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By Paulino Montejo Silvestre

Download full notebook in Spanish below. [*note]

Indigenous peoples that choose to be a part of this network actively participate in government activities, ensuring that the indigenous voice is heard when public policies that affect the Amazon are being created. The movement pressures and lobbies for the inclusion of specific participants on government commissions and builds strong bonds between the participants and the government, as well as participants and their indigenous communities. The COIAB has helped develop indigenous-friendly policies in the areas of indigenous health, education and the environment, among others.

The Brazilian Amazon, with 9 states, covers approximately 60% of the national territory of Brazil, and the indigenous population of this area comprises about 60% of the total indigenous population of Brazil.

COIAB was formed in 1989 as an indigenous organization, dedicated to the defense of territorial rights, rights to health and education, and the protection of the identity and culture, the evironment, the biodiversity and the traditional practices of the indigenous people of the Brazilian Amazon.

COIAB has divided the region into 31 areas based on geographic and sociocultural criteria. COIAB’s political action includes 165 villages and more than 75 indigenous organizations. Its thematic areas include protection of indigenous lands, economic sustainability, and cooperation and alliances between indigenous organizations. COIAB was founded on the philosophy that the indigenous populations are in a position to speak for themselves, because it is they who know their reality and their needs. COIAB currently participates in more than 18 commisssions at the federal level, 10 in the state of Amazonas, and 9 in the network of NGOs involved in the indigenous movement.

COIAB monitors the government agenda through the office of representation in Brasilia and through allies in government positions. It presents proposals to the government through public hearings, seminars, training workshops, and meetings with government officials. To ensure that the lobbying activity stays true to the needs and lives of indigenous people, COIAB regularly consults with the indigenous organizaitons that make up its political base.

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