1

Ind|genous eop|es and MDGs

8est pract|ces |mp|ementat|on for |nd|genous peop|es
empowerment


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2

LkLCU1IVL SUMMAk

ln 2012, Lhe lnLernaLlonal lndlgenous Women's lorum (llMl, for lLs Spanlsh acronym)
parLnered wlLh Lhe MuC AchlevemenL lund (MC-l) wlLh Lhe alm of coordlnaLlng efforLs
for lncludlng lndlgenous peoples' perspecLlve ln Lhe monlLorlng of Lhe MuCs.
WlLhln Lhls frame, Lhrough Lhe "MonlLorlng of MuCs Lhrough Lhe lndlgenous eoples'
erspecLlve" program, llMl sLudled Lhe compleLe program cycle of Lhe MuC-l !olnL
rograms (!) LhaL have lnvolved lndlgenous peoples ln 30 dlfferenL counLrles. 1hls
endeavor has lnvolved worklng wlLh Lhe supporL of llMl's neLworks and naLlonal
organlzaLlons, parLlcularly for daLa collecLlon, sysLemaLlzaLlon and analysls.
WlLh Lhe goal of documenLlng and sharlng besL pracLlces, Lhe work conslsLed of revlew
of every ! and furLher analysls of Lhose programs lncludlng lndlgenous peoples. llMl
deLecLed 47 programs ouL of Lhe 130 !s LhaL lncluded lndlgenous peoples wlLh dlfferenL
degrees of lnvolvemenL and parLlclpaLlon. 1he nexL sLep lnvolved 29 lnLervlews Lo over
33 ! offlcers and lndlgenous parLlclpanLs. 1hese lnLervlews were deslgned Lo learn
abouL Lhe sLraLegles lmplemenLed for lndlgenous peoples' parLlclpaLlon ln Lhe dlfferenL
sLages of each program (formulaLlon, lmplemenLaLlon, monlLorlng and evaluaLlon) as
well as ln relaLed Loplcs such as lessons learnL, obsLacles or dlfflculLles found, Lhe
parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous women and accordance Lo Lhe recommendaLlons of Lhe
ermanenL lorum on lndlgenous lssues (unlll).
All of Lhe lnformaLlon collecLed was analyzed. As a resulL, Lhree speclflc communlcaLlon
producLs were creaLed, aparL from Lhe presenL flnal documenL. 8oLh a posLer and a
vldeo Lo promoLe lncluslon of lndlgenous peoples' prlorlLles ln Lhe CS1 2013 Agenda
have been released. AddlLlonally, llMl developed a mulLlmedla Lool where Lhe resulLs o
Lhe program ls presenLed ln a dynamlc and apprehenslble way. Avallable aL
hLLp://www.flml-llwf.org/odmdg, Lhls Lechnlcal resource ls deslgned for Lhose ln
responslble for Lhe deslgn, formulaLlon, lmplemenLaLlon and evaluaLlon of pro[ecLs and
programs, and for every acLor lnvolved and lnLeresLed ln lndlgenous peoples'
perspecLlve.
1hls flnal documenL presenLs an analysls of 213 good pracLlces deLecLed ln 47
developmenL programs LhaL affecL and lnvolve lndlgenous peoples from Afrlca, Asla and
LaLln Amerlca. lL provldes documenLaLlon of concreLe parLlclpaLlve experlences wlLh
lndlgenous peoples, from a human rlghLs approach. ln addlLlon, Lhls reporL llnks
ldenLlfled good pracLlces and programs wlLh Lhe recommendaLlons of Lhe unlLed naLlons
ermanenL lorum on lndlgenous lssues (unlll). 8esL pracLlces respond Lo 30+ unlll
recommendaLlons ln key lssues such as: capaclLy bulldlng, consulLaLlon, lndlgenous
3

women empowermenL, sLrengLhenlng of leadershlp, parLlclpaLlon ln declslon maklng
processes and spheres, developmenL of culLurally senslLlve lndlcaLors.
WlLh regards Lo ! sLages, Lhere was greaLer number of besL pracLlces ln Lhe
lmplemenLaLlon of programs. 1he blggesL challenge ls Lo promoLe greaLer lnvolvemenL
of lndlgenous peoples monlLorlng and evaluaLlon of Lhose programs LhaL dlrecLly or
lndlrecLly affecL Lhem. WlLh respecL Lo gender equallLy, besL pracLlces were found
LhroughouL program sLages.
8esL pracLlces deLecLed lnclude supporL and sLrengLhenlng lndlgenous organlzaLlons'
mechanlsms, gradual and consLanL dlalogue wlLh communlLles slnce program deslgn,
parLlclpaLlon durlng program lmplemenLaLlon, lncludlng Lralnlngs on lndlgenous peoples'
rlghLs and LranslaLlon of key lnsLrumenLs lnLo lndlgenous languages, resource
managemenL by lndlgenous peoples, developmenL of culLurally senslLlve lndlcaLors LhaL
allow for program ownershlp and monlLorlng ln Lhe long Lerm, sLrengLhenlng of
leadershlps and gaLherlngs for lndlgenous women.
lndlgenous peoples are sLlll sufferlng from an hlsLorlc legacy. 1he hlsLory of
dlscrlmlnaLlon and excluslon has lefL Lhem ln Lhe marglns of Lhe socleLles ln Lhe counLrles
and reglons where Lhe llve. 1he numerous success cases presenLed ln Lhls documenL
demonsLraLe Lhe lmporLance of maklng vlslble and mulLlplylng Lhose besL pracLlces LhaL
fulflll an empowermenL of lndlgenous peoples. Concelvlng lndlgenous peoples as holders
of rlghLs, and noL [usL as mere beneflclarles ls key Lo Lhls end. 1here ls a need Lo
overcome old approaches, whlch reproduce hlsLorlc lnequallLles and resLraln susLalnable
developmenL.
1hrough a culLurally senslLlve approach LhaL can be lmplemenLed boLh for and wlLh
lndlgenous we can achleve a susLalnable and equlLable developmenL.

4

1. Introduct|on

lor cenLurles, lndlgenous peoples have faced soclal excluslon and poverLy ln all of Lhe
counLrles where Lhey llve. 1he gaps beLween lndlgenous and non-lndlgenous
populaLlons conLlnue Lo be large across Lhe lengLh and breadLh of Lhe world. 1hey are
Lhe resulL of long-Lerm sLrucLural raclsm and dlscrlmlnaLlon.
1here ls a need Lo address Lhe mulLlple dlmenslons ln whlch Lhls soclal excluslon ls
embodled. lnequallLles are malnLalned and exLended on Lhe basls of power relaLlons,
aLLlLudes, bellefs and soclal norms LhaL are speclflc Lo each counLry. 1hese prevenL
cerLaln clLlzens from a free exerclse of Lhelr fundamenLal human rlghLs.
1he slLuaLlon of lndlgenous peoples ls ofLen hldden ln naLlonal averages, alLhough Lhere
are many sLudles LhaL demonsLraLe LhaL Lhe greaLesL raLes of maLernal deaLh,
analphabeLlsm, undernourlshmenL and vlolaLlons of fundamenLal human rlghLs are
found ln Lhe lndlgenous reglons of Lhe dlfferenL counLrles
1
.
Soclal excluslon and lnequallLles are a cause and effecL of a denlal of soclal and economlc
rlghLs of people. 8oLh are lnLlmaLely llnked Lo Lhe lack of parLlclpaLlon opporLunlLles for
LradlLlonally marglnallzed communlLles, Lhereby puLLlng pollLlcal and clvll rlghLs nexL Lo
economlc and soclal rlghLs.
1he Internat|ona| Ind|genous Women's Iorum (IIMI) ls a neLwork of lndlgenous
women, whlch works ln arLlculaLlon wlLh naLlonal and reglonal neLworks from Asla Afrlca
and Amerlca. llMl's mlsslon ls Lo brlng LogeLher lndlgenous women leaders and human
rlghLs acLlvlsLs from dlfferenL parLs of Lhe world ln order Lo coordlnaLe agendas, bulld
capaclLles, and Lo develop leadershlp skllls Lo parLlclpaLe ln lnLernaLlonal declslon-
maklng processes by ensurlng Lhe conslsLenL and serlous lncluslon of lndlgenous
women's perspecLlves ln all dlscusslons regardlng human rlghLs.
1he M|||enn|um Deve|opment Goa|s Ach|evement Iund (MDG-I) was creaLed ln 2007
Lhrough an agreemenL beLween Lhe un and Lhe governmenL of Spaln, Lo help achleve
Lhe Mlllennlum uevelopmenL Coals (MuCs). lLs approach ls lncluslve and
comprehenslve, emphaslzlng developmenL as a rlghL and as a mulLldlmenslonal
challenge, focuslng on worklng wlLh LradlLlonally marglnallzed groups such as eLhnlc
mlnorlLles, lndlgenous peoples and women.

1 See, for example, hLLp://soclal.un.org/lndex/lndlgenouseoples/1hemaLlclssues/LconomlcandsoclaldevelopmenL.aspx, and Can
Lhe MuCs provlde a paLhway Lo soclal [usLlce? 1he challenge of lnLersecLlng lnequallLles."
hLLp://www.mdgfund.org/slLes/defaulL/flles/MuCs_and_lnequallLles_llnal_8eporL.pdf

3

Slnce 2007, 130 programs have been developed Lhrough elghL LhemaLlc wlndows wlLh
Lhe alm of supporLlng naLlonal governmenLs, local auLhorlLles and clvll socleLy
organlzaLlons ln Lhelr efforLs Lo eradlcaLe poverLy and lnequallLy. All programs have been
lmplemenLed [olnLly by several un agencles aL Lhe naLlonal level ln 30 counLrles.

2. Mon|tor|ng the MDGs from an |nd|genous peop|es' perspect|ve

2.1 IIMI and the MDG Ach|evement Iund (MDG-I)

ln 2012 llMl sLarLed a Lo work ln parLnershlp wlLh Lhe MuC lund, coordlnaLlng efforLs Lo
lnclude lndlgenous peoples' perspecLlve ln Lhe MuC monlLorlng processes from Lhe
perspecLlve and demands of lndlgenous peoples. 1hls endeavor lnvolved a revlew of
[olnL programs lmplemenLed ln 3 conLlnenLs. And a furLher analysls of !s LhaL lnvolved
lndlgenous peoples.
1hls ro[ecL has lnvolved four dlfferenL sLages. ln Lhe flrsL sLage, 7 lndlgenous revlewers
from Afrlca, Asla and LaLln Amerlca analyzed documenLaLlon of 130 MuCl !s. lollowlng
a serles of pre esLabllshed crlLerla, llMl ldenLlfled Lhose !s LhaL lncluded lndlgenous
peoples ln some degree, Lo sLudy and hlghllghL besL pracLlces. 1hls sLage lnvolved also
Lhe dlsLrlbuLlon of a survey Lo each program's coordlnaLlon.
Cn Lhe basls of Lhe lnformaLlon obLalned, Lhe nexL sLep lnvolved developlng a daLabase
LhaL conLalns deLalls on survey answers and besL pracLlces found ln 49 !, wlLh a speclal
focus on lndlgenous peoples' demands for parLlclpaLlon ln programs LhaL dlrecLly or
lndlrecLly affecL Lhem. As an ouLcome, a shorLllsL of 47 !s wlLh effecLlve besL pracLlces
Lo lnclude !s was consolldaLed.
A Lhlrd sLage lnvolved nearly 40 hours of seml-sLrucLured lnLervlews wlLh naLlonal un
Agencles and wlLh lndlgenous parLlclpanLs, lnvolvlng 31 !s from 18 counLrles. Such
deeper approach provlded a beLLer plcLure of Lhe mosL poslLlve sLraLegles used for
program developmenL, as well as of Lhe challenges LhaL are sLlll belng faced Lo
accompllsh full parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous peoples, Lhereby also faclng Lhe lnequallLles
concernlng Lhelr sLaLus.
AfLer a careful analysls of lnLervlews, llMl feaLured Lhe resulLs ln a mulLlmedla Lool
avallable on llMl's webslLe. Such a resource provldes a mulLlpllclLy of besL pracLlces and
human key rlghLs lnsLrumenLs concernlng lndlgenous peoples. 1he maln goal of such
communlcaLlon Lool ls faclllLaLlng access Lo concreLe cases, poslLlve acLlons and pracLlces
6

LhaL can be lmplemenLed ln each sLage of soclal programs and pollcy addresslng and/or
affecLlng lndlgenous peoples.
llMl's compleLe sLudy ldenLlfled LhaL 47 ouL of Lhe LoLal 130 !s focus ln dlfferenL
degrees on lndlgenous peoples. 1he exLenL of lndlgenous peoples parLlclpaLlon ls also
varlable. llMl ldenLlfled besL pracLlces ln aL leasL one program sLage of Lhe
aforemenLloned 47 !s. 1hese 47 !s LhaL lnclude lndlgenous peoples represenL a LoLal
lnvesLmenL of $263.346.000.
As graphlc 1 shows, Lhe ma[orlLy of programs LhaL lnclude lndlgenous peoples ls found ln
LaLln Amerlca. lL ls also ln Lhls subconLlnenL where Lhe ma[orlLy of !s are found, and Lhe
reglon where Lhe Mul has lnvesLed Lhe mosL. lL ls ln LaLln Amerlca where Lhe ma[orlLy of
besL pracLlces were deLecLed.

!"#$%&'() +, &(-'"$ .)'/0 !/1+"2'/3 !4'$/3 54'6'77'$()3 /$2 8'(%$/19 .:&';/0 <%4'"7'/3 =/1'+'/9
>/%'$ .1(&';/0 ?"6'@'/3 ?&/A'63 !4'6(3 !"6"1+'/3 !")%/ B';/3 <;#/2"&3 <6 C/6@/2"&3 D#/%(1/6/3
E"$2#&/)3 F(G';"3 =';/&/-#/3 5/$/1/3 5/&/-#/, /$2 5(&#9
lL ls lmporLanL Lo polnL ouL LhaL Lhe formulaLlon of Lhe MuCs lacked any parLlclpaLlon
and consulLaLlon Lo lndlgenous peoples. As a resulL, Lhe Mlllennlum Coals do noL address
Lhese peoples' speclflc slLuaLlon around Lhe globe, noL Lo menLlon essenLlal crlLerla Lo
fulflll Lhelr wellbelng. 1hus, Lhe MuCs and lLs lndlcaLors have omlLLed lndlgenous
peoples' parLlclpaLlon, as well as Lhelr own asplraLlons and percepLlons regardlng Lhelr
developmenL.
WlLhln Lhls frame, MuC-ls efforLs Lo make vlslble besL pracLlces for lndlgenous peoples
parLlclpaLlon, and Lo lnclude Lhelr demands ln Lhe dlfferenL ! sLages represenLs a greaL
sLep forward. ln facL, Lhe analysls has enabled Lhe developmenL of concreLe knowledge
abouL Lhe poslLlve lmpacL LhaL lncludlng lndlgenous peoples as cenLral acLors has, and lLs
lmporLanL role ln programs almed aL eradlcaLlng poverLy.
4
6
37
Graph|c 1. Is that |nvo|ve |nd|genous
peop|es
Asla Afrlca Laun Amerlca
7

A LoLal of 213 besL pracLlces demonsLraLe LhaL |t |s poss|b|e to |nvo|ve |nd|genous
peop|es |n an effect|ve manner from the |n|t|a| des|gn of a program to |ts eva|uat|on.
Moreover, lL shows how resu|ts are more efflclenLly and susLalnably achleved.

