Two international conventions on the future of indigenous rights in Latin America were held in the ancient Incan capital of Cuzco, Peru from February 13–17. Approximately 20 Latin American and Caribbean nations participated in the two conventions with an aim to construct a common vision of indigenous rights. The conventions were jointly organized by the Peruvian government and the Indigenous Development Fund. According to Prensa Latina, one indigenous leader was quoted as saying that the indigenous groups did not come to ask for their rights, but to propose, as equals, ways in which to develop the rights and traditions of their peoples. The fifth meeting of Indigenous Consultative Authority took place February 13–14, and the 25th Advisory Council for the Indigenous Development Fund met in the same convention center in Cuzco, from February 16–17. The two conventions had similar aims, bringing together government officials and representatives from various indigenous regions to discuss the legal structures and organization that will support future indigenous village development, RPP news reported. In between the conventions, on February 15, a solemn ceremony was held at Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Incan Valley to close one convention and officially open the next, according to Prensa Latina.
