Indigenous leadership for lands, forests, and territories
Central African Indigenous leaders gather for training on advocacy, leadership, communication, and project management in Douala, Cameroon.
FSC-IF
Central Africa’s forest ecosystems are home to exceptional biodiversity, offering vast potential for the socio-economic development of the region. Recognizing the ecological and economic importance of these forests—and the growing threats they face—the Heads of State of Central Africa pledged in March 1999 through the “Yaoundé Declaration” to work collaboratively towards the conservation and sustainable management of their countries’ forest ecosystems. This commitment supports the economic and social development efforts of their populations.
In line with this vision, the Network of Indigenous and Local Populations for the Sustainable Management of Forest Ecosystems in Central Africa (REPALEAC) was established in 2003. As a key partner under the FSC Indigenous Foundation’s Indigenous Peoples Alliance for Rights and Development (IPARD) Program, REPALEAC serves as a sub-regional platform for promoting and protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) across Central Africa. The network unites over 200 grassroots Indigenous community organizations, spread across eight national networks in Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Chad.
From 26-30 August 2024, REPALEAC, in collaboration with the FSC Indigenous Foundation, hosted an intensive training workshop in Douala, Cameroon, with 50 representatives from its member organizations to strengthen the organizational and operational capacities of the network.
Throughout the week, participants engaged in sessions designed to:
Enhance their knowledge of leadership, advocacy techniques, organizational communication, and project management principles.
Equip them with the technical skills necessary for collecting data on land tenure within Indigenous territories. This includes training on cartography, participatory mapping—particularly three-dimensional mapping—and the creation of databases to document the areas occupied by Indigenous Peoples in Central Africa.
Provide a deeper understanding of FSC standards related to Indigenous Peoples and the relationship between FSC and the FSC-IF, as well as USAID guidelines and policies concerning Indigenous Peoples. The workshop also explored the integration of Indigenous rights and priorities in USAID’s bilateral cooperation programs with states.
The workshop’s opening ceremony was graced by the Vice President of REPALEAC, highlighting the significance of the event for the region’s Indigenous communities.
“The forests of Central Africa are not just natural resources; they are the lifeblood of our communities, sustaining our way of life and our cultural heritage,” stated a representative from REPALEAC during the opening remarks.
“This workshop is a crucial step towards ensuring that Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities are at the forefront of decisions affecting their lands and resources,” said another REPALEAC representative.
REPALEAC members were curious to understand how USAID works with organizations such as the FSC-IF.
“For Indigenous Peoples, Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) is important because it is the right to self-determination; opportunities for socioeconomic development and benefit-sharing; safeguarding against adverse impacts on lands, territories, natural resources, cultural heritage and/or sacred sites; supporting and aligning with Indigenous development plans and fulfilling obligations under international, regional and national regulatory frameworks,” said Vy Lam, USAID Indigenous Peoples Advisor.
The workshop focused on implementing REPALEAC’s strategic plan, which has four key objectives:
Securing Indigenous Peoples’ and Local Communities’ lands, vision territories, and natural resources.
Ensuring IPLC participation in decisions concerning access to and sustainable management of land, forests, and natural resources at local, national, and international levels.
Increasing and consolidating sustainable economic benefits for IPLCs from the management of natural resources and forests.
Improving the living conditions of IPLCs sustainably.
“We arevery grateful to the FSC-IF for the ongoing training in Douala. The module on ‘Leadership’ will surely bear fruit where the leadership of the network at the national level will demonstrate quality organizations.” said Basiru Isa, the REPALEAC’s Secretary General.
“Empowering our communities with knowledge and skills is essential for us to effectively protect our lands and assert our rights,” remarked one of the participants.
“This workshop is not just about learning; it’s about preparing to take action in our respective countries,” said another REPALEAC representative.
At the conclusion of the workshop, participants drafted action plans to implement the knowledge they acquired to make a tangible impact in their home countries.