2.2 1he |mportance of a human r|ghts approach and the |ntercu|tura| perspect|ve

ln many places around Lhe globe, lndlgenous peoples sLlll face Lhe legacy of
dlscrlmlnaLlon and excluslon hlsLory, one LhaL has lefL Lhem Lo Lhe marglns of Lhe
socleLles where Lhey llve.
1he dlscrlmlnaLlon and raclsm suffered by lndlgenous peoples play ouL ln dlfferenL ways
and, alLhough Lhere are common paLLerns, Lhere are also dlfference among counLrles.
ollLlcal vlolence, lmpunlLy sLaLlsLlcal lnvlslblllLy, dlscourses and sLereoLypes LhaL are
reproduced by socleLy as a whole, lnequallLles shown by soclal lndlcaLors regardlng
healLh, educaLlon, employmenL, lnadequaLe access Lo publlc servlces boLh ln quallLy and
quanLlLy, dlscrlmlnaLory LreaLmenL by publlc offlcers, denlal of lndlgenous peoples'
parLlclpaLlon ln declslon maklng, are some of Lhe mosL evldenL manlfesLaLlons of
dlscrlmlnaLlon. lndlgenous peoples have been parLlcularly affecLed by vlolence, lncludlng
armed confllcLs, mlllLarlzaLlon of Lhelr lands, deLerrlLorlallzaLlon processes, culLural
uprooLlng, psychosoclal Lrauma, crlmlnallzaLlon, low self-esLeem, forces dlsplacemenL,
few posslblllLles for necessary splrlLual reparaLlon desLrucLlon of neLworks and abrupL
changes ln LradlLlonal roles.
8esldes, access Lo declslon-maklng spheres ls rare. Lven Lhough Lhere are few
excepLlons, and efforLs as well as mechanlsms for Lhelr lncluslon have lncreased ln
recenL years, lndlgenous peoples have conslderably less pollLlcal lnfluence Lhan oLher
groups ln socleLy.
ervaslve dlscrlmlnaLlon agalnsL lndlgenous peoples ls a sLrucLural problem. 1he key Lo a
lasLlng change ls overcomlng lnequallLles and excluslon.
1o undersLand Lhls dlscrlmlnaLlon Lhere ls a need for a Lhorough conLexL analysls.
ulscrlmlnaLlon and raclsm musL be undersLood as a vlolaLlon Lo human rlghLs of
unlversal scope, medlaLed by varlous aspecLs of ldenLlLy, for lnsLance eLhnlclLy, gender,
race, class, casL, rellglon, sexual orlenLaLlon and geographlc slLuaLlon. All of Lhese aspecLs
are muLually lnfluenLlal. 1hey musL be address ln an lnLegral manner.
lndlgenous peoples' well-belng wlll be achleved once Lhere can be access, culLural
relevance, respecL, opporLunlLles and culLural freedom Lo lmprove Lhe quallLy of llfe of
Lhe chlldren, youLh, women, men and Lhe elder, lncludlng Lhelr access Lo Lhe use and
8

en[oymenL of Lhe lnformaLlon Lhey produce, for whlch Lhere's a need Lo develop skllls
and knowledge.
Lspeclally ln LaLln Amerlca, lndlgenous peoples advocaLe Lhe concepL of developmenL
LhaL alms Lo lnclude Lhelr vlslon: Lhe concepL of (6 +#($ @'@'&".
2
?#($ @'@'& means llvlng
ln harmony and balance
3
. 8uen vlvlr refers Lo Lhe rlghL Lo resources comlng from
lndlgenous LerrlLorles, whlch are lndlgenous women and men's splrlLual coexlsLence,
under Lhe exerclse of Lhelr rlghL Lo conLrol and manage Lhelr resources. lrom lndlgenous
polnL of vlew, every form of exlsLence ls an equal, everybody ls ln a complemenLary
relaLlonshlp. 1he fundamenLal basls for conLlnulLy of Lhe +#($ @'@'& ls respecL Lo moLher-
naLure, access Lo land and LerrlLorles, wlLhln Lhe frame of Lhe rlghL of self-deLermlnaLlon.
Many lndlgenous peoples llve ln ferLlle areas, LhaL are rlch ln blodlverslLy, parLlcularly
vulnerable Lo envlronmenLal changes, lncludlng Lhose resulLed from cllmaLe changes.
LnvlronmenLal degradaLlon conLrlbuLes Lo reproduce poverLy ln lndlgenous communlLles
glven Lhelr sLrong dependence on Lhe envlronmenL for Lhelr llvellhoods. lndlgenous
peoples face greaL dlfflculLles Lo malnLaln and formulaLe Lhelr own models for
developmenL and well-belng: poverLy and excluslon affecL Lhem dlsproporLlonally.
Cenerally, Lhere are llmlLed dlsaggregaLed daLa regardlng lndlgenous peoples currenL
condlLlons. ln several sesslons, Lhe unlll and many un agencles have recommended
dlsaggregaLlon of daLa, speclflcally for lndlgenous peoples and by sex
4
. ln Lhe mosL baslc
level, dlsaggregaLlon of some of Lhe daLa collecLed aL Lhe naLlonal level can help deLecL
dlscrlmlnaLlon, lnequallLy and excluslon. lL also allows dlrecL comparaLlve analysls of
lndlgenous peoples' reallLles regardlng oLher soclal groups. WhaLever approach ls Laken,
lndlgenous peoples' parLlclpaLlon ln Lhe deflnlLlon of Lhe lssues Lo be addressed, as well
as of Lhe lndlcaLors Lo be consldered and Lhelr vlslons on developmenL are cruclal.
1he few daLa avallable shows greaL dlsparlLles beLween lndlgenous populaLlon and
socleLy as a whole. 1hls reconflrms Lhe facL LhaL lndlgenous people, especlally chlldren
and women, have less access Lo healLh, educaLlon, and adequaLe houslng servlces, as
much as Lhey have lower lncome and less employmenL and vocaLlonal Lralnlng. 1he
challenge ls developlng pollcy Lo address such soclal excluslon.

&
1hls concepL ls also known as Sumak kawsay ln Chlchwa , suma qamana Aymara, sumak nandereco ln Cuaranl,
Laman Laka MlsklLu, among oLher.
3 ln harmony wlLh Lhe cycles of moLher earLh, wlLh cosmologlcal cycles, Lhe cycles of hlsLory, of llfe and ln
complemenLary balance wlLh every form of exlsLence (See: Laman laka- our lndlgenous paLh Lo and for self-
deLermlned developmenL". CAul www.cadpl.org
*
un ermanenL lorum on lndlgenous lssues has made recommendaLlon ln Lhls regard ln lLs second, Lhlrd, fourLh,
flfLh, elghLh and nlnLh sesslons. lor example, on lLs 9Lh sesslon, Lhe lorum recommended: 1he ermanenL lorum
recommends LhaL SLaLes: ensure LhaL Lhe collecLlon of sLaLlsLlcal daLa be dlsaggregaLed by sex and eLhnlclLy,
dlscourage monlLorlng LhaL ls focused only on naLlonal averages, and ensure Lhe parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous peoples'
and lndlgenous women ln daLa collecLlon". See unlll 8ecommendaLlons uaLabase.
9

under Lhe baslc prlnclples of unlversallLy, equlLy and non-dlscrlmlnaLlon, lndlgenous
peoples have Lhe rlghL Lo Lhe compleLe range of rlghLs seL forLh by lnLernaLlonal law.
WlLh respecL Lo communlLles, lndlgenous peoples have dlsLlncLlve and unlque culLures
and world vlslons: Lhelr culLural needs, as much as Lhelr asplraLlons for Lhe fuLure can be
dlfferenL from Lhose of Lhe domlnanL socleLy.
CollecLlve rlghLs Lo lands, Lo LerrlLorles and Lo resources are a clear example of
complemenLary naLure of lndlvldual and collecLlve rlghLs. As lL ls well known, lndlgenous
peoples are an lnLrlnslc parL of Lhelr LerrlLorles, where Lhelr hlsLory and ldenLlLy as
peoples ls wrlLLen. lL ls Lhe basls of llfe, lL ls for Lhls reason LhaL Lhe rlghL Lo land,
LerrlLorles and naLural resources ls a key demand of Lhe lnLernaLlonal movemenL of
lndlgenous peoples and lndlgenous women.
Llnks wlLh Lhe land are lnseparable (even havlng losL Lhls lands). 1he Lles have a physlcal,
soclal, symbollc and pollLlcal meanlng. urawlng on Lhls speclflclLy, Lhe concepLs of land
and LerrlLory have recenLly been dlfferenLlaLed: land has Lo do wlLh a means of
producLlon and LerrlLory represenLs Lhe sphere of llfe as a culLural consLrucLlon.
lor lndlgenous peoples survlval as human groups, Lhelr speclflc collecLlve rlghLs need Lo
be acknowledged. As lL has been menLloned, collecLlve rlghLs lnclude rlghLs Lo Lhelr
lands, LerrlLorles and resources, Lo malnLaln Lhelr culLures, Lo Lhe acknowledgemenL of
Lhelr own ldenLlLles, Lo self-governmenL and self-deLermlnaLlon Lo be consulLed for Lhelr
free, prlor and lnformed consenL ln any declslon LhaL may affecL Lhem
3
.
lncludlng Lhe lnLerculLural dlmenslon ls essenLlal Lo warranLy lndlgenous peoples' rlghLs
ln any acLlon dlrecLly or lndlrecLly affecLlng Lhem. CulLural pracLlces, LradlLlons and
values of lndlgenous peoples - as long as Lhey are conslsLenL wlLh human rlghLs
prlnclples - can play a crlLlcal and poslLlve role ln advanclng and promoLlng gender
equallLy and human rlghLs.
ln Lhls sense, Lhe full recognlLlon of lndlgenous rlghLs requlres lnLerculLural approaches,
based on LradlLlonal knowledge for Lhe managemenL and admlnlsLraLlon of Lhe programs
LhaL Lake place ln Lhelr LerrlLorles and communlLles. A precondlLlon for a successful
lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe lnLernaLlonal developmenL goals ls LhaL Lhe rules and pracLlces of
lndlgenous culLures are undersLood and relaLed Lo unlversal human rlghLs prlnclples.
Cnly Lhen lnequallLles can be addressed and poslLlve resulLs LhaL respecL Lhe dlverslLy of
lndlgenous peoples be accompllshed.

3
See un uevelopmenL Culdellnes hLLp://www2.ohchr.org/engllsh/lssues/lndlgenous/docs/guldellnes.pdf.). AdopLed
ln 2008, Lhe unuC are based ln Lhe ueclaraLlon of Lhe 8lghLs of lndlgenous eoples and on lLC 169. 1helr purpose ls
Lo asslsL Lhe un sysLem Lo malnsLream and lnLegraLe lndlgenous peoples' lssues ln processes and acLlvlLles.
10

1he rlghL of lndlgenous peoples Lo developmenL means LhaL Lhey have Lhe rlghL Lo
parLlclpaLe ln Lhe formulaLlon, lmplemenLaLlon and evaluaLlon of Lhose plans and
programs LhaL may affecL Lhem. 1hls prlnclple ls expressed ln Lhe unlLed naLlons
ueclaraLlon on Lhe 8lghLs of lndlgenous eoples (ArL. 3) and ls conflrmed as one of Lhe
goals of Lhe Second lnLernaLlonal uecade of Lhe World's lndlgenous eoples, adopLed by
Lhe Ceneral Assembly ln Lhe year 2004
6
. 1he Second uecade goals sLaLe Lhe need for
redeflnlng developmenL pollcles LhaL lnclude a vlslon of equlLy and LhaL are culLurally
relevanL, lncludlng respecL for culLural and llngulsLlc dlverslLy of lndlgenous peoples. lL ls
lmporLanL Lo bear ln mlnd LhaL, for Lhe rlghLs adopLed ln Lhe ueclaraLlon Lo be exerclsed
by lndlgenous peoples, Lhe pollLlcal commlLmenL of sLaLes, lnLernaLlonal cooperaLlon
and Lhe supporL of socleLy as a whole are needed.
1o ensure Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe ueclaraLlon, unLled naLlons Agencles and bodles
need Lo coordlnaLe Lhelr efforLs and Lo ensure maxlmum complemenLarlLy ln Lhelr
acLlvlLles.
lndlgenous peoples' developmenL goals are closely llnked Lo Lhelr capablllLy Lo make
declslons ln Lhelr communlLles (lncludlng Lhe parLlclpaLlon of women ln such declslon-
maklng), Lo malnLaln rlghLs Lo Lhelr lands and resources, Lo proLecL Lhe rlghLs of speclflc
groups wlLhln Lhelr communlLles (such as women and chlldren) and Lo llve accordlng Lo
Lhelr culLures and LradlLlons. CooperaLlon beLween Lhe unlLed naLlons and lndlgenous
peoples ln developmenL requlres respecL for Lhese soclo culLural and economlc facLors
7
.
1he promoLlon of human capablllLles, Lhe parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous peoples ln
communlLy and soclal conLexLs, pollcy deslgn and lmplemenLaLlon aL Lhe local, naLlonal,
reglonal and global levels are essenLlal Lo ensure LhaL mllllons of lndlgenous peoples can
overcome poverLy.


