FECONAU delegation carried out important advocacy work in Lima, Peru to strengthen the defence of Indigenous territories

A delegation from the Federation of Native Communities of Ucayali and Tributaries (FECONAU) in Peru travelled to the capital city Lima to carry out important political and institutional advocacy work as part of the project ‘Territorial governance, Indigenous economy and conservation of tropical forests in the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazon’.

The delegation was comprised of representatives from FECONAU and officials from the Uni Kattay Native Community, who held meetings with various state bodies and partner organisations with the aim of raising awareness of the challenges faced by Indigenous communities, strengthening the defence of their territories, and securing support in the face of threats, territorial conflicts and the urgent needs of grassroots communities.

As part of the work agenda, meetings were held with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Culture, MIDAGRI, SERFOR and partner organisations, addressing issues related to the protection of Indigenous defenders, territorial security, community land titling, strengthening forest management, community surveillance and access to productive projects.

One of the central issues was the situation of the Uni Kattay Native Community and the threats its Indigenous leaders are facing. In the case of the Uni Kattay Native Community, this work of support and territorial defence is also being carried out within the framework of the project “Defence of Amazonian territories of life: empowering the Indigenous Peoples of the Peruvian and Colombian Amazon to secure and self-govern their ancestral forests”, promoted by the Forest Peoples Programme (FPP).

Furthermore, significant progress was made in promoting face-to-face training on sustainable forest management, strengthening community surveillance, and future coordination for productive projects to benefit the indigenous communities of Ucayali.

These actions reaffirm FECONAU’s commitment to continuing to work in a coordinated manner towards territorial governance, the defence of collective rights and the conservation of Amazonian forests, strengthening the voice and participation of Indigenous Peoples in national advocacy forums.