In her closing remarks, Salina Sanou, FSC-IF Regional Director for Africa and Asia stated, “FSC-IF is pleased to be your partner of choice. We’re here to support you every step of the way. We’re also ready to learn from you because that’s what partnership is all about. Call on us any time. Our commitment to Indigenous Peoples knows no bounds.”
As we left this gathering, FSC-IF called for a working committee to co-create new initiatives with us for funding to scale up work with Indigenous Peoples in the African region.
Announcement of the Online Course: “Right to Consultation and Free, Prior and Informed Consent”
The course will contribute to the rights and sustainable development of Indigenous Peoples in Central America.
FSC-IF
Panama August 27, 2024
The FSC Indigenous Foundation, in collaboration with the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests (AMPB), the Autonomous University of Chiapas (UNACH), and Equitable Origin, is proud to announce the start of the online course on the Right to Consultation and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). The course begins today, August 27, 2024, with an opening and induction session to welcome participants and present the course contents and study format.
FPIC is a specific right of Indigenous Peoples recognized in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) that allows Indigenous Peoples to give or withdraw their consent, at any time, concerning projects affecting their territories.
“Historically, our Indigenous Peoples have been expelled from their ancestral lands to make way for extractive projects, violating the good living of many Indigenous Peoples. Empowering ourselves in these processes such as FPIC, allows us to make decisions in any proposed development activity in our Indigenous communities.”
Nely González, Lenca People, Confederation of Indigenous Peoples of Honduras (CONPAH), who will participate in this course.
The objective of this course is to empower Indigenous leaders and technicians from countries in Central America to guide their communities and organizations in consultation and advocacy processes, understand and apply national and international legislation on FPIC, and use national and international mechanisms for the effective protection of Indigenous territorial rights.
Through this course, the 50 participants will receive training through five modules with legal lecturers specialized in Indigenous Peoples’ rights on protection and defense of territorial rights, informed consent, and relevant national and international legal mechanisms.
The course will run for three months, meeting weekly. UNACH will certify participants who have satisfactorily completed the course, readings, exercises, and practical work.
We are excited about the start of this training and are confident that this course will contribute significantly to the empowerment of Indigenous Peoples in the region to manage, develop, and govern their territories based on the principles of self-development, environmental stewardship, and respect for their rights.
“It is of great importance to be able to participate in the FPIC course, it provides us with the necessary tools so that our Indigenous Peoples know their rights and are protagonists of the initiatives or projects that they do not accept by imposition, but that the cosmovision of our peoples is respected, the benefits they will acquire and what the risks will be in any scenario.”
Marlene Herández, Ngäbe-Buglé People, Panama, working for Geoveristy and participant in this course
TV Indígena wins consultancy to create a campaign to increase the social visibility of Indigenous women in Panamá
The campaign will break false stereotypes and strengthen Indigenous women’s identity and leadership.
FSC-IF
The FSC Indigenous Foundation (FSC-IF) has contracted TV Indígena, an Indigenous media company that promotes the visibility and development of Indigenous Peoples, to carry out a communications campaign for the social visibility of Indigenous women in Panama, break false stereotypes, and strengthen Indigenous women’s identity and leadership.
The campaign will promote the visibility of Indigenous women in Panama, through communication and dissemination strategies, highlighting their achievements, challenges, and contributions to their communities and society as a whole. It will be developed with the Indigenous Women’s Advisory Committee of Panama (CAMIP), who will participate in the campaign’s design, implementation, and storytelling.
It will challenge and dismantle ingrained stereotypes and prejudices about Indigenous women, fostering a more just, inclusive and respectful perception of their diversity, including their realities and roles. It aims to sensitize both Panama and the international community about Indigenous women’s rights, culture, and aspirations, promoting solidarity, respect, and collaboration in the construction of a more inclusive and equitable world.
Finally, the campaign will provide tools, resources, and training opportunities that enable Indigenous women to strengthen their cultural identity, improve their communication and leadership skills, and actively participate in decision-making in their communities.