6
Los clnco ob[eLlvos del Segundo uecenlo son: promocln de la no dlscrlmlnacln y la lnclusln de los pueblos
lndlgenas en el dlseno, lmplemenLacln y evaluacln de procesos lnLernaclonales, reglonales y naclonales referenLes a
leyes, pollLlcas, recursos, programas y proyecLos, promocln de la parLlclpacln plena y efecLlva de los pueblos
lndlgenas en declslones que los afecLan dlrecLa o lndlrecLamenLe, redeflnlcln de pollLlcas de desarrollo que parLan de
una vlsln de equldad y que sean culLuralmenLe apropladas, adopcln de pollLlcas, programas, proyecLos y
presupuesLos dlrlgldos para el desarrollo de los pueblos lndlgenas, creacln de mecanlsmos de monlLoreo fuerLes y
forLaleclmlenLo de la responsabllldad por la proLeccln de los pueblos lndlgenas y el me[oramlenLo de sus vldas. ver
hLLp://soclal.un.org/lndex/lndlgenouses/orLada/Segundouecenlo.aspx
7
See unuC Culdellnes, pag. 13 hLLp://www2.ohchr.org/engllsh/lssues/lndlgenous/docs/guldellnes.pdf.
11

3. Lmpower|ng |nd|genous peop|es through fu|| and effect|ve part|c|pat|on
|n programs that affect them

3.1 8est pract|ces to ach|eve the MDGs

1he lmplemenLaLlon of arLlculaLed programs beLween governmenLs and un agencles Lo
develop mechanlsms for consulLaLlon and parLlclpaLlon for Lhe full lncorporaLlon of
lndlgenous peoples represenLs a flrm sLep on Lhe way Lo [olnL worklng models and Lo Lhe
achlevemenL of goals LhaL are boLh for and wlLh Lhe world's.
As sLaLed above, Lhls requlres an approach LhaL recognlzes lndlgenous peoples as rlghLs
holders. 1hls ls a paradlgm shlfL, whlch leaves behlnd Lhe needs-based approaches LhaL
conslder people as ob[ecLs of charlLy and pollcy beneflclarles and noL as legal sub[ecLs
and agenLs of Lhelr own desLlny.
lL ls lmporLanL Lo make more vlslble Lhose poslLlve experlences and pracLlces ln whlch
programmaLlc approaches adopL a culLurally senslLlve approach, based on Lhe human
rlghLs of lndlgenous peoples, addresslng Lhe soclal excluslon suffered for cenLurles ln lLs
mulLlple dlmenslons. lurLhermore, such experlences need Lo be mulLlplled.
1he sLudy of Lhe MuC-l programs LhaL lnvolved lndlgenous peoples allowed Lo ldenLlfy
many good pracLlces and varled mechanlsms for Lrue empowermenL of lndlgenous
communlLles, represenLlng blg sLeps Lowards Lhelr lncluslon and equlLy.

3.2 8est pract|ces and UNIII recommendat|ons

llMl found LhaL good pracLlces ouLllned below respond Lo more Lhan 30
recommendaLlons of Lhe ermanenL lorum (unlll) abouL a number of key lssues. 1he
Loplcs are: educaLlon and Lralnlng processes, consulLaLlve processes, lndlgenous
women's empowermenL, leadershlp sLrengLhenlng processes, parLlclpaLlon ln declslon-
maklng spaces and developmenL of culLurally relevanL lndlcaLors.
lL ls worLh conslderlng LhaL Lhls analysls suggesLs Lhe need Lo reflecL on currenL Lhe
meLhodology of Lhe ermanenL lorum for collecLlng and lLs recommendaLlon. WlLh Lhe
alm of analyzlng Lhe degree of fulflllmenL of unlll recommendaLlons, Lhe analysls
suggesLs Lhe beneflL of pursulng noL only narraLlve reporLs, buL also developlng and
sLandardlzlng lndlcaLors regardlng key areas. 1hls would beLLer allow for beLLer
12

monlLorlng of Lhe reporLs LhaL are provlded by governmenLs, lnsLlLuLlons and un
agencles on a regular basls.
CapaclLy bulldlng processes:
1he followlng secLlon hlghllghLs besL pracLlces ln 8 MuC-l [olnL programs LhaL meeL Lhe
ermanenL lorum's recommendaLlons concernlng Lralnlng and capaclLy bulldlng of
lndlgenous peoples ln key lssues such as lndlgenous rlghLs, youLh, lndlgenous women
and leadershlp sLrengLhenlng, among oLher
8
.
ln 8razll, Lhe program MDGs beyond averages: romot|ng Iood Secur|ty and Nutr|t|on
for Ind|genous Ch||dren |n 8raz||" lmplemenLed workshops for rlghLs percepLlon,
Lralnlngs for youLh on communlcaLlon and capaclLy bulldlng for Lhe consLrucLlon of
ecologlc sLoves.
1he eruvlan ! called "Integrated and adapt|ve management of env|ronmenta|
resources and c||mat|c r|sks |n n|gh Andean m|cro-watersheds" Lralned lndlgenous
faclllLaLors. ln namlbla, Lhe ! Susta|nab|e Cu|tura| 1our|sm |n Nam|b|a" Lralned Lour
guldes from each of Lhe communlLles lnvolved ln Lhe program. ln araguay's
Strengthen|ng the ab|||ty to def|ne and app|y water and san|tat|on po||c|es"
workshops on Lhe regulaLory change ln waLer and sanlLaLlon, and on naLlonal and
lndlgenous rlghLs laws. 1ralnlngs on [obs were also held wlLhln Lhls program. Also ln
anama, Lhe program Lralned communlLy women leaders on lLC 169 ConvenLlon.
ln Colombla, ! Strengthen|ng |oca| capac|t|es for peace-bu||d|ng |n the Department of
Nar|o" Lralned lndlgenous leaders ln resource managemenL. ! lntegrat|on of
ecosystems and adaptat|on to c||mate change |n the Co|omb|an Mass|f" provlded
Lechnlcal Lralnlngs Lo communlLles.
lndlgenous women empowermenL:
Slnce lLs flrsL sesslon, Lhe ermanenL lorum has pald speclal aLLenLlon Lo lndlgenous
women, belng a prlmary lssue aL lLs Lhlrd sesslon. ln LhaL sesslon, Lhe lorum recognlzed
Lhe unlque conLrlbuLlons of lndlgenous women wlLhln Lhelr famllles, communlLles and
naLlons and lnLernaLlonally, and expressed concern abouL Lhe mulLlple forms of
dlscrlmlnaLlon experlenced by lndlgenous women, due Lo gender, race and eLhnlclLy
lssues and Lhe complex lssues arlslng from such dlscrlmlnaLlon. Slx of Lhe analyzed !s
are almed aL empowerlng lndlgenous women, and respond Lo abouL 30 unlll
recommendaLlons ln Lhls regard.
Leadershlp sLrengLhenlng

8
See unlll 8ecommendaLlons uaLabase.
13

1he sLrengLhenlng and promoLlon of lndlgenous leadershlp ls presenL ln numerous
recommendaLlons of Lhe unlll. Many of Lhese recommendaLlons focus on lndlgenous
women and / or Lralnlng processes. 1he slx programs ouLllned ln Lhe "arLlclpaLlon of
lndlgenous women and gender equlLy" secLlon respond Lo Lhls seL of recommendaLlons.
! Strengthen|ng |oca| capac|t|es for peace-bu||d|ng |n the Department of Nar|o"
from Colombla lmplemenLed lnLeresLlng sLraLegles LhaL sLrengLhened lndlgenous
leadershlp.
rlor ConsulLaLlon:
1he ermanenL lorum has repeaLedly recommended lmplemenLaLlon of consulLaLlve
processes ln dlverse occaslons and sesslons, besldes belng sLaLed ln Lhe ueclaraLlon of
Lhe 8lghLs of lndlgenous eoples, ln lLC 169 ConvenLlon and ln numerous documenLs on
lndlgenous rlghLs.
13 programs have developed consulLaLlon mechanlsms aL dlfferenL sLages of program
developmenL. ln nlcaragua, ! "1Uk1AN AMNI" Integrated Mode|" and ! "Cu|tura|
kecovery and Creat|ve roduct|ve Deve|opment on the Car|bbean Coast of N|caragua"
provlde good examples of consulLaLlon processes.
ln CuaLemala, consulLaLlon processes were carrled ouL munlclpal governmenLs wlLh
lndlgenous leadershlp wlLhln Lhe program "Capac|ty-8u||d|ng amongst the Mam eop|e
|n Lconom|c Water and San|tat|on Governance". Also ln CuaLemala ! "A|||ances to
|mprove the s|tuat|on of Ch||dren, Iood secur|ty and Nutr|t|on" carrled ouL
consulLaLlons, as also dld ! "rotect|ng ch||dren: towards a coord|nated food secur|ty
and nutr|t|ona| program for L| Sa|vador" and ! "Conservat|on and Susta|nab|e
Management of the Natura| and Cu|tura| ner|tage of the asun| 8|osphere keserve" ln
Lcuador.
ln Colombla, ! " Strengthen|ng |oca| capac|t|es for peace-bu||d|ng |n the Department of
Nar|o" and ln Mexlco, Lhe ! "Conf||ct prevent|on, deve|opment of agreements and
peace bu||d|ng for |nterna||y d|sp|aced persons (IDs) |n Ch|apas State" consulLaLlons
were lmplemenLed, as well as ln Colomblan ! "Integra| strategy for the prevent|on and
awareness of a|| forms of gender-based v|o|ence ".
ln Cambodla, Lhe " Creat|ve Industr|es Support rogram" developed a consulLaLlve
process Lhrough focus groups. Also Lhe program "Integrated revent|on and
Construct|ve 1ransformat|on of Soc|a| Conf||cts" and ! "SLrengLhenlng capaclLles for
pollcy formulaLlon and lmplemenLaLlon of waLer and sanlLaLlon" lmplemenLed Lhe query
uslng dlfferenL sLraLegles, respecLlng an essenLlal rlghL of lndlgenous peoples when lL
comes Lo programs LhaL dlrecLly or lndlrecLly affecL Lhem.
arLlclpaLlon ln declslon-maklng processes and spheres
14

!olnL rograms such as "Deve|op|ng Compet|t|veness for the 8runca reg|on |n the
1our|sm and Agro-Industry Sectors, w|th an Lmphas|s on the Creat|on of decent, green
emp|oyment to keduce overty" sLrengLhened Lhe role of women ln declslon-maklng
processes. Also Lhe ! sLraLegy " Conf||ct prevent|on, deve|opment of agreements and
peace bu||d|ng for |nterna||y d|sp|aced persons (IDs) |n Ch|apas State" lncluded
women ln such processes.
uevelopmenL of lndlcaLors wlLh culLural relevance:
ln subsequenL sesslons, Lhe unlll has recommended and urged un agencles and SLaLes
Lo develop culLurally senslLlve lndlcaLors Lo monlLor Lhe lmplemenLaLlon and lmpacL of
programs almed aL achlevlng Lhe MuCs. 1he unlll has also warned abouL Lhe
lmporLance of collecLlng daLa dlsaggregaLed by eLhnlclLy and gender.
llMl has reglsLered good pracLlces dlrecLly addresslng Lo Lhls group of recommendaLlons
ln seven [olnL programs from Lhe 31 programs abouL whlch lnLervlews were conducLed.
1he "rotect|ng ch||dren: towards a coord|nated food secur|ty and nutr|t|ona| program
for L| Sa|vador" obLalned lndlcaLors on nuLrlLlon for healLh for good llvlng. 1he program
"Integrat|on of ecosystems and adaptat|on to c||mate change |n the Co|omb|an Mass|f"
MuC lndlcaLors developed from an lndlgenous perspecLlve. 1he ! Nat|ona| capac|ty-
bu||d|ng for |ntercu|tura| conf||ct prevent|on and management |n Ch||e" carrled ouL a
measuremenL of MuC lndlcaLors wlLh lndlgenous peoples. ln araguay, Lhe program
"Strengthen|ng the ab|||ty to def|ne and app|y water and san|tat|on po||c|es" also
lncorporaLed culLurally relevanL lndlcaLors. ln Mexlco, Lhe ! "Lstab||sh|ng effect|ve and
democrat|c water and san|tat|on (W&S) management |n Mex|co to support the
ach|evement of the MDGs" produced soclal and culLural lndlcaLors on Lhe program
lmplemenLaLlon process. ln Lhe program "romoLlng Change ln eace" ln 8ollvla
developed a number of quallLaLlve lndlcaLors. As deLalled below, also ln namlbla, Lhe C
"SusLalnable CulLural 1ourlsm" developed culLural lndlcaLors.

3.3 art|c|pat|on |n program stages

llMl found over 200 poslLlve sLraLegles lmplemenLed by 47 !olnL rograms of Lhe MuCs
ln 20 counLrles LhaL were developed wlLh lndlgenous communlLles.
ln llgure 2 ldenLlfles as many good pracLlces ln Lhe lmplemenLaLlon phase, malnly for
operaLlonal programs. 1he monlLorlng and evaluaLlon sLages are lnsLances ln whlch
declslons can be made and effecLlve parLlclpaLlon may Lake place. lL ls a key challenge Lo
promoLe greaLer lnvolvemenL of lndlgenous peoples ln Lhe ln Lhese of Lhose programs
13

LhaL affecL Lhem. When lndlgenous peoples flgure as parLlclpanLs buL are noL able Lo
declde on Lhelr own developmenL, no real change Lakes place.
llMl encounLered poslLlve resulLs ln Lerms of quallLy and malnsLreamlng of good
pracLlces regardlng gender equlLy LhroughouL Lhe varlous sLages of program
developmenL.


