Life, in collaboration with the Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA) and Abya Yala Press, proudly presents “From Consultation to Consent: Debates and Experiences in Abya Yala.” This is an important editorial effort to promote the regional discussion on the subject of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the Indigenous Peoples.
The book, published in Spanish, was conceived as a result of the meeting on Consent and Consultation Protocols from Abya Yala, held last year by COICA with the support of Land is Life and Oxfam from November 12th to 13th in Quito, Ecuador. Participants proposed to deepen the discussion by inviting experts in Indigenous rights, academics, indigenous leaders and activists to hold a deeper reflection on the relationship between consent and prior consultation.
“The book aims to reflect on consent as one of the fundamental rights of Indigenous peoples, representing the legal and political foundation for self-determination in contexts of the relationship between the State and Indigenous Peoples” says David Suárez, Land is Life’s FPIC Program Coordinator.
From the principles of self-determination and legal pluralism, there are better alternatives for the regulation of consultation mechanisms for Indigenous Peoples in order to obtain their consent and avoid the long list of setbacks in terms of rights, that is found in current consultation regulations issued by the executive and legislative bodies of different States.
“Within this range of alternatives, Indigenous-built consent protocols constitute a decisive experience in the process of building consent from Indigenous Peoples” says Jose Proaño, Land is Life’s Latin America Program Director.
Starting today, the book will be distributed among Indigenous leaders and organizations, activists, academics and policy makers playing an important role in Land is Life’s regional strategy on FPIC.