About TV Indígena
TV Indígena is a leading initiative in the field of Indigenous communication in Panama and the Abya Yala region (Americas). Since its founding in 2017, TV Indígena has stood out for its unwavering commitment to the promotion of the rights and culture of Indigenous Peoples, as well as for its innovative and participatory approach in the production and dissemination of audiovisual content together with the territories and traditional authorities.
TV Indígena has worked closely with Cultural Survival on its grant program and targeted programs for Indigenous women, especially through its “Desde la Comunidad” program.
At the international level, TV Indígena has collaborated with the Mesoamerican Alliance of Peoples and Forests during Climate Week, creating content, interviewing Mesoamerican leaders, and providing streaming services, promoting the participation of Indigenous Peoples in the fight against climate change.
TV Indígena has also participated in the “Panama Te Quiero Verde” campaign, with important allies highlighting the importance of a mining-free Panama, creating content on the importance of Panama’s biodiversity and making visible the participation of the Panamanian community and finally achieving the unconstitutionality of Minera Panama. This campaign went viral internationally, achieving the support of actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Orlando Bloom, and youth activist Greta Thumber, demonstrating the impact and influence of TV Indígena in the defense of environmental and cultural rights.
TV Indígena has been actively working with women and Indigenous authorities of the 12 territories of Panama, making visible the development of the 12 territories, participating in congresses, and creating content for the Indigenous Women’s Advisory Committee of Panama.
Today, TV Indígena creates audiovisual content, podcasts for various Indigenous social networks, expanding its reach and reaching new audiences around the world. With a diverse and committed team, composed of young people from the 5 Indigenous peoples of Panama, TV Indígena continues its work of empowerment and promotion of the rights of Indigenous Peoples, using communication as a powerful tool for change and social transformation.
FSC-IF partnered with V2I to support Indigenous entrepreneurs in Panama City through a skills-based volunteering initiative
All about this alliance to empower Indigenous entrepreneurs through a program that promotes a win-win exchange.
FSC-IF
The FSC Indigenous Foundation (FSC-IF) partnered with Venture 2 Impact (V2I) to support Indigenous entrepreneurs in Panama City, Central America, through a skills-based volunteering initiative. This collaboration led to a three-week program involving 34 volunteers from companies such as Google, Netflix, DocuSign, Salesforce, Visa, Apple, Checkr, Habu, Workday, and Life 360. The initiative included daily workshops on Business & Entrepreneurship and provided one-on-one mentoring sessions in key areas such as sales, digital marketing, and finance. Designed to help Indigenous entrepreneurs overcome significant challenges like limited access to credit and scarce economic resources, the program aimed to enhance their businesses. V2I employed a human-centered design approach to customize the curriculum and mentorship according to the specific needs identified through discussions and surveys with the entrepreneurs. In total, 17 entrepreneurs from 11 enterprises participated, with women comprising 13 of the participants.
The Challenge
How can we support Indigenous entrepreneurs, located in Panama City, to overcome their largest barriers in business and entrepreneurship through educational workshops and one-on-one mentorship?
Support the Indigenous entrepreneurs by enhancing their knowledge of general business and business strategies
Support the Indigenous entrepreneurs by increasing their knowledge of best practices for general and digital marketing
Support the Indigenous entrepreneurs by increasing their budgeting and money management skills
Support the Indigenous entrepreneurs by increasing their knowledge of best practices for managing and operating Human Resources and executing their Soft Skills through their business endeavors
Support the Indigenous entrepreneurs by increasing their knowledge of best practices for utilizing technology and digitizing their business operations.