3.3.1 Iormu|at|on

ln Lhe formulaLlon phase, 32 ! ouL of Lhe LoLal of 47 MuC-l programs ldenLlfled for
lncludlng lndlgenous peoples, have lmplemenLed besL pracLlces. CuL of Lhe 31 programs
analyzed ln depLh Lhrough lnLervlews wlLh program coordlnaLors and / or lndlgenous
parLlclpanLs, 23 programs lncluded good pracLlces for Lhls sLage. 8esL pracLlces lnclude
dlalogue wlLh lndlgenous auLhorlLles, consulLaLlons and meeLlngs wlLh Lhe commlLLees
or boards of lndlgenous represenLaLlves, lnLervlews wlLh lndlgenous sLakeholders Lo
develop lndlcaLors, esLabllshmenL of managemenL commlLLees, basellne developmenL
and consulLaLlon mechanlsms, among oLher.
When developlng a program, Lhe comblnaLlon of consulLaLlon processes wlLh Lralnlng for
lndlgenous communlLles represenLed an added value. ln 8razll, for example, Lhe program
"MDGs beyond averages: romot|ng Iood Secur|ty and Nutr|t|on for Ind|genous
Ch||dren |n 8raz||" " workshops on rlghLs awareness ln Lhe communlLles, Lo consulL on
30
103
33
27
Graph|c 2. 8est racnces
1oLal CounLrles: 20 1oLal rograms: 47 1oLal 8esL racuces : 213
HI 7&"- JK 7&"- IL 7&"- IK 7&"-
Iormu|anon Imp|ementanon M&L Women
16

Lhelr speclflc needs and demands. 1he program almed Lo supporL exlsLlng naLlonal
pollcles and local acLlons Lo lmprove food securlLy and nuLrlLlonal sLaLus of lndlgenous
chlldren ln Lhe reglons of uourados and upper 8lo Sollmes ln 8razll. ln Lhls framework,
each un agency lnvolved developed workshops on Lhelr speclflc area of work, Lralnlng
lndlgenous peoples, wlLh more accuraLe knowledge of Lhelr needs. 1he resulLs of Lhe
workshops were lmplemenLed ln lndlgenous LerrlLorles. 1he an Amerlcan PealLh
CrganlzaLlon (APC / WPC), for lnsLance, provlded workshops on nuLrlLlon and Lralnlng
for lndlgenous PealLh AgenLs ln Lhe Speclal SecreLarlaL for lndlgenous PealLh. Worklng
closely wlLh governmenL lnsLlLuLlons was a facLor LhaL allowed Lhls proves successful and
frulLful experlence for Lhe lmplemenLaLlon phase of Lhe program.
ln Lhe 1Uk1AN AMNI" Integrated Mode|" program, developed ln nlcaragua,
lnvolvlng lndlgenous leaders ln Lhe consulLaLlon process, Lurned ouL Lo be a beneflclal
sLraLegy Lo brlng and engage Lhe communlLy ln Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe [olnL program.
1hls program conLrlbuLed Lo Lhe Zero Punger naLlonal lan, especlally Lhe arLlculaLlon of
Lhe producLlon-organlzaLlonal componenLs, healLh-nuLrlLlon and educaLlon wlLh school
feedlng, havlng Lhe communlLles as managemenL cenLer. un agencles lnvolved worked
wlLh auLhorlLles Lo sLrengLhen Lhe capaclLles of famllles, Lhereby lncreaslng food Lhe
avallablllLy and nuLrlLlonally lmprovlng food dleL, even ln food crlsls and naLural dlsasLer
conLexLs. 1he program has launched lnlLlaLlves Lo sLrengLhen lnsLlLuLlonal capaclLles for a
coordlnaLed lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe model and Lo ralse awareness on Lhe prlorlLy of chlld
nuLrlLlon as a fundamenLal rlghL and as a plllar of human developmenL. 1he focus of Lhe
consulLaLlon was on Lhe changes LhaL Lhe communlLy wanLed Lo see made afLer Lhe end
of Lhe program.
A slmllar approach ln Lhe uemocraLlc Lconomlc Covernance LhemaLlc wlndow Look place
ln CuaLemala, ln Lhe ! "Capac|ty-8u||d|ng amongst the Mam eop|e |n Lconom|c Water
and San|tat|on Governance ", whlch worked Lo revlLallze Lhe role and conLrlbuLlon of
Mam communlLles ln Lhe deslgn and lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe governmenL's publlc
lnLervenLlons, Lhrough dlalogue and by fosLerlng a publlc servlce managemenL LhaL can
ensure Lhe expanslon of coverage and access Lo waLer and sanlLaLlon. AL Lhe Llme of
formulaLlng Lhe program, consulLaLlon processes wlLh lndlgenous leadershlp munlclpal
governmenLs were conducLed. ArLlculaLlng aL Lhree levels -local, naLlonal and
lnLernaLlonally- Lhe program almed aL rural producLlve developmenL, governance and
Lhe flghL agalnsL soclal excluslon. ConsulLaLlon ls noL only a baslc sLep LhaL proLecLs Lhe
rlghL of lndlgenous peoples Lo self-deLermlnaLlon, buL lL also ensures LhaL Lhelr concerns
and lnLeresLs are compaLlble wlLh Lhe ob[ecLlves of every acLlvlLy or lnLended acLlon.
8ecognlLlon of Lhelr own organlzaLlonal sLrucLures and LradlLlonal auLhorlLles and
represenLaLlve organlzaLlons proves Lo be anoLher cenLral aspecL for lndlgenous peoples
17

respecL and auLonomy. WlLhln Lhe 1hemaLlc Wlndow on CulLure and uevelopmenL, Lhe
program "Conservat|on and Susta|nab|e Management of the Natura| and Cu|tura|
ner|tage of the asun| 8|osphere keserve" relled on exlsLlng sLrucLures ln Lhe locaLlon
where Lhe program was developed. More speclflcally, from Lhe formulaLlon of Lhe
program, represenLaLlves of Lwo naLlonallLles llvlng blosphere park were lnvolved ln Lhe
ManagemenL CommlLLee Lhe. AlLhough lL was a weakness LhaL Lhere were no
represenLaLlves of each of Lhe lndlgenous groups LhaL lnhablL Lhe reserve, Lhe
parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous represenLaLlves represenLed boLh a faclllLaLlng facLor and
added value ln Lhe 8ecognlLlon of Lhelr own organlzaLlonal sLrucLures and LradlLlonal
auLhorlLles and represenLaLlve organlzaLlons proves Lo be anoLher cenLral aspecL for
lndlgenous peoples respecL and auLonomy. WlLhln Lhe 1hemaLlc Wlndow on CulLure and
uevelopmenL, Lhe program "Conservat|on and Susta|nab|e Management of the Natura|
and Cu|tura| ner|tage of the asun| 8|osphere keserve" relled on exlsLlng sLrucLures ln
Lhe locaLlon where Lhe program was developed. More speclflcally, from Lhe formulaLlon
of Lhe program, represenLaLlves of Lwo naLlonallLles llvlng 8losphere ark were lnvolved
ln Lhe ManagemenL CommlLLee. AlLhough lL was a weakness LhaL Lhere were no
represenLaLlves from every Lhe lndlgenous groups LhaL lnhablL Lhe reserve, Lhe
parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous represenLaLlves meanL boLh a faclllLaLlng facLor and an added
value ln Lhe lmplemenLaLlon and developmenL of Lhe program.
ulalogue and, more speclflcally, Lhe lnLegraLlon of all levels of auLhorlLles, wlLh Lhe
parLlclpaLlon of reglonal auLhorlLles, represenLaLlves of lndlgenous communlLles and
communlLles from Lhe dlscusslon of Lhe conLenLs of Lhe program, lncludlng also naLlonal
auLhorlLles, Lhe reglonal un agencles and communlLles, as occurred ln Lhe program
"Cu|tura| kecovery and Creat|ve roduct|ve Deve|opment on the Car|bbean Coast of
N|caragua". 1hls was also Lhe case ln anama, ln Lhe framework of Lhe program
"Integrat|on of C||mate Change Adaptat|on and M|t|gat|on Measures |n the
Management of Natura| kesources |n Iour r|or|ty Watersheds of anama", where
consulLaLlons ln a perlod of LranslLlon of auLhorlLles, lnvolved Lhose leaders who had
been elecLed by Lhe people buL were noL consldered by Lhe governmenL were noL
consldered, because Lhey Lhe deadllne had passed. lncluslveness and Lhe wlde level of
Lhe consulLaLlon faclllLaLed Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe program and led Lo Lhe
empowermenL of communlLles wlLh regards Lo fuLure programs or oLher enLlLles, whlch
was seen as a poslLlve unexpecLed ouLcome of Lhe program.
Lspeclally ln programs of Lhe 1hemaLlc Wlndow on ConfllcL revenLlon and eace
bulldlng, dlalogue processes and worklng close Lo lndlgenous organlzaLlonal sLrucLures as
maln parLners have been key elemenLs of success ln subsequenL sLages of Lhe programs.
18

Such was Lhe case of Lhe " Strengthen|ng |oca| capac|t|es for peace-bu||d|ng |n the
Department of Nar|o " ln Colombla, almed aL lmplemenLlng an lnnovaLlve model of
peace bulldlng and gender LerrlLorlal approach Lhrough sLraLeglc lnlLlaLlves for Lhe
prevenLlon and managemenL of crlses and confllcLs, Lo sLrengLhen Lhe rule of law and for
Lhe recovery of llvellhoods and promoLlng soclo-economlc developmenL. ln Lhe
formulaLlon of Lhe program, meeLlngs wlLh represenLaLlves of each parLlclpanL
communlLy were convened. 1he purpose of Lhe meeLlngs was Lo lnLroduce Lhe acLlvlLles,
componenLs, equlpmenL and Lhelr mlsslon. 1hls program's formulaLlon also lncluded
consulLaLlon wlLh lndlgenous auLhorlLles as well as wlLh munlclpal auLhorlLles. Cradual
approach processes and dlalogue enable beLLer workflow and coordlnaLlon. lurLher,
Lhey allow for response Lo Lhe needs and Lhe demands arlslng from Lhe dlalogue process.
Also ln Mexlco, ! " Conf||ct prevent|on, deve|opment of agreements and peace
bu||d|ng for |nterna||y d|sp|aced persons (IDs) |n Ch|apas State" Lhere was a
comblnaLlon of dlfferenL levels of parLlclpaLlon, from lnLroduclng Lhe program ln Lhe
CommunlLy Assemblles, chalred by communlLy leaders of each communlLy Lo
parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous leaders and organlzaLlons ln Lhe ! ManagemenL CommlLLee,
creaLlng a meeLlng space for organlzaLlons Lo plannlng and coordlnaLe wlLh Lhe
governmenL and un agencles.
ln 8ollvla, dlalogue beLween and wlLh lndlgenous organlzaLlons ln Lhe formulaLlon of Lhe
"Integrated revent|on and Construct|ve 1ransformat|on of Soc|a| Conf||cts " allowed Lo
valldaLe and sLrengLhen Lhe program. ln a conLexL of hlghly polarlzed counLry, an
agreemenL was reached for dlalogue and consulLaLlon wlLh Lhe flve mosL represenLaLlve
lndlgenous organlzaLlons. 1hls consulLaLlon process proved Lo be an exLremely rlch
meLhodologlcal Lool for lmplemenLlng Lhe program.

3.3.2 Imp|ementat|on

lL ls ln Lhe lmplemenLaLlon where mosL good pracLlces have been deLecLed, wlLh 103
good pracLlces ldenLlfled ln Lhe 47 !s.
arLlclpaLlon lnvolves golng beyond mere consulLaLlon. arLlclpaLlon ln Lhe
lmplemenLaLlon should lead Lo concreLe pro[ecL ownershlp by lndlgenous peoples. 1he
mechanlsms for parLlclpaLlon may vary.
ln !s sLudled, Lhese mechanlsms lncluded Lhe creaLlon of lnLersecLoral coordlnaLlon
Lables as a means of dlalogue ln Ll Salvador, parLlclpaLlon ln Lhe developmenL and
lmplemenLaLlon of an lndlgenous communlLy survey ln araguay, resource managemenL
19

ln Colombla, Lhe analysls of MuCs lndlcaLors and gaps wlLh Lhe lndlgenous communlLles
ln Chlle, Lralnlng and supporL of local auLhorlLles ln Mexlco, respecL for LradlLlonal
pracLlces ln CuaLemala and lnlLlaLlves Lo sLrengLhen Lhe organlzaLlon, among oLhers.
ln araguay, wlLhln Lhe democraLlc economlc governance LhemaLlc wlndow, Lhe program
"Strengthen|ng the ab|||ty to def|ne and app|y water and san|tat|on po||c|es " comblned
Lechnlcal experLlse ln Lhe domaln of waLer and sanlLaLlon wlLh ancesLral knowledge for
bulldlng waLer sysLems ln lndlgenous communlLles. 1he meLhodology lnvolved a
parLlclpaLory process wlLh communlLles. Work was carrled ouL ln parLnershlp wlLh local
governmenLs, Lhe cenLral governmenL and ald agencles. lurLher, an lnvesLmenL plan was
conducLed, whlch lncluded boLh Lhe needs and Lhe resources and poLenLlal conLrlbuLlons
Lo be made by each communlLy, along wlLh Lhe posslble soluLlon proposed ln each
communlLy. 1o carry ouL such a process, lnLervlews wlLh key acLors (leaders and
slgnlflcanL acLors) communlLy vlslLs, and even focus groups Lo consolldaLe baslc
lnformaLlon abouL Lhe communlLy were lmplemenLed. AfLer Lhls, a mapplng process of
Lhe locaLlon and quallLy of waLer sources was carrled ouL, lncludlng Lhose famllles who
had access Lo Lhem. AnoLher aspecL Lo underllne was Lhe developmenL of lndlcaLors by
Lhe communlLles
9
. Lach communlLy ldenLlfled where lL was a prlorlLy Lo make Lhe
consLrucLlons, and Lhen developed an lnvesLmenL plan. Cnce all Lhe lnformaLlon was
gaLhered, a meeLlng beLween for all communlLles was held. ln Lhls meeLlng,
communlLles declded collecLlvely where waLer and sanlLaLlon sysLems should be bullL.
1he program also soughL for resources for Lhose communlLles LhaL had noL been
prlorlLlzed, so LhaL Lhelr needs could also be meL.
1hls !'s efforLs concenLraLed ln acLlvely lnvolvlng Lhe communlLy ln all phases. 1he
deslgn for Lhe consLrucLlon of Lhe waLer sysLem was parLlclpaLory. 1he meLhodology
used was seeklng "Lechnlcal Lle" beLween whaL experLs consldered approprlaLe and whaL
Lhe communlLy consldered culLurally accepLable. lor Lhe consLrucLlon of Lhe sysLem, Lhe
communlLy was lncluded as a counLerparL. Moreover, sklll Lralnlngs ln waLer sysLem
malnLenance allowed for lnsLalllng capaclLles ln Lhe communlLy, ensurlng susLalnablllLy.
lurLhermore, afLer obLalnlng Lhe consenL of Lhe leaders of Lhe LargeLed communlLles,
every planned acLlvlLy Look place, effecLlvely lmplemenLlng ConvenLlon 169.
10
CreaL
emphasls was made ln fully applylng a human rlghLs perspecLlve, respecLlng local

+
See below Lhe uevelopmenL of culLurally relevanL lndlcaLors" secLlon.
('
lLC 169 recognlzes and proLecLs Lrlbal peoples' land ownershlp rlghLs, and seLs a serles of mlnlmum un sLandards
regardlng consulLaLlon and consenL. 1he ConvenLlon sLlpulaLes LhaL governmenLs shall have Lhe responslblllLy for
developlng co-ordlnaLed and sysLemaLlc acLlon Lo proLecL Lhe rlghLs of lndlgenous and Lrlbal peoples (ArLlcle 3) and
ensure LhaL approprlaLe mechanlsms and means are avallable (ArLlcle 33). WlLh lLs focus on consulLaLlon and
parLlclpaLlon, ConvenLlon no. 169 ls a Lool Lo sLlmulaLe dlalogue beLween governmenLs and lndlgenous and Lrlbal
peoples and has been used as a Lool for developmenL processes, as well as confllcL prevenLlon and resoluLlon.

