Source: USAID
The active and meaningful participation of indigenous peoples in development planning and decisions impacting the Amazon is the foundation for long-term conservation of the world’s largest tropical rainforest. Safeguarding indigenous peoples’ rights and resources will help conserve irreplaceable biodiversity and promote cultural survival and self-determined development.
HOW DOES THE ACTIVITY WORK?
AIRR is managed for USAID by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) through a network of specialized NGOs in each country that work together with indigenous peoples’ organizations at the national and local levels involving a total of 20 partners. AIRR project has established a governance structure through three decision-making bodies that ensure representation, relevance, and impact of project activities through various levels of engagement.
The AIRR project will strengthen the skills of indigenous peoples to advocate and negotiate for their rights, and to better monitor their lands. The project will also promote indigenous enterprises to grow and consolidate their businesses to reach national, regional, or international markets through a combination of grants, loans, and market.
RESULTS ACHIEVED
- More than 1,000 people have better tools to advocate for IP rights and interests by strengthening their capacities in governance, leadership, communication, advocacy, indigenous monitoring, gender and business management.
- In Peru, we supported the creation of the School of Indigenous Governance for Amazonian Development (EGIDA), led by AIDESEP. In Colombia, OZIP and WWF carried out the third promotion of the Indigenous Territorial Governance Training Program (PFGTI). In Brazil, we support the training of young indigenous communicators of COIAB, the training program for indigenous leaders of FEPIPA and FEPOIMT, and the Tapajós management improvement course for organizations. In Ecuador, CONFENIAE conducted a paralegal program. At the regional level, NESsT developed an incubation program for indigenous entrepreneurship.
- The five women winners of AIDESEP’s Amazon Indigenous Women’s Fund (FIMA) completed the implementation of their community initiatives and strengthened their leadership skills.
- We supported the strengthening and equipping of indigenous monitoring systems such as: COICA’s Early Warning and Rapid Response System (SAT-RR), the Amazon Observation and Monitoring System and app Alerta Clima Indígena in Brazil, OPIAC’s Amazon Geographic Information System (GIS) and AIDESEP’s Early Warning and Action System (SAAT).
- Indigenous organizations succeeded in getting 15 institutions or decision-makers to include plans and measures that include indigenous peoples’ priorities.
- We selected 29 indigenous enterprises (7 in Brazil, 6 in Colombia, 6 in Ecuador and 10 in Peru) that were strengthened in business issues and environmental and social safeguards and received seed funds of over $540,000 to improve their working capital, machinery, inputs, among others.
- We raised $712,548 in additional funds (donations and loans) that will support indigenous enterprises.
- We have a Virtual Learning Library (BiVA) with 29 learning cards and 6 replicable practices based on the experiences of project partners, available in Spanish, Portuguese, and English.