The “Ley de Nacionalidades y Pueblos indígenas del Ecuador”, a bill presented two weeks ago which addresses indigenous rights in Ecuador, will not be debated by lawmakers until 2003. The reason cited for the delay is that the bill is not a priority in the Indigenous Commission or in the Congress' agenda. The new law seeks to enforce the collective rights of indigenous peoples as stated in various articles of the Constitution. The goal is to fill the legal gaps “that have beenobstructing the harmonic development of the indigenous peoples, generating exclusion, racism and intolerance.” It also seeks to more clearly define concepts such as “indigenous peoples”, “indigenous community”, and “collective rights”.