20

culLure. lor example, workshops were conducLed, on regulaLory change ln waLer and
sanlLaLlon. 1he Lralnlng also lncluded conLenL on araguayan law, Lhe lLC 169
ConvenLlon 169 lLC and lndlgenous rlghLs, wlLh a playful and parLlclpaLory approach LhaL
faclllLaLed Lhe process, adapLlng Lo Lhe communlLy's needs. As a resulL, Lhere were
communlLy members who declded Lo be mulLlpllers of Lhe Lralnlng, and LransmlL
knowledge Lo more people ln Lhelr communlLles.
1ralnlngs on lLC convenLlon also Look place ln anama for lndlgenous women leaders,
whlch resulLed ln greaLer ownershlp of Lhelr role and rlghLs.
Concelvlng lndlgenous peoples as rlghL holders means Lo conslder and puL lnLo pracLlce
Lhe essenLlal role Lhey should play ln every sLage of programs LhaL affecL Lhem. 1hree
programs ln Colombla show LhaL parLlclpaLlon ln resource managemenL ls a clear sLep
Lowards empowermenL and sLrengLhenlng of Lechnlcal capablllLles: Lhe ! "
Strengthen|ng |oca| capac|t|es for peace-bu||d|ng |n the Department of Nar|o", Lhe
organlzaLlons and communlLles demanded Lo be lnvolved ln Lhe managemenL of
resources. ln response Lo Lhls demand, leaders recelved Lralnlngs on admlnlsLraLlon and
achleved a concerLed resource managemenL. Accordlng Lo Lhe conLexL, Lhe co-
managemenL mechanlsm. ln all cases, Lhls pracLlce allowed for slgnlflcanL progress ln Lhe
lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe program. lurLher, Lhls mechanlsm sLrengLhened lndlgenous
organlzaLlons ln relaLlon Lo lnLeracLlon wlLh Lhe !. lurLhermore: Lhe managemenL
experlences enhanced self-managemenL skllls and accounLablllLy Lo underLake oLher
developmenL lnlLlaLlves.
ln Lhe case of Lhe "lntegrat|on of ecosystems and adaptat|on to c||mate change |n the
Co|omb|an Mass|f ", lL was agreed LhaL Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe resources would be
conducLed by Lhe lndlgenous councll, wlLhln a process LhaL lncluded Lechnlcal asslsLance.
ln Lhls program, dlrecL dlalogue wlLh lndlgenous organlzaLlons sLrengLhened Lhe
Lechnlcal Lralnlng process ln Lhe communlLles. 1he dlalogue process lnvolved meeLlngs,
soclallzaLlon of acLlvlLles ln every lndlgenous councll, deflnlLlon of [olnL bodles and [olnL
Lechnlcal Leams. Also from Colombla, Lhe ! " Integra| strategy for the prevent|on and
awareness of a|| forms of gender-based v|o|ence" esLabllshed an lnLeragency Lable
dlscusslon on how Lo organlze and coordlnaLe Lo achleve an effecLlve dlalogue wlLh Lhe
lndlgenous auLhorlLles.
uurlng lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe "rotect|ng ch||dren: towards a coord|nated food
secur|ty and nutr|t|ona| program for L| Sa|vador" lnLersecLoral Lables were creaLed as a
mechanlsm for regular coordlnaLlon and as a means for conLlnues dlalogue. 1he program
supporLed Lhe sLaLe's efforLs Lo esLabllsh lnLegraLed proposals Lo allevlaLe hunger,
malnuLrlLlon and food lnsecurlLy for chlldren. Cne of lLs maln ob[ecLlves has been Lo
promoLe consensus among Lhe many sLakeholders ln Lhe deslgn and lmplemenLaLlon of
21

securlLy plans and food nuLrlLlon for chlldren, wlLh ma[or parLlclpaLlon women and
lndlgenous people. CreaLlng coordlnaLlon Lables was key Lo promoLe LrusL and
communlcaLlon beLween Lhe communlLy, lnsLlLuLlons, assoclaLlons and famllles lnvolved
ln Lhe program.
WlLhln Lhe same LhemaLlc wlndow, Lhe program "MDGs beyond averages: romot|ng
Iood Secur|ty and Nutr|t|on for Ind|genous Ch||dren |n 8raz||" conLlnued wlLh
parLlclpaLory lnlLlaLlves as Lhose carrled ouL ln Lhe formulaLlon sLage. Workshops were
held on Loplcs relaLed Lo Lhe experLlse of each of Lhe un agency's lnvolved. 1he
communlLles deflned Lhelr needs and lmplemenLaLlon locaLlon, Lhrough a democraLlc
process. 1ogeLher wlLh unlCLl, Lhe ! addressed vlolence and youLh self-esLeem
Lhrough communlcaLlon workshops ln lndlgenous schools. 1ogeLher wlLh unu,
lndlgenous ecologlcal ovens communally consLrucLed wlLh lnexpenslve local maLerlals,
speclflc Lo Lhe reglon, whlch resulLed ln an lmprovemenL ln healLh and solved resplraLory
problems of chlldren. Such sLoves were deslgned ln parLnershlp wlLh local nCCs and are
consldered as a model of susLalnable Lechnology, Lo be used ln oLher slmllar pro[ecLs.
1he collecLlve rlghLs of lndlgenous peoples lnclude Lhe recognlLlon of Lhelr hlsLorles,
languages, ldenLlLles and culLures as well as Lhelr rlghL Lo LradlLlonal knowledge, whlch
has been and ls shared and malnLalned collecLlvely.
ln Lhe same program, followlng numerous recommendaLlons of Lhe ermanenL lorum
on lndlgenous lssues and Lhe ueclaraLlon of Lhe 8lghLs of lndlgenous eoples, lLC lead a
Lralnlng lnlLlaLlve on lLs 169 ConvenLlon.
1hrough a parLlclpaLory process, Lhe ConvenLlon was LranslaLed lnLo Cuaranl, 1erena and
1lkuna. Cn Lhls basls, Lhe governmenL began a regulaLlon on free, prlor and lnformed
consenL. 1he program focused on waLer and sanlLaLlon ln Mexlco, local sLaff LranslaLed
and faclllLaLed workshops. Also ln Mexlco, Lhe ! on confllcL prevenLlon and peace
bulldlng for dlsplaced people ln Chlapas, Lhe use of lndlgenous languages was key for
effecLlve communlcaLlon, as well as lL encouraged parLlclpaLlon durlng program
lmplemenLaLlon.
lor a real empowermenL of LradlLlonally marglnallzed communlLles efforLs musL cenLer
on Lralnlng communlLy members. lndlgenous peoples are rlghL holders, and Lhose
programs affecLlng Lhem should see Lhem as such. SLrengLhenlng Lhelr capaclLles resulLs
ln sLrengLhenlng Lhelr organlzaLlonal and leadershlp poLenLlal, and Lherefore a more
susLalnable developmenL.
1ralnlng communlLy leaders can represenL a poslLlve lnlLlal gaLeway for Lhe enLlre
program lmplemenLaLlon. ln araguay, communlLy leaders were Lralned ln waLer and
sanlLaLlon lssues aL Lhe beglnnlng of program lmplemenLaLlon. Cnly Lhen Lhe
22

lmplemenLaLlon of oLher acLlvlLles Look place regardlng Lhe program's plan of
consLrucLlon of waLer and sanlLaLlon sysLems ln dlspersed rural and lndlgenous
communlLles. Such sLraLegles allow beLLer accepLance and engagemenL wlLh Lhe
program LhroughouL Lhe communlLy.
ln namlbla, ! " Susta|nab|e Cu|tura| 1our|sm |n Nam|b|a" Lralns 6";/6 Lour guldes, as
opposed Lo pasL acLlons where Lralned guldes were ofLen people from ouLslde Lhe
communlLy. Also noLeworLhy have been Lhe Lraln Lhe Lralners acLlvlLles for
documenLaLlon of lnLanglble culLural herlLage. lL allowed noL only for lnsLalled capaclLy
wlLhln Lhe communlLy, buL also Lo mulLlply Lhe !'s lmpacL and even promoLlng
leadershlp ln Lhe communlLy.
ln eru also, anoLher poslLlve Lralned lndlgenous faclllLaLors ln Lhe deslgn of cllmaLe
change adapLaLlon plan, lnvolvlng leadershlp ln Lhls deslgn and also ln deslgnlng
adapLaLlon plans Lo cllmaLe change, as well as a parLlclpaLory process mapplng moblllLy
and llvellhoods.
ln CuaLemala, Lhe ! A|||ances to |mprove the s|tuat|on of Ch||dren, Iood secur|ty and
Nutr|t|on" achleved hlgh lmpacL ln lLs lmplemenLaLlon wlLh lndlgenous peoples Lhanks Lo
dlalogue and communlLy ouLreach, fosLered by communlLy leaders. lmplemenLaLlon
Look place respecLlng and accordlng Lo LradlLlonal pracLlces. 1he program almed Lo
sLrengLhen Lhe capaclLles of Lhe MAM eople ln waLer and sanlLaLlon governance, Lhe
managemenL of waLer sysLems and coordlnaLlon beLween admlnlsLraLlve bodles.
As menLloned, Lhese experlences show Lhe added value of lmplemenLlng a dynamlc
dlalogue and confldence-bulldlng approach. 1he process can Lake longer and may even
noL be as noLlceable on Lhe formal resulLs of Lhe programs. Powever, ln-depLh
lnLervlews wlLh lndlgenous parLlclpanLs, coordlnaLors and program offlcers
demonsLraLed LhaL Lhe effecL of sLrengLhenlng communlLles, of Lhelr negoLlaLlon skllls
bulldlng capaclLles, ls more susLalnable and has more vlslble effecLs ln Lhe long Lerm.

3.3.3 Mon|tor|ng and eva|uat|on

llnally, Lhe sLudy found LhaL 33 programs have lncluded lndlgenous peoples ln Lhe
monlLorlng and evaluaLlon phases, whlch sLlll represenLs a challenge. Lxamples of
lncluslon are dlfferenL processes of analysls lnvolvlng lndlgenous communlLles, and Lhe
developmenL of culLural and soclal lndlcaLors for and by lndlgenous peoples ln Colombla,
Mexlco, 8ollvla and namlbla, as well as Lhe parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous beneflclarles ln
23

program monlLorlng acLlvlLles Lhrough a soclal audlL ln CuaLemala and exchange vlslLs
among nelghborlng communlLles, among oLhers.
ln Lhe above-menLloned !, wlLhln Lhe LnvlronmenL and CllmaLe Change LhemaLlc
wlndow, lL was agreed LhaL Lhe lndlgenous councll or Lhe peasanL assoclaLlon managed
Lhe resources. 1o sLrengLhen Lhls process, Lhe lndlgenous organlzaLlon recelved Lechnlcal
asslsLance. CapaclLy bulldlng Lo Lhe communlLy on pro[ecL developmenL pro[ecLs resulLed
ln an opLlmal monlLorlng sLraLegy.
"A|||ances to |mprove the s|tuat|on of ch||dren, food secur|ty and nutr|t|on" ln
CuaLemala, carrled ouL a soclal audlL of healLh servlces, Lhrough fleld vlslLs Lo consulL
and observe Lhe provlslon of servlces. 1he acLlvlLy represenLed a novelLy ln Lhe
communlLy, as well as a parLlcular pracLlce ln whlch communlLles were sLrengLhened and
were sub[ecLs of law ln acLlon.
ln anama, Lhe "Integrat|on of C||mate Change Adaptat|on and M|t|gat|on Measures |n
the Management of Natura| kesources |n Iour r|or|ty Watersheds of anama " also
made emphasls Lhe monlLorlng process, who faclllLaLed collaboraLlon beLween men and
women, who parLlclpaLed ln [olnL evaluaLlon vlslLs. MonlLorlng of progress by
communlLles Lhemselves was developed ln close communlcaLlon wlLh Lhe parLlclpaLlon
of un agencles and wlLh Lhe maln counLerparL, Lhe MlnlsLry of PealLh. 1hls sLraLegy was
based ln Lhe general guldellnes seL by Lhe ! and ln Lhe follow up plan LhaL was
developlng wlLh Lhe communlLy afLer Lhe mldLerm evaluaLlon. 1he communlLles
Lhemselves lnvolved ln Lhe process of monlLorlng Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe acLlvlLles
and achlevemenLs of Lhe resulLs, due Lo Lhe recognlLlon of Lhelr cenLral role ln Lhe
achlevemenL and susLalnablllLy of lnlLlaLlves.
1he experlence of Lhe [olnL program "Deve|opment and Cu|tura| D|vers|ty to reduce
overty and promote Soc|a| Inc|us|on" ln Lcuador promoLed Lhe revaluaLlon of culLure,
lncluslon and lnLerculLural dlalogue as a means Lo reduce Lhls dlscrlmlnaLlon and Lo
break Lhe cycle of poverLy affecLlng Lhese groups for culLural and eLhnlc reasons. 1he
experlence shows LhaL worklng wlLh lndlgenous peoples and concelvlng Lhem as rlghL
holders means undersLandlng Lhe lmporLance of Lhelr parLlclpaLlon ln all program
phases, lncludlng belng lnvolved ln monlLorlng and evaluaLlon sLages.
Lxchange of experlences Lhrough vlslLs Lo oLher deparLmenLs and communlLles also
proved Lo be a valuable pracLlce ln Lerms of conLrasLlng and valldaLlng Lhe poslLlve
aspecLs of Lhe sLraLegles lmplemenLed ln Lhe communlLy.
24


ueveloplng culLurally relevanL lndlcaLors:
lnequallLy and poverLy affecL lndlgenous peoples globally. Whlle Lhere are several
documenLs, reporLs and sLaLlsLlcs by counLry or reglons LhaL agree ln locaLlng Lhe
lndlgenous populaLlon ln more unequal condlLlons Lhan Lhe non-lndlgenous, daLa
dlsaggregaLlon remalns a ma[or pendlng lssue. AL Lhe same Llme, lL ls necessary Lo Lake
lnLo accounL oLher aspecLs LhaL allow deeper analysls ln each slLuaLlon.
AL lLs fourLh sesslon ln 2003, Lhe ermanenL lorum sLaLed "... overLy lndlcaLors based
on lndlgenous peoples' own percepLlons of Lhelr slLuaLlon and experlences should be
developed, [olnLly wlLh lndlgenous peoples."
11

llMl found LhaL [olnL programs and Lhe lmpacL of Lhelr besL pracLlces can serve as a
model Lo be repllcaLed ln developlng culLurally relevanL lndlcaLors, LhaL should also
provlde for Lhe effecLlve parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous peoples and communlLles.
ln ! "rotect|ng ch||dren: towards a coord|nated food secur|ty and nutr|t|ona| program
for L| Sa|vador " lnLervlews wlLh lndlgenous represenLaLlves were held Lo develop
lndlcaLors Lo allow for a common perspecLlve on Lhe approach on nuLrlLlon for healLh for
+#($ @'@'&.
A very lnLeresLlng experlence Look place when lmplemenLlng "lntegrat|on of ecosystems
and adaptat|on to c||mate change |n the Co|omb|an Mass|f". As a consequence of
developlng a basellne wlLh Lhe unlverslLy of Cauca, Lhe need for a perspecLlve of Lhe
MuCs from Lhe vlew of lndlgenous peoples was ldenLlfled.
1he program Lhen gave rlse Lo a serles of reflecLlons and acLlons Lo poslLlon Lhe MuCs ln
lndlgenous agendas. ln Lhls conLexL, a new pro[ecL was carrled ouL. 1he new pro[ecL
lnvolved developlng a dlalogue wlLh lndlgenous organlzaLlons Lo deflne agreed crlLerla
and Lhus prlorlLlze and LargeL program acLlon. An agreemenL was slgn Lo conducL
collaboraLlve work wlLh grassrooLs organlzaLlons, aL Lhe local and reglonal level,
lncludlng evenLs, meeLlngs, deflnlLlon of coordlnaLlon bodles and [olnL Lechnlcal Leams.
1hls process emerged from Lhe ! acLlvlLles and on Lhe basls of recommendaLlons of Lhe
ermanenL lorum, and ended up lnlLlaLlve beyond Lhe program. An lmporLanL ouLcome
was a publlcaLlon wlLh lndlgenous auLhorshlp, called "1he CLher vlew: lndlgenous

