INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ FORUM

13-15 JUNE, KWET KINA

100+ INDIGENOUS LEADERS

HIGH-LEVEL SPEAKERS

FIELD VISITS TO INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES

WHY

PROMOTING INDIGENOUS AUTONOMY

Indigenous peoples around the world manage 25% of the planet’s land—much of which remains ecologically healthy thanks to their stewardship. Their traditional knowledge is essential for biodiversity conservation and climate resilience, yet they face major challenges such as systemic barriers to land rights recognition, violence, and environmental degradation. Despite their vital role, Indigenous communities are disproportionately affected by land grabbing, climate change, and marginalization.

In Colombia, where 115 Indigenous groups live, similar challenges persist. Although they hold collective ownership over several territories, these lands are threatened by deforestation, illegal activities, and armed conflict. Slow progress in land titling and ongoing land usurpation continue to undermine their rights to access and control land, reclaim lost territories, and decide on their development priorities and cultural survival.

In response, the Colombian government is advancing land restitution and the constitution of resguardos (Indigenous territories) through initiatives like the Land Fund for the Comprehensive Rural Reform.

Within this context, the event aims to provide a platform for Indigenous voices within broader land struggles and contribute to building movements around their land rights, ensuring the strengthening of their collective voice.

WHO

LED BY INDIGENOUS ORGANIZATIONS

The Forum is designed and driven by a Global Organising Committee composed of representatives from seven Indigenous organizations in Colombia, five ILC Indigenous member organizations, and CINEP.

• Global Organising Committee: Oversees the planning of the event.
• CRIC : Host organization of the Forum.
• CINEP: Provides technical support and logistical coordination.
• ILC: Ensures engagement, coordination, and outreach across the global network.

GLOBAL ORGANISING COMMITTEE

Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia (ONIC), Organización Nacional de los Pueblos de la Amazonía Colombiana (OPIAC), Gobierno Mayor, Autoridades Indígenas del Suroccidente Colombiano (AISO), Autoridades Indígenas de Colombia (AICO), Confederación Indígena Tayrona (CIT), Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca (CRIC), and the Comisión Nacional de Territorios Indígenas de Colombia (CNTI).

Five representatives from ILC Indigenous member organizations:
Luna Creciente (Ecuador), Comité Campesino del Altiplano (Guatemala), Azul (Morocco), Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact – AIPP (Thailand), Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program (Kenya).

WHERE

VENUE AND LOCAL HOST

The Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC), founded on 24 February 1971 in Toribío, Colombia, emerged in response to the urgent need to recover lands taken from Indigenous communities and to protect their human rights. Today, CRIC brings together 138 traditional authorities representing 11 Indigenous peoples and continuously works to defend collective rights, territorial autonomy, and the strengthening of traditional governance. The organization is committed to preserving cultural and territorial identity, guided by principles of unity, territory, culture, and autonomy, and structured around political, economic, and cultural projects such as the Indigenous Education System, the Traditional Economic and Environmental Authority, and Indigenous Health, Governance, and Administrative Systems.

The Kwet Ki’na Indigenous Reserve, located in Caldono, Cauca, belongs to the Nasa people, who have inhabited the region since pre-colonial times. Their life is guided by spirituality and the wisdom of the Ne’j (ancestral creators of the universe), reflected in their connection with nature, their mother tongue, and sacred rituals such as the saakhelu (awakening of the seeds), sek buy (welcoming of the sun), and Nus Pa’yanxi (water ritual). They maintain traditional practices such as weaving, music, dance, and cultivation of native seeds.

However, these communities continue to face deep-rooted challenges. The scarcity of land has driven many families to migrate to cities like Popayán and Cali, or to coffee- and coca-growing regions in search of livelihoods. Indigenous youth live under the constant threat of recruitment by armed actors and have limited access to quality education. In response, since 2002, the communities have led land liberation processes as a way to reclaim their ancestral territories and assert their autonomy. These efforts have required sustained resistance, often in the face of state repression and repeated breaches of agreements, with mingas—collective mobilizations rooted in their own governance—remaining at the heart of their struggle.

WHEN

PROGRAMME

The Global Land Forum Indigenous will take place from June 13 to 15, 2025, at the Kwet Ki’na Indigenous Territory, Cauca, Colombia.

The programme will include spaces for dialogue and coordination between international Indigenous leaders and representatives of the Colombian government. Key topics will be addressed, including Indigenous self-determination and resistance, climate change and ecosystem protection, as well as Indigenous land titling and governance. Significant experiences of autonomy and processes of Mother Earth liberation, led by the Nasa People, will also be shared.

The forum will conclude with the collective drafting of a Global Indigenous Declaration reflecting key demands and proposals for the recognition and protection of Indigenous peoples’ territorial and cultural rights.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

RESGUARDO INDÍGENA KWETH KINA

The link between Indigenous lands and territories and the right to self-determination is made visible, along with the importance of securing both rights to address critical issues such as climate change, biodiversity, social justice, and environmental sustainability.
An exchange of experiences and good practices from different regions is fostered, promoting peer-to-peer learning and interregional strategic reflection.
A formal commitment is secured from the Colombian government to advance concrete measures that improve land access for Indigenous Peoples in rural areas, within the framework of the National Public Policy for Indigenous Peoples and the Comprehensive Rural Reform.
An Indigenous Declaration is established, including priority issues and practical recommendations for:
- Land policies at both global and local levels, to be presented during the GLF and potentially at other forums such as COP30 and the UNPFII.
- A call for Indigenous participation in all land-related decision-making processes at national, regional, and global levels, including platforms such as the Rio Conventions, UN human rights mechanisms, the FPCI, the MEDPI, and other relevant intergovernmental bodies.

The Global Land Forum Indigenous will gather nearly 100 participants from at least 21 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, establishing itself as a true space for global articulation.

Voices will be represented from Indigenous territories in countries such as Kenya, the Philippines, Iran, Guatemala, and Brazil.

Our people are guided by spirituality, by the life advice left to us by the Ne’j (grandparents, creators of the universe), which is found in the voices of the wind, the mountains, the color of the rainbow, and the feeling from the heart, as life advice left by the elders since the beginning of time.

Kweth Kina Indigenous Reserve

CONTACTUS

Please feel free to contact us anytime for more information about the upcoming World Earth Forum. Please note that our team is hard at work, but we are still in the process of gathering logistical and practical details.

INTERNATIONAL LAND COALITION SECRETARIAT

Via Paolo di Dono 44, 00142 Rome, Italy

+39 06 5459 2445

+39 06 5459 3445

info@landcoalition.org