|
The establishment of the
Consultative Council of the Andean
Community Indigenous Peoples (Decision
674) as a consultative body
within the framework of the Andean
Integration System strengthened the
participation of indigenous peoples
in the subregional integration
process.
Functions
The functions and spheres of
competence of this Council shall be
the same as those the labor and
business consultative councils have
always had within the framework of
the Andean Integration System. The
Council may express its opinion to
the Andean Council of Foreign
Ministers, the Commission or the
Andean Community General Secretariat
and may attend meetings of
government experts or working groups
dealing with matters associated with
its activities.
It shall also take charge of
promoting the exchange, evaluation
and dissemination of successful
experiences and practices,
organizational strengthening and, in
general, cooperation between
indigenous peoples and
organizations, State institutions,
and human rights organizations and
civil society in the Andean
subregion.
Membership
The Consultative Council of the
Andean Community Indigenous Peoples
will be made up of an indigenous
delegate and his or her alternate
from each of the Member Countries,
who will be elected from among the
highest-level executives of national
indigenous organizations using
procedures and methods to be defined
by each Andean country.
A representative from each of the
following regional organizations
will also sit on the Council in the
capacity of observer: the
Fund
for the Development of the
Indigenous Peoples of Latin America
and the Caribbean;
the
Coordinator of Indigenous
Organizations in the Amazon Basin (COICA);
the
Andean
Coordinator of Indigenous
Organizations (CAOI) and the
Continental Liaison Office for
Indigenous Women in South America.
Background
In order to broaden the
participation of civil society in
the integration process, the Andean
Council of Presidents, meeting at
the Summit held in
Machu
Picchu in 2001, ordered the
establishment of the Working
Committee on Indigenous Peoples.
The Working Committee was formally
installed on May 11, 2002 in
Urubamba (Cusco), with the
participation of representatives of
indigenous organizations, government
organizations, Public Defenders’
Offices and experts from the five
CAN Member Countries. On that
occasion, the participants signed
the
“Act of Urubamba.”
The Working Committee never became
operational.
|