((
See unlll 8eporL L/C.19/2003/9

23

eoples and Lhe Mlllennlum uevelopmenL Coals"
12
. llve alLernaLlve and culLurally
relevanL MuCs were ldenLlfled, as follows:

MDG 1: roLecLlon and uefense of lndlgenous 1errlLory
MDG 2: Self-ueLermlnaLlon and Self CovernmenL
MDG 3: Self uevelopmenL, ?#($ 8'@'&, 8alance and Parmony
MDG 4: lree, rlor and lnform ConsenL
MDG S: lnsLlLuLlonal 8edeslgn of Lhe SLaLe

1he proposal lncluded Lhe developmenL of lndlcaLors for each MuC.
Cne lmporLanL faclllLaLlng facLor LhaL ensured success of Lhe program was dlrecL
dlalogue wlLh lndlgenous organlzaLlons, as well as Lhe expllclL recognlLlon LhaL Lhe
LerrlLory and Lhe space for lnLervenLlon had been parL of ongolng processes. lL was also
made cleared LhaL, ln LhaL very same sense, Lhe goal Lhe program was Lo sLrengLhen
Lhese processes and pro[ecLs.
AnoLher relevanL good pracLlce relaLes Lo Lhe facL LhaL Lhe Lechnlcal Leam hlred by Lhe
[olnL program depended dlrecLly on Lhe coordlnaLlon of Lhe program and noL on each un
agency, ensurlng Lhe lnLegraLlon and coherence ln Lhe developmenL of Lhe program.
ln dlrecL response Lo Lhe recommendaLlons of Lhe ermanenL lorum on lndlgenous
lssues durlng Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe [olnL program "Nat|ona| capac|ty-bu||d|ng for
|ntercu|tura| conf||ct prevent|on and management |n Ch||e " proceeded Lo measure
MuC lndlcaLors along wlLh Lhe lndlgenous peoples. 1he program addressed Lhe
relaLlonshlp beLween lndlgenous peoples and Lhe Chllean socleLy, assoclaLed wlLh
negaLlve culLural relaLlons esLabllshed ln Lhe counLry and Lhe hlsLorlcal process of
occupaLlon of lndlgenous lands and naLural resources. Conslderlng Lhe radlcallzaLlon of
poslLlons and lncreaslng vlolence of Lhe forms of soclal proLesL, a cenLral goal was Lo
develop naLlonal and local capaclLles Lo manage ongolng confllcLs and prevenLlng new
ouLbreaks. 1hus, Lhe sLudy for measurlng MuC lndlcaLors LogeLher allowed Lo a more
ob[ecLlve plcLure of Lhe slLuaLlon and of Lhe gaps lndlgenous peoples face, beyond
naLlonal averages ln relaLlon Lo Lhe achlevemenL of Lhe Mlllennlum, and Lhe lnablllLy Lo
measure Lhe MuCs wlLhouL dlsaggregaLlng daLa by eLhnlclLy.

(&
,%% 8eadlng Culde and ubllcaLlon (ln Spanlsh).
26

ln araguay, wlLhln Lhe above-menLloned ! "Strengthen|ng the ab|||ty to def|ne and
app|y water and san|tat|on po||c|es" Lralnlngs were conducLed where lnformaLlon was
presenLed Lo each communlLy and Lhe work Lo be done was explalned sLep by sLep.
AfLerwards, Lralnlng on lndlcaLors Look place. 1he communlLles were provlded pracLlcal
examples and, once Lhey had lncorporaLed Lhe concepL of lndlcaLors, Lhe communlLles
declded whlch Lhe lndlcaLors would be, accordlng Lo Lhe local slLuaLlon. lollowlng Lhls,
Lhe needs for each communlLy and a falr meLhod Lo prlorlLlze Lhe communlLles were
deLermlned so as Lo deflne where Lhe program would bulld Lhe waLer sysLem. Lxamples
of lndlcaLors were: number of famllles ln Lhe communlLy, number of waLer sources, salL
waLer sprlngs. All of Lhls lnformaLlon was complled and analyzed for bulldlng waLer
sysLems.
Also ln Lhe waLer and sanlLaLlon ! ln Mexlco, each un agency developed soclal and
culLural lndlcaLors, lncorporaLlng elemenLs would sLrengLhen Lhe meanlng ln Lhe
program lmplemenLaLlon process.
ln 8ollvla, women developed quallLaLlve lndlcaLors Lo monlLor Lhe ! acLlvlLles. 1he
experlence proved Lhe poslLlve effecLs of comblnlng Lechnlcal asslsLance ln "pracLlcal
lssues" wlLh human rlghLs Lralnlng Lo empower women.
ln Ll Salvador, Lhe ! on chlldhood and food securlLy worked wlLh lndlgenous
organlzaLlons ln Lhe developmenL of lndlcaLors on waLer and sanlLaLlon and healLhy
eaLlng, orlenLed Lowards healLh and +#($ @'@'&.
ln namlbla, culLural lndlcaLors were developed by Lhe Local AdmlnlsLraLlon CommlLLees,
whlch were ln charge of Lhe program's monlLorlng and evaluaLlon ln charge of
monlLorlng and evaluaLlon. 1he lndlcaLors lncluded cerLaln componenLs of unLSCC
CulLure for uevelopmenL lndlcaLors (8lCu / uClS
13
), an applled research pro[ecL whlch
alms Lo ldenLlfy a seL of lndlcaLors LhaL explaln how culLure conLrlbuLes Lo naLlonal
developmenL.

3.4 art|c|pat|on of Ind|genous Women

nelLher Lhe MuCs nor any developmenL goal can be achleved wlLhouL Lhe full
parLlclpaLlon and empowermenL of women and lndlgenous peoples, wlLhouL regard Lo
Lhelr lndlvldual and collecLlve rlghLs.

13
See unLSCC CulLure for uevelopmenL lndlcaLors". hLLp://www.unesco.org/new/en/culLure/Lhemes/culLural-
dlverslLy/dlverslLy-of-culLural-expresslons/programmes/culLure-for-developmenL-lndlcaLors/
27

Cender lnequallLles are rooLed ln Lhe soclal, lnsLlLuLlonal, economlc and culLural sysLems.
1o effecLlvely address and Lransform unequal power relaLlons beLween men and women
mulLlsecLoral approaches and Lhorough analysls LhaL conslder naLlonal and sub-naLlonal
conLexLs are requlred.
14

1o ensure Lhe rlghLs of lndlgenous peoples as a group ls fundamenLal for lndlgenous
women Lo fully exerclse Lhelr rlghLs. Llkewlse, Lhe sysLemaLlc vlolaLlon of lndlgenous
peoples' collecLlve rlghLs as lndlgenous peoples ls Lhe greaLesL rlsk facLor for gender-
based vlolence, lncludlng vlolence wlLhln communlLles. Lnsurlng Lhe rlghLs of lndlgenous
women lnvolves sLandlng ln Lhe lnLersecLlon of Lhree lnLerrelaLed areas: human rlghLs,
Lhe rlghLs of lndlgenous peoples and human rlghLs of women.
1he perspecLlves, needs, opporLunlLles and challenges of lndlgenous women musL be
Laken lnLo accounL whlle formulaLlng, lmplemenLlng, monlLorlng and evaluaLlng pollcles
and programs. llMl found LhaL regardless of Lhe LhemaLlc wlndow of each !s, a number
of sLraLegles provlded a gender-senslLlve developmenL. Such sLraLegles, ldenLlfled as
besL pracLlces, achleved Lo Lackle lnequallLles and dlscrlmlnaLory pracLlces experlenced
by lndlgenous women, empowerlng Lhem as agenLs of Lhelr own change
13
.
ln Cambodla, Lhe formulaLlon sLage of Lhe "Creat|ve Industr|es Support rogram"
lncluded focus groups ln dlfferenL communlLles, ln order Lo learn abouL Lhe percepLlons
abouL whlch would be Lhe besL sLraLegles Lo promoLe gender equallLy and Lo empower
women ln Lhelr role as enLrepreneurs. 1he consulLaLlon process was documenLed and
even recelved an award by Lhe MuC-l for excellence ln communlcaLlon Lhrough vldeo.
ln Colombla, 8ollvla and CuaLemala, programs recognlzed LhaL Lhe lncldence of poverLy
and domesLlc vlolence are hlgher ln Lhose reglons wlLh Lhe hlghesL concenLraLlon of
lndlgenous populaLlon. 1herefore, work ln Lhese areas, can resulL ln concreLe beneflLs
and supporL a more equlLable developmenL.
16

Cender malnsLreamlng requlres changlng gender relaLlons, whlch lnvolves quesLlonlng
and respondlng Lo Lhe underlylng facLors of unequal sLaLus and LreaLmenL. Accordlng Lo
Lhe LesLlmonles of lndlgenous women parLlclpanLs, Lhe experlence of acLlve lnvolvemenL
ln Lhe programs represenLed an essenLlal elemenL Lo sLrengLhen Lhelr self esLeem and
acknowledgemenL of Lhemselves as rlghL-holders. Such was Lhe case ln CosLa 8lca, ln Lhe
program " Deve|op|ng Compet|t|veness for the 8runca reg|on |n the 1our|sm and Agro-
Industry Sectors, w|th an Lmphas|s on the Creat|on of decent, green emp|oyment to
keduce overty." PlghllghLlng women's role wlLhln Lhe communlLy and famlly as key

14
1wo 8oads, Cne Coal: uual SLraLegy for Cender LquallLy rogrammlng". Mdgf.org
(-
1wo 8oads, Cne Coal: uual SLraLegy for Cender LquallLy rogrammlng". Mdgf.org .14-13.
(.
lbldem. . 13 8ox 1.2
28

parLners for declslon-maklng on Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of program acLlvlLles affecLlng Lhem
was sLaLed as ouLsLandlng added value. lor example, Lhls was consldered Lo be an
lmporLanL sLraLegy ln programs LhaL lncluded Lhe servlce lnsLallaLlon such as sLoves or
waLer sysLems ln homes. 1hroughouL Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of eace program ln Mexlco,
greaLer parLlclpaLlon of women ln was achleved meeLlngs. AL Lhe beglnnlng, women ln
Chlapas dld noL aLLend meeLlngs where men parLlclpaLed. LvenLually women were also
parL of Lhe meeLlngs and began Lo parLlclpaLe more acLlvely.
ln Lhe formulaLlon of ! "8u||d|ng the |oca| response capac|ty for the |nter-sectora|
|mp|ementat|on of the MD-C" ln 8ollvla, un Leams worked on a process approach Lo
lndlgenous women Lhrough acLlvlLles along wlLh Lhe maLrlx organlzaLlons of lndlgenous
women. 1he program was almed aL promoLlng Lhe acqulslLlon of beLLer knowledge,
aLLlLudes and pracLlces on food, nuLrlLlon, hyglene and healLh, helplng famllles Lo counL
wlLh effecLlve access and use of lmproved waLer and sanlLaLlon. under Lhe premlse of
sLrengLhenlng local response capaclLy Lo combaL malnuLrlLlon ln 22 munlclpallLles of hlgh
vulnerablllLy, Lralnlng acLlvlLles were deLermlned LogeLher wlLh women Lhrough prlor
conLacL wlLh Lhelr organlzaLlons, Lhereby promoLlng and sLrengLhenlng organlzaLlonal
exlsLlng sLrucLures and empowerlng lndlgenous women as a whole.
An lnLeresLlng program wlLh Lmbera communlLles ln Colombla cenLered on Lhe
ellmlnaLlon of Lhe pracLlce of female genlLal muLllaLlon. 1hanks Lo a process cenLered on
lndlgenous women's empowermenL, several women leaders could work wlLh Lhe
communlLles for Lhls pracLlce's ellmlnaLlon. Slnce Lhe ! formulaLlon, greaL emphasls was
made ln capaclLy bulldlng. AL Lhe same Llme, lnLeracLlon wlLh key sLakeholders wlLhln Lhe
communlLy was consLanL. 1hese sLakeholders were always presenL when vlslLlng
communlLles, when moblllzlng and communlcaLlng abouL Lhe program's acLlons. Women
were Lralned Lo lnLervlew and gaLher lnformaLlon ln Lhe communlLy. 1he Lralnlng
expanded Lhe parLlclpaLlon of women ln Lhe communlLy. Cne maxlmum local auLhorlLy
always accompanled Lhe process. 1he resulLs have been very poslLlve, and lnclude
achlevemenLs such as Lhe creaLlon of a women leaders Leam and an area for women and
famlly ln Lhe 8eglonal lndlgenous Councll.
1hls was achleved Lhrough a process of gradual and sLeady approach Lo Lhe local reallLy,
enhanclng communlcaLlon wlLh Lhe dlfferenL hlerarchlcal levels of Lhe communlLy.
CrganlzaLlon among governmenL lnsLlLuLlons and Lhe un prlor Lo program
lmplemenLaLlon, as well as resorLlng Lo secondary sources ln order Lo learn abouL
lnLernal organlzaLlon of Lhe communlLy were faclllLaLlng facLors Lo know Lhe besL
sLraLegles for approachlng Lhe communlLy.
Also ln Colombla, ! Strengthen|ng |oca| capac|t|es for peace-bu||d|ng |n the
Department of Nar|o" promoLed Lhe creaLlon of organlzaLlonal spaces of lndlgenous
29