The Innovation
Supporting Indigenous Entrepreneurs
V2I collaborated with the FSC Indigenous Foundation through the USAID and FSC-funded Indigenous Peoples Alliance for Rights and Development (IPARD) Program to organize a three-week, skills-based volunteering program in Panama City, Central America, aimed at providing entrepreneurship training to Indigenous entrepreneurs. This program was facilitated in support of the FSC Indigenous Foundation’s recognition that Indigenous peoples, globally, face various challenges including limited access to justice due to structural violence, criminalization and murder of Indigenous leaders, land dispossession from historical and ongoing colonization, and escalating poverty due to limited development opportunities, education, and technology. The FSC-IF believes that enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ technical, organizational, and managerial skills consistently over the long term will empower them to better engage with national governments and the private sector for mutual benefits.
Those Involved
The program brought together 34 volunteers from companies such as Google, Netflix, DocuSign, Salesforce, Visa, Apple, Checkr, Habu, Workday, and Life 360, who conducted daily Business & Entrepreneurship workshops and provided 12 one-on-one mentoring sessions to 17 entrepreneurs, 13 of which were women, from 11 enterprises. These entrepreneurs are part of various Indigenous Peoples including Guna, Embera, Wounaan, and Ngäbe-Buglé, and were involved in sectors such as tourism/ecotourism, food and beverage, handicrafts, gastronomy, transport, and fashion and design, striving to overcome significant challenges.
Participant Selection
Prior to selecting eligible participants for the program, the selection criteria were strategically coordinated with various Indigenous Peoples Organizations supported by the FSC-IF in Panama. The Advisory Committee of Indigenous Women of Panama (CAMIP), key in implementing the Economic Empowerment Plan for the Indigenous Peoples of Panama (PEMIP), was instrumental in identifying women entrepreneurs for the program. Furthermore, coordination with strategic partners like the General Congress of the Guna Indigenous People allowed the FSC-IF to connect with Indigenous business initiatives related to tourism and coconut oil production to learn more about the potential participants and spread awareness of the program.
Learning the Local Context
To conduct further discovery, V2I staff visited the FSC Indigenous Foundation’s headquarters in Panama City, Panama, in August of 2023 to meet directly with Indigenous entrepreneurs and define the main components of their future programming using a human-centered design approach. Insights from discussions and surveys indicated that the entrepreneurs needed the most support in areas such as sales and business strategy, digital marketing, technology and digitization, budgeting and finance, and human resources.
Armed with knowledge from these various resources, volunteers developed an introductory Business & Entrepreneurship curriculum. They also participated in workshops to gain cultural awareness and received guidance from the FSC Indigenous Foundation team and partners on effectively working with Indigenous Peoples.
Cultural Exchange
Mentors visited a local Indigenous community before the workshops commenced to participate in an Indigenous ceremony and learn about the culture and tourism promotion efforts. This experience deepened their understanding of the importance of collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and highlighted a women-led tourism and handicrafts enterprise.
Program Objectives
The curriculum was delivered through daily in-person workshops from February 27 to March 15, with each week bringing a new group of volunteers serving as professional consultants. These volunteers also conducted one-on-one mentoring sessions, providing direct support to Indigenous entrepreneurs to help enhance their businesses. The objectives of supporting the Indigenous entrepreneurs included:
Objective #1: Support the Indigenous entrepreneurs by enhancing their knowledge of general business and business strategies
Objective #2: Support the Indigenous entrepreneurs by increasing their knowledge of best practices for general and digital marketing
Objective #3: Support the Indigenous entrepreneurs by increasing their budgeting and money management skills
Objective #4: Support the Indigenous entrepreneurs by increasing their knowledge of best practices for managing and operating Human Resources and executing their Soft Skills through their business endeavors
Objective #5: Support the Indigenous entrepreneurs by increasing their knowledge of best practices for utilizing technology and digitizing their business operations
The impact
100% of the Indigenous entrepreneurs increased their knowledge of general business and business strategies.
100% of the Indigenous entrepreneurs increased their knowledge of general and digital marketing.
100% of the Indigenous entrepreneurs increased their knowledge of finance and budgeting.
100% of the Indigenous entrepreneurs increased their knowledge of Human Resources and Soft Skills.
