On November 19th, through a formal invitation from the government of Ecuador, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples began her 11-day visit to the country. The purpose of the visit was to make recommendations to the Ecuadorian State on improving the human rights of Indigenous Peoples and to hear the testimonies of Indigenous leaders and community members.
During her trip, Special Rapporteur Vicky Tauli-Corpuz met with President Lenin Moreno, several Ministers and high-level representatives from different ministries and governmental institutions. She also participated in a national assembly in Quito and two regional assemblies in Lago Agrio and Yakuwasi organized by the Confederación de las Nacionalidades Indígenas de Ecuador, CONAIE, and its regional bodies ECUARUNARI, CONFENIAE, and CONAICE. She had the opportunity to meet with hundreds of representatives of Indigenous communities and nationalities from the Sierra, the Coast, and the Amazon.
Her visit was the first of its kind in over a decade, a period of time in which the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Ecuador were initially strengthened by government actions only to be threatened more than ever by the proliferation of mining and oil blocks throughout the country. Most recently officials have carried out an aggressive campaign to undermine a mandate of a national Constitution passed earlier this year to recognize the self-determination of Indigenous Peoples in Ecuador.
Land is Life, together with CONAIE, ECUARUNARI, and CONFENIAE played a central role in organizing the Special Rapporteur’s agenda and supporting the travel logistics of several key Indigenous participants.