women. lor example, a Cender School was fosLered, whlch provlded Lralnlngs on law
lndlgenous women. 1he school was a producL of lnLeracLlon and consulLaLlon wlLh
lndlgenous women, alongslde a process of consulLaLlon wlLh Lhe auLhorlLles. ! made an
open call Lo begln and promoLe lnLeracLlon, provldlng workshops and ldenLlfylng Lhose
spheres ln Lhe communlLy speclflc for women, as well as Lhe laws of orlgln of Lhe people.
1hls allowed showlng LhaL Lhe program proposal was noL faced wlLh Lhose laws. lL was
also essenLlal Lo ldenLlfy and negoLlaLe wlLh exlsLlng lnsLlLuLlons LhaL were already
worklng wlLh women as well as Lhe lncluslon and supporL by lndlgenous women leaders
wlLh experlence ln gender Lralnlng processes. As a resulL of Lhls serles of acLlvlLles, Lhere
was a meeLlng of lndlgenous women Lo speclflcally address Lhe lssue and Lo enhance Lhe
relaLlonshlp wlLh lndlgenous auLhorlLles from Lhe reglon. AfLer Lhls meeLlng, Lhe Alllance
of lndlgenous Women was creaLed. 1he Alllance was concelved as an advlsory space for
ueparLmenLal publlc pollcy, and ls now parL of Lhe 8ureau of Women ln narlno
ueparLmenL. A Llfe MandaLe of lndlgenous Women was also an ouLcome of Lhe meeLlng.
lL has speclflc llnes of acLlon Lo be prlorlLlzed regardlng men and women, as well as
regardlng governance and lnLernaLlonal cooperaLlon.
ln 8razll, raclal and gender lnequallLy was addressed Lo face clvll rlghLs lssues LhaL lnhlblL
Afro descendenL and lndlgenous women's developmenL poLenLlal
17
. 1he !olnL rogram
for Lhe romoLlon of Cender LquallLy, 8ace and LLhnlclLy supporLed Lhe parLlclpaLlon of
lndlgenous women ln Lhe 1hlrd naLlonal Conference on Women, whlch connecLs Lo Lhe
munlclpallLles wlLh parLlclpaLlon of organlzed clvll socleLy and represenLs ls a way of
arLlculaLlng demands aL Lhe sLaLe level and Lhen lnLernaLlonally. Among Lhe sLraLegles Lo
ralse awareness on eLhnlclLy and gender awareness, "case sLudles" on Lhe slLuaLlon of
lndlgenous women ln 8razll were developed, and remaln as resources Lo be provlded as
examples for Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of publlc pollcles.
! Strengthen|ng the |nst|tut|ona| env|ronment for the advancement of women |n
Guatema|a" cenLered on gender and vlolence, and lnvolved parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous
women. arLnerlng wlLh lndlgenous Women's Cmbudsman played a key role. ln 2008,
femlclde was classlfled as a crlme. 1he program lmplemenLed comprehenslve,
mulLlsecLoral and culLurally relevanL servlces, Lo prevenL and respond Lo vlolence agalnsL
women and lndlgenous adolescenLs. Pavlng worked wlLh communlLles Lo lmplemenL
culLurally approprlaLe servlces was key. Leadershlp workshops aL schools, deslgned for
chlldren, wlLh a parLlcular focus on glrls proved Lo be a valuable pracLlce.
llnally, vlslLs and exchange beLween communlLles and ! have been good pracLlces LhaL
promoLed leadershlp and sLrengLhened lndlgenous women's neLworks ln dlfferenL
counLrles. lor example, ln Lhe exchange wlLh women leaders ln anama, program

17
ldem
30

parLlclpanLs addressed gender, mulLlculLurallsm and lLC 169 ConvenLlon. An ouLcome
documenL wlLh each communlLy's perspecLlve on Lhe mosL effecLlve ways Lo carry ouL
consulLaLlon wlLh lndlgenous peoples was a resulL of such experlence. 1he round of
SouLh-SouLh meeLlngs conLlnued aL a meeLlng of leaders from araguay, anama and
nlcaragua, whlch allowed enhanclng Lhe lnLeracLlon and mulLlplylng poslLlve resulLs of
!s cenLered ln waLer and sanlLaLlon. Such processes empower women leaders as lL
enables soclallzaLlon of experlences and applylng besL pracLlces for gender equlLy
observed ln counLrles where Lhere ls more parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous women.

4.Cbstac|es and Cha||enges

1he analysls of MuC-l [olnL programs reveals many good pracLlces ln Lhe way Lowards a
lnLer-culLural programmaLlc model for and wlLh lndlgenous peoples. 1he sLudy also
revealed some challenges.
A recurrlng challenge ln several [olnL programs has been Lhe dlfference beLween Lhe
Llmlng expecLed by programs and lLs resulLs, and Lhe Llmlng or agendas of lndlgenous
communlLles. 1herefore, as sLaLed ln several lnLervlews, Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of an
lnLerculLural approach, conslderlng Lhe worldvlews and conLexL of each communlLy
remalns a challenge.
Cn Lhe oLher hand, Lhere have been hlghly successful sLraLegles Lo develop culLural
lndlcaLors. Powever, worklng wlLh lndlcaLors LhaL approach Lhe concepLs of
developmenL of lndlgenous peoples ln all programs LhaL affecL Lhem ls a key challenge
LhaL wlll enable beLLer measuremenL of programs' lmpacL on communlLles and Lo Lackle
lnequallLles. 1hls requlres lnvesLmenLs ln meLhodologlcal resources, along wlLh
educaLlon and Lralnlng processes LhaL can really enable effecLlve monlLorlng from Lhe
perspecLlve of lndlgenous peoples.
ln Lhls sense, Lhe llmlLed use of sLaLlsLlcal lnformaLlon and daLa dlsaggregaLlon by
eLhnlclLy and gender ls an obsLacle Lo Lhe deslgn, measuremenL and monlLorlng of
programs. 1he developmenL of lndlgenous peoples dlsaggregaLed daLa and gender ls sLlll
a challenge. LlLLle sLaLlsLlcal lnformaLlon generaLlon was deLecLed LhroughouL Lhe !s.
Powever, Lhere have been efforLs made ln Lhe developmenL ln basellne and ln sLudylng
gaps beLween lndlgenous and non-lndlgenous communlLles.
lL ls sLlll necessary Lo lncorporaLe pracLlces ln monlLorlng and evaluaLlon of programs ln
whlch Lhe lndlgenous peoples have declslon-maklng spaces and an acLlve role as rlghL
31

holders. 1he soclal audlL experlence ln CuaLemala, as a clLlzen monlLorlng servlce
represenLs an lnnovaLlve pracLlce ln Lhls regard.
1he sLudy showed LhaL a conslderable number of good pracLlces were moLlvaLed by
recommendaLlons of unlll. lL ls of uLmosL lmporLance Lo glve relevance Lo mechanlsms
and lnsLrumenLs LhaL guaranLee Lhe rlghLs of lndlgenous peoples, especlally ln counLrles
where Lhere has noL been a close monlLorlng of Lhe recommendaLlons Lo daLe, glven
LhaL lL ls a cenLral LhrusL Lo sLrengLhen and make lndlgenous parLlclpaLlon more vlslble ln
Lhese counLrles' developmenL.
1he analysls has presenLed successful Lralnlng experlences for lndlgenous peoples on
lnLernaLlonal lnsLrumenLs and on Lhe MuCs LhroughpuL Lhe programs. WhaL represenLs
an achlevemenL ln Lhose communlLles ls sLlll a challenge ln many oLhers. A human rlghLs
approach lmplles and demands Lralnlng for all communlLles abouL Lhelr rlghLs and
lnLernaLlonal goals. Such Lralnlng and capaclLy bulldlng ls essenLlal Lo empower
lndlgenous peoples, so LhaL Lhey wlll have Lhe Lools Lo deflne Lhelr prlorlLles and
overcome sLrucLural lnequallLles.


S. Conc|us|ons


1he sLudy and revlew of nearly 30 programs and over 200 good pracLlces provlde sLrong
evldenL LhaL Lhere ls hope and progress on dlfferenL fronLs Lo lmprove Lhe currenL
slLuaLlon of lndlgenous peoples. 1o overcome sLrucLural lnequlLles LhaL lndlgenous
peoples have long faced, a new way ln whlch Lhey are concelved as Lhe cenLral acLors Lo
solve Lhe problems LhaL affecL Lhem. 1hls requlres undersLandlng LhaL lndlgenous
peoples are rlghL-holders. 1hls documenL presenLs concrete ev|dence of good pract|ces
|mp|emented |n the countr|es.
1here are numerous mechanlsms LhaL ensure effecLlve parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous
peoples. 1hose mechanlsms deLecLed are repllcable and guaranLee respecL for
lnLernaLlonal lnsLrumenLs on Lhe rlghLs of lndlgenous peoples.
ln Lhe programs sLudled, Lhe degree of knowledge of lnLernaLlonal lnsLrumenLs and
mechanlsms concernlng lndlgenous peoples ls mlxed. Powever, Lhe lmpacL of Lhe
experlences arlslng from unlll recommendaLlons has been remarkable
Comblnlng mulLlple sLraLegles for parLlclpaLlon, such as consulLaLlon processes, Lhe
parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous communlLles and Lhelr organlzaLlons ln Lhe managemenL of
program resources, alongslde Lechnlcal Lralnlng resulLs ln sLronger and lasLlng lmpacL.
32

Such sLraLegles enhance Lhe capaclLles and have hlgher lmpacL resulLs ln Lhe long run,
allowlng consolldaLe a programmaLlc approach ln whlch lndlgenous and are responslble
for Lhelr own developmenL.
A remarkable aspecL MuC-l approach ls LhaL programs have been lmplemenLed [olnLly
by varlous unlLed naLlons agencles naLlonwlde, showlng LhaL coordlnaLlon and
Leamwork provlde beLLer resulLs. 1hls has posed a challenge ln some programs, and
collaboraLlve learnlng and sharlng of experLlse ln worklng wlLh lndlgenous peoples ln
oLhers.
ln programs LhaL affecL lndlgenous peoples dlrecLly and lndlrecLly, lmplemenLlng
consulLaLlons, full parLlclpaLlon, respecL for auLonomy, Lralnlng and Lralnlng of Lralners,
organlzaLlonal sLrengLhenlng, developmenL of acLlvlLles ln a culLurally relevanL
framework sLands ouL as Lhe only posslble sLarLlng polnL.
8esL pracLlces ln 20 counLrles from Afrlca, Asla and LaLln Amerlca have underLaken Lhe
[ourney. 1o repllcaLe and mulLlply Lhese sLeps, lL ls necessary Lo promoLe personal and
organlzaLlonal sLrengLhenlng, Lhrough Lralnlng processes, leadershlp bulldlng, Lralnlng ln
lnLernaLlonal law mechanlsms, exchange of experlences, encounLers and work wlLhln Lhe
communlLles.
SLrengLhen and support|ng mechan|sms that |nd|genous organ|zat|ons are a|ready
|mp|ement|ng represenL an lmporLanL added value. When programs are developed
Lhrough dlalogue and bullL on exlsLlng sLrucLures ln Lhe communlLy, Lhere ls a leveraglng
effecL LhaL allows for greaLer lmpacL and susLalnablllLy.
When d|a|ogue and a gradua| but steady approach wlLh communlLles occur from Lhe
formulaLlon of Lhe program, elLher Lhrough focus groups, workshops or lnLeracLlon wlLh
communlLles, Lhe resulLs of programs and approprlaLlon ln Lhe communlLles are much
more effecLlve. Whlle lL ls Lrue LhaL Lhe approach process can be slow and show few
Langlble resulLs aL flrsL, analysls and LesLlmonles of parLlclpanLs and program offlcers
make lL clear LhaL ln Lhe long Lerm, lL represenLs a key aspecL. Such an approach ensures
greaLer communlLy accepLance, resulLlng ln lncreased opporLunlLles for [o|nt
part|c|patory work. As menLloned, parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous peoples ls fundamenLal Lo
Lhe exerclse of Lhelr rlghLs
lL ls durlng Lhe lmplemenLaLlon sLage where a greaLer varleLy of approaches for
communlLy parLlclpaLlon can be found. uependlng on Lhe purpose and feaLures of each
program, lnnovaLlon ls more feaslble ln Lerms of opporLunlLles for lnvolvemenL, from Lhe
parLlclpaLlon ln tra|n|ng, Lo Lhe developmenL of ecologlcal sLoves wlLh local raw
maLerlals, Lo part|c|pat|on work|ng ln Lhe consLrucLlon of waLer and sanlLaLlon sysLems.
Comblnlng Lechnlcal experLlse wlLh Lhe knowledge and LradlLlons of +#($ @'@'& ls anoLher
33

example of an lnLerculLural approach and respecL for Lhe rlghLs and cusLoms of
lndlgenous peoples. Moreover, Lhe resulLs Lhus obLalned are susLalnable over Llme. 1he
part|c|pat|on of commun|t|es |n the management of resources ls a pracLlce of greaL
relevance for lndlgenous peoples. Whlle sLlll noL a recurrlng pracLlce, Lhe poslLlve effecLs
lL has had on aL leasL Lhree MuC-l programs are examples Lo follow and repllcaLe. 1he
lmporLance lles especlally ln Lhe sLrong lmpacL for Lhe pracLlcal recognlLlon of
|nd|genous peop|es as r|ght ho|ders and noL mere beneflclarles. Moreover, Lhls besL
pracLlce of sLrengLhens organlzaLlons ln Lechnlcal capablllLles for lmplemenLaLlon and
accounLablllLy of fuLure programs.
As above-menLloned, ln many successful cases, good pracLlces derlved from efforLs Lo
respond Lo Lhe recommendat|ons of the Un|ted Nat|ons ermanent Iorum on
Ind|genous Issues. Strengthen tra|n|ng for |nd|genous organ|zat|ons and unlLed naLlons
agencles on |nternat|ona| |nstruments and mechan|sms and promot|ng greater
understand|ng and d|a|ogue w|th the act|v|t|es of the UNIII ls a cenLral challenge Lo
achleve greaLer arLlculaLlon and lmpacL of lnLernaLlonal bodles wlLh communlLles and
local reallLles. ln Lhe same veln, lL ls also valuable Lo LranslaLe Lhe varlous lnLernaLlonal
lnsLrumenLs Lo lndlgenous languages and have Lhe support and fo||ow up w|th the |oca|
author|t|es ln Lhe developmenL of Lhe planned acLlvlLles.
Cood pracLlces for Lhe empowermenL of lndlgenous women were presenL ln varlous
LhemaLlc wlndows, showlng a Lrend of gender ma|nstream|ng ln Lhe MuC-l programs
sLudled. 1ralnlngs and women's meet|ngs are lnsLances of empowermenL of uLmosL
lmporLance, slnce Lhey enable arLlculaLlon aL Lhe naLlonal level. 1he formaLlon of women
|eadersh|p schools and Lralnlng on gender are pracLlces LhaL bulld capaclLles and
lmprove women's self esLeem. 1hey also faclllLaLe Lhe exchange of experlences and
demands, as well as Lhe deflnlLlon of [olnL agendas among women of dlfferenL reglons.
D|a|ogue and tra|n|ng for |nd|genous women's organ|zat|ons aL local and naLlonal level
meeLs a concreLe and conLlnuous demand of lndlgenous women. Lxchange of
exper|ences and systemat|zat|on of good pract|ces from a gender perspecLlve beLween
leaders from dlfferenL communlLles ln dlfferenL counLrles ls an lnLeresLlng resource Lo
sLrengLhen coordlnaLlon and bulld common agendas lnLernaLlonally.
lL has been observed LhaL Lhe sLage of monlLorlng programs ls where less varleLy and
fewer besL pracLlces were found.
As Lhe revlewed programs and pracLlces show, e|aborat|on of cu|tura||y sens|t|ve
deve|opment |nd|cators for soclal programs ls an exLremely effecLlve way Lo make Lhe
slLuaLlon of lndlgenous peoples vlslble, and Lo measure Lhe lmpacL accordlng Lo Lhe
lndlgenous perspecLlve. Moreover, such pracLlces have demonsLraLed Lo encourage
greaLer communlLy ownershlp of programs. lurLhermore, Lhrough Lhe use of culLurally
34

