Indigenous peoples from nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean came together in Ecuador two weeks ago for a two-day conference to address issues surrounding Colombian war and oil activities. Indigenous leaders from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela making up the Coordinating Body for the Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA) took part in the conference. COICA, founded in 1985, represents 400 indigenous groups, totaling 1.5 million people from the Amazon. The objective for the conference was to draw up the Amazon Indigenous Agenda so that natives can coordinate their efforts and share perspectives. Several declarations were also drawn up concerning issues that affect the indigenous populations, including one denouncing the U.S.-backed Plan Colombia and its damage to the environment and indigenous cultures.