100% of the Indigenous entrepreneurs increased their knowledge of IT and Digitization
84.6% of Indigenous entrepreneurs strongly agreed that they gained new knowledge that will be useful for their work and their community.
92.3% of Indigenous Entrepreneurs mentioned they were Extremely Satisfied with the training delivered by the Venture 2 Impact volunteers.
100% of volunteers agreed that they gained a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by nonprofits.
92% of volunteers agreed that they applied their expertise to the partner nonprofit’s challenge.
92% of volunteers strongly agreed that they found it fulfilling to use their expertise in a new or different context.
71% of volunteers strongly agreed that participating in this activity will have direct value on their career development goals.
The program also promoted networking and collaboration amongst the Indigenous entrepreneurs and supported the sales of their businesses through product and service fairs held at the end of the training.
Volunteer feedback
“I truly appreciated feeling the gratitude from the entrepreneurs as we worked with them and tried to help them solve some of their current challenges.”
Anonymous volunteer
Indigenous entrepreneurs feedback
“Very proud to be able to call myself an entrepreneur, I feel more complete”
Anonymous Indigenous entrepreneur
Our reflection
“This program and this partnership with Venture 2 Impact and the participation of the international volunteers have been wonderful and represent one of the most important achievements in the actions that FSC Indigenous Foundation is promoting to build the capacities and develop the economic models of Indigenous Peoples. For instance, our organization identifies the following achievements of this program:
Networking and collaboration among the Indigenous entrepreneurs who participated.
Indigenous entrepreneurs acquired skills to present their businesses to different stakeholders and how to continue to improve their business model.
The mentors committed to sharing the Indigenous ventures in their social media and other programs of their companies.
Opportunities and challenges Indigenous Peoples’ enterprises face in Panama and methodologies to provide them with business mentoring were identified.
IPARD identified the characteristics of the ventures that participated in the program and will continue to look for opportunities to include them in new initiatives to be implemented in the future.
The mentors were sensitized about working with Indigenous Peoples and their businesses and many estates committed to supporting these enterprises in other ways.”
Context of the partnership
Venture 2 Impact (V2I) was first introduced to the team at the FSC Indigenous Foundation through our corporate partner, DocuSign, in 2022. During this initial introduction, DocuSign requested that V2I engage FSC-IF in a virtual volunteer alliance project that would support our organization to digitize our manual processes. After months of co-creation and collaboration alongside the V2I, both of our organizations agreed that, due to our shared values and successful partnership, we would begin exploring further opportunities for collaboration including an in-person program to work directly with Indigenous entrepreneurs who are currently supported by the FSC-IF. This partnership was further solidified through the establishment of an inter-organizational Memorandum of Understanding, signed by both parties in April 2023.
About Us
The Forest Stewardship Council Indigenous Foundation (FSC-IF) is an Indigenous-led global organization registered as a non-profit in the Republic of Panama. Since its establishment, they have worked to fulfill their mission of elevating Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in their contribution to the protection of Mother Earth and recognizing them as providers of solutions to global challenges, promoting sustainable self-determination of their territories in line with Indigenous ancestral knowledge, customary rights, and cosmovision as core pillars for their long-term self-governance and self-reliance objectives.
About IPARD
The Indigenous Peoples Alliance for Rights and Development (IPARD) is a global development alliance implemented by the FSC-IF convening multi-sector partners to create long-term solutions with and for Indigenous Peoples. It was created and is currently funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) with private sector partners.
About Venture 2 Impact
Venture 2 Impact connects skilled volunteers with nonprofits and charitable organizations to support and scale their work and will be supporting with the facilitation of this collaboration.
Venture 2 Impact uses design thinking and human centered design to solve complex challenges by linking global communities to skilled volunteers. V2I leverages untapped skills to create lasting impact. Through education, economic development, and empowerment projects, V2I works to equip NGOs, participants, and volunteers with skills, resources, and knowledge to advance gender equity, economic opportunity, and well-being.
Discover More About Indigenous Entrepreneurs: Read On