relevanL lndlcaLors, lL was posslble Lo promoLe a beLLer undersLandlng of lnLernaLlonal
developmenL goals and lnsLall Lhem on Lhelr own naLlonal lndlgenous agendas.
1he appropr|at|on and appreclaLlon by Lhe communlLy of Lhe resulLs of Lhe program are
a key e|ement to ensure the|r act|ve part|c|pat|on |n fo||ow up and mon|tor|ng.
lmplemenLlng besL pracLlces ln each program sLep resulLs ln opporLunlLles for Lhe
appllcaLlon of new besL pracLlces ln furLher sLages. ln Lhls sense, Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of
besL pracLlces from Lhe formulaLlon of Lhe program Lends Lo ensure noL only beLLer
resulLs buL also Lhe presence of poslLlve sLraLegles for lndlgenous lnLegrally along Lhe
enLlre program and even afLer lLs compleLe lmplemenLaLlon. Moreover, Lhe analysls,
especlally Lhe LesLlmonles of Lhose lnvolved ln Lhe execuLlon of each !, shows LhaL
when |nd|genous commun|t|es are ab|e to part|c|pate act|ve|y from the beg|nn|ng,
there |s greater potent|a| for the program to |nvo|ve best pract|ces and |nnovat|ve
|ntercu|tura| strateg|es.
1hls happens only when lndlgenous peoples are consldered cenLral acLors, rlghLs holders
and leadlng agenLs ln Lhelr own developmenL paLh. lL ls lmporLanL Lo coordlnaLe efforLs
Lo overcome soclal excluslon LhaL lndlgenous peoples have confronLed for cenLurles.
1here are now several lnLernaLlonal lnsLrumenLs LhaL pose a framework Lo achleve Lhls.
1he parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous peoples as mere operaLors, wlLhouL a real posslblllLy Lo
make declslons ln programs LhaL affecL Lhem does noL produce any change. ln Lhls sense,
poslLlve experlences analyzed from Lhe perspecLlve of lndlgenous peoples, demonsLraLe
noL only Lhe need, buL especlally Lhe unlque opporLunlLy Lo overcome Lhe lnequlLles LhaL
can Lake shape Lhrough an lnLerculLural perspecLlve, whlch concelves and lncludes
lndlgenous peoples and Lhelr organlzaLlons as rlghLs holders and sLakeholders ln deflnlng
Lhe agenda and CS1 2013 developmenL goals.


6. I|na| cons|derat|ons

1he analysls and resulLs of Lhls sLudy ln pollLlcal and operaLlonal Lerms, allow us Lo
hlghllghL some reflecLlons LhaL can be Laken lnLo accounL ln Lhe deslgn of new pro[ecLs
and new sLraLegles lncludlng lndlgenous peoples.
Lach reflecLlon and broader concepL ls evldenced by good pracLlces and mosL relevanL
cases deLecLed ln [olnL programs and descrlbed ln SecLlon 3 of Lhls reporL, accordlng Lo
Lhe phase of Lhe program cycle.

33

1. rogram susLalnablllLy

1he susLalnablllLy of programs ls llnked Lo whaL ls commonly known as co-flnanclng ln
value or self-flnanclng. llMl raLher use Lhe Lerms "reclprocal exchange of resources,"
whlch lncludes resources of lndlgenous organlzaLlons, such as maLerlals, ancesLral,
splrlLual knowledge, Llme and spaces. lndlgenous peoples, especlally lndlgenous women,
provlde many resources Lo programs LhaL musL be recognlzed as a greaL added value.
1hese conLrlbuLlons are not often quant|f|ed, Lhough Lhelr value ls cenLral Lo Lhe success
of Lhe program. WlLhouL such maLerlal, human, Llme, knowledge and even splrlLual
resources, a|| f|nanc|a| resources |nvested from outs|de cou|d not be effect|ve|y used.
ln Lhls regard, susLalnablllLy of programs ls compleLely llnked Lo Lhe lncluslon of
|nd|genous peop|es |n the techn|ca| teams. ln several programs Lhe dlfflculLy of
lncludlng lndlgenous was hlghllghLed, especlally due Lhe requlremenLs esLabllshed by
un. 1o begln Lo puL a reclprocal exchange lnLo pracLlce, Lhe flrsL and essenLlal sLep ls Lo
achleve Lhe mosL essenLlal and baslc: Lhe lncluslon of lndlgenous people ln Lhe Lechnlcal
Leams.
18

3 PollsLlc approach

A hollsLlc approach ln programs LhaL lnclude lndlgenous peoples lnvolves a number of
componenLs Lo bear ln mlnd LogeLher LhaL need Lo be consldered ln Lhe
concepLuallzaLlon of a program, as well as ln each of lLs sLages. 1he componenLs lnclude
a LerrlLorlal and collecLlve approach, Lhe lnLerculLural approach, an lnLergeneraLlonal
approach, and gender perspecLlve. lor acLual lmplemenLaLlon, lL ls cenLral Lo conslder
how Lo operaLlonallze a hollsLlc approach ln all phases of a program.
A terr|tor|a| and co||ect|ve approach lncludes Lhe envlronmenL or MoLher LarLh, whlch ls
based on Lhe noLlon of ?#($ 8'@'&. ConsulLaLlons have Lo be carrled ouL collecLlvely, wlLh
mechanlsms of collecLlve declslon maklng and lncludlng Lhe llnk wlLh MoLher naLure as
parL of Lhe soclal relaLlons Lo be consldered
19
.
An |ntercu|tura| approach confronLs lnequallLles and power relaLlons, and ls accounLable
of Lhe conLexL of dlscrlmlnaLlon and sLrucLural lnequallLy LhaL lndlgenous peoples face.
1hls ls Lhe approach lnvolvlng greaLesL challenges Lo be puL lnLo pracLlce, glven Lhe

18
Lxamples of efforLs ln Lhls llne are Lhe lndlgenous promoLers who served as trans|ators ln programs such as ln
Guatema|a and Lhe food securlLy program ln 8razll, Lhrough Lhe consLrucLlon of eco|og|ca| stoves wlLh organlc
maLerlals from Lhe area and Lhe communlLy and Lhe work ln 8ollvla along wlLh Lhe maLrlx organlzaLlons as a flrsL
dlalogue sLep and Lhen geL Lo work wlLh all women.
19
lor example, dlalogue wlLh lndlgenous auLhorlLles ln N|caragua creaLed an opporLunlLy for parLlclpaLlon ln Lerms of
coordlnaLlon and dlalogue beLween naLlonal and reglonal auLhorlLles, agencles and communlLles.
36

sLrucLural condlLlons. arLlclpaLlon of communlLles ln Lhe managemenL of resources,
lncludlng Lechnlcal asslsLance, ls a greaL example of lnlLlaLlves LhaL are commlLLed Lo Lhls
approach and Lhereby provlde greaLer susLalnablllLy for each program, lnsLalllng
capaclLles ln Lhe communlLy. 1he empowermenL of communlLles and Lhelr acLlve
parLlclpaLlon ln resource managemenL ln programs LhaL affecL Lhem ls an excellenL
pracLlce. Powever, few programs sLlll LhaL enable managemenL of resources. LducaLlon
and Lralnlng processes LhaL empower communlLles are more frequenL.
20

8egardlng Lhe |ntergenerat|ona| approach, lL ls necessary LhaL programs affecLlng
lndlgenous communlLles conslder Lhe dlfferenL generaLlons and lLs reallLles. More
speclflcally, Lhere ls Lhe need for greaLer aLLenLlon Lo chlldren and youLh, and Lhe
lncluslon of Lhe elderly.
21

As parL of a hollsLlc approach, and wlLhln an lnLerculLural perspecLlve, gender
malnsLreamlng ls cruclal, when undersLood and addressed from Lhe perspecLlve of
lndlgenous women Lhemselves and noL from a wesLern, urban approach.
1he analyzed !s have lncluded such a perspecLlve ln Lhree dlfferenL ways. ln a more
expllclL manner were Lhe programs LargeLed for lndlgenous women
22
. 1he second way
has been Lhrough pro[ecLs almed aL lndlgenous peoples ln general LhaL lnclude a speclflc
componenL for lndlgenous women
23
. llnally, a Lhlrd way Lo lnclude a gender perspecLlve
has been ln gender programs for women ln general. 1he maln dlfflculLy ls Lhe very facL
LhaL such programs ofLen do noL focus on Lhe lndlgenous componenL. Powever, good
pracLlces can be found.
24


3.Covernance

Ind|genous peop|es' own mechan|sms provlde a beLLer effecLlveness Lo programs. 1he
same ls Lrue when lndlgenous peoples anc|ent and prev|ous know|edge of lndlgenous
peoples, and when Lhey are consldered Lhe basls of capaclLy bulldlng sLraLegles.

20
ln Nam|b|a, Lhe local Lour gulde Lralnlng ln Lhe program focuslng on culLure and developmenL exempllfles Lhe
posslblllLy of lnLerculLural learnlng LhaL leads Lo Lhe empowermenL of lndlgenous peoples.
&(
ln Guatema|a, Lhe Covernance rogram lncluded sLrengLhenlng leadershlp workshops for glrls ln schools for
chlldren and wlLh a parLlcular focus on glrls. lL draws aLLenLlon Lo Lhe lmporLance of sLarLlng work wlLh glrls small Lo
bulld Lhelr self-esLeem.
&&
As ln Lhe case of Co|omb|a, where a Comprehenslve SLraLegy for Lhe revenLlon and LradlcaLlon of All lorms of
vlolence AgalnsL Women Look place.
23 lor example, ln Lhe waLer and sanlLaLlon program ln anama, as a sLraLegy of empowermenL, meeLlngs were
organlzed beLween leaders from dlfferenL counLrles. Also ln Co|omb|a Lralnlng lnsLances for women leaders were
lmplemenLed. ln Cambod|a, and also ln Lhe case of Costa k|ca, Mex|co and L| Sa|vador concreLe sLeps were Laken for
Lo LhaL lndlgenous women are represenLed ln Lhe leadershlp spheres.
24
1he lnLer-Agency rogram for Lhe romoLlon of Cender LquallLy, 8ace and LLhnlclLy ln 8raz|l managed Lo focus on
Lhe speclflclLles of Lhese Lhree componenLs.
37

1rad|t|ona| auLhorlLles and splrlLual leaders have huge lnfluence on Lhe declslons LhaL
communlLles make. Almlng aL dlalogue wlLh communlLles wlLhouL Laklng Lhls lnLo
accounL ensures fallure ln Lhe parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous peoples and programs'
susLalnablllLy. 1he same ls Lrue wlLh respecL Lo Lhe lnvolvemenL, consulLaLlon and
worklng wlLh reglonal organlzaLlons.
23


4.llexlble frameworks

llnally, an lmporLanL aspecL for all programs ls Lo have Lhe f|ex|b|||ty Lo lnclude Lhe
constant movement of |nd|genous peop|es, the dynam|sm of the|r cu|tures, the
d|fferences |n the percept|on and t|me management.
rograms affecLlng lndlgenous peoples and gulded by rlgld models polnL Lo Lhe fa||ure.
SufflclenL flexlblllLy ls needed aL each program sLage Lo conslder lssues such as Lhe
relaLlons beLween peoples and lnfluences beLween Lhem and lnLerculLural confllcLs.
SenslLlvlLy Lowards several aspecLs such as Lhe problems of |nterna| m|grat|ons from the
h|gh|ands to the |ow|ands, Lhe dlfflculLles of transportat|on and commun|cat|on,
lnLerneL access, dlsLances, Lhe dynam|sm of cu|tures, and lndlgenous peoples
Lhemselves who quesLlon cerLaln pracLlces and bellefs, have noL been revlewed ln Lhe
!s
26
.

4.lndlgenous peoples: rlghL holders

lL ls essenLlal Lo concelve of lndlgenous peoples as rlghLs holders, who posses wlsdom,
ancesLral knowledge, dlverse reallLles, parLlcular experlences and an anclenL hlsLory.
Worklng LogeLher greaLer lmpacL on Lhe presenL and Lhe fuLure of communlLles can be
achleved.
1he documenLaLlon provlded provldes solld base Lo show LhaL lncluslon and effecLlve
parLlclpaLlon of lndlgenous peoples ls posslble and also ls IUNDAMLN1AL to the success
and susta|nab|||ty of a program or pro[ecL. 1wo years remaln Lo Lhe deadllne for
achlevlng Lhe MuCs and lL ls Llme Lo Lhlnk abouL Lhe SuCs.

23
WlLhln a very parLlcular counLry conLexL of large polarlzaLlon ln 8ollvla, Lhe peace-bulldlng ! ln 8o||v|a un agencles
concluded a conLracL wlLh Lhe flve mosL represenLaLlve lndlgenous organlzaLlons of Lhe counLry Lo carry ouL
consulLaLlon, creaLlng a mechanlsm for dlalogue and consulLaLlon. 8ecognlLlon of lndlgenous auLhorlLles and respecL
Lo LradlLlonal pracLlces was also lmplemenLed under Lhe food securlLy program ln Guatema|a.
26
ln Lhe case of Lhe ! ln governance from araguay, undersLandlng Lhe reallLy of Lhe communlLy led Lo a flexlblllLy
and adapLaLlon of Lhe program Lo Lhe needs of Lhe communlLy: durlng a Lralnlng on lndlgenous waLer sysLems
parLlclpanLs expressed famlly problems LhaL Lhey were experlenclng due Lo drug and alcohol consumpLlon by Lhelr
chlldren. 1hls allowed resoluLlon of problems LhaL were noL foreseen and affecLed Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe program.
38

WlLh Lhls work llMl lnvlLes organlzaLlons of lndlgenous peoples, Lhe lnLernaLlonal sysLem
and SLaLes Lo conducL a Lhorough revlew of Lhe sLrucLural problems we face and Lo Lake
acLlons LhaL lead Lo sLrucLural shlfLs change almlng aL equlLy and equallLy.