Advancing the
tenure story

Old and new, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, are coming together for a new generation of leadership   

Ana Kahyana made history in 2024 when she became the first woman president of AIKATUK – the association for Kaxuyana Indigenous Peoples. At 35 years old, her election represents not just a personal triumph, but a victory for all women in her community in western Pará, Brazil, who have long worked behind the scenes. With a degree in Biological Sciences, Ana represents a new generation who are blending traditional wisdom with technology and digital innovation.   

“With access to technology and the internet, we can connect and learn from many things that were once out of reach. We can maintain our identity and live in both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous worlds,” she says. “This is how we can do meaningful work, continuing the efforts of older generations, while keeping our culture and identity alive.”  

Ana’s leadership has included spearheading the use of the Mapeo app for territorial mapping, monitoring, and protection. During a severe drought in 2024, Ana mobilised young communicators to document the crisis, coordinated community resource-sharing efforts, and persistently advocated for government support.  

Ana sees Indigenous lands as crucial for humanity’s survival. “We are the only hope for this Earth to stay alive,” she asserts. “Without Indigenous peoples protecting the forests and rivers, we won’t be able to survive much longer on this land.” She hopes this message will be heard loud and clear: that Indigenous lands must be protected and demarcated, not just for Indigenous Peoples, but for the survival of our planet.  

Based in Guyana, the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) tailors its work to meet communities’ needs, whether that is offering training in entrepreneurial skills or sharing information on land tenure rights. In 2024, communities across North Pakaraimas and Upper Mazaruni expressed their desire to move towards more inclusive governance — and they wanted APA’s support to make it happen.

APA focused their action plan on three intersecting strands: public speaking training, sharing information about communities’ national and international rights, and an overview of different leadership structures.

Elections for village Toshaos (leaders) began in May 2024, shortly after APA’s leadership workshops had taken place and the training contributed to a notable uptick in women and youth leaders across regions. In Upper Mazaruni, the percentage of village led by woman Toshaos rose fourfold from 12.5 percent to 50 percent, while in North Pakaraimas the number of woman-led villages jumped from one to five (out of 16). Youth representation among village counsellors and among male Toshaos also rose in both districts.

The communities are already seeing the impact of having fresh voices in their leadership. Youth leaders are using social media to bring awareness to their villages’ specific challenges and priorities, and the newly elected leaders have asked APA to offer training in capacity building skills, such as financial management, so they can maximise their impact.

“Gracias hermanas!” / “Thank you, sisters!”

A three-day learning exchange on women and territorial governance in December 2024 brought together around 50 Indigenous leaders from across Latin America to the outskirts of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. In an atmosphere charged with a sense of joint struggles, sisterhood, and empathy, participants explored how women pass down ancestral wisdom, ensuring the preservation of their territories and cultures, with a clear vision of the needs of their families, communities, and lands.

The discussion sparked hope and created opportunities for collaboration, both locally and internationally: participants specifically expressed a shared commitment to aligning strategies for the upcoming climate COP30, aiming to have a joint position on the agenda that reflects the needs of their territories.

The learning exchange was co-hosted by Tenure Facility and partners including the National Confederation of Indigenous Women of Bolivia (CNAMIB), Tinta – The Invisible Thread, and the International Forum of Indigenous Women.

At COP16 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Cali, Colombia in 2024, our Latin American partners spotlighted the vital role of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and local communities in biodiversity conservation. 

Ahead of the conference, Amazon Indigenous organisations gathered at an event hosted by OPIAC and funded by Tenure Facility to align on advocacy priorities. Their efforts helped secure major wins: 

• A permanent representative body for Indigenous Peoples and local communities was established — a first in any UN environmental agreement. 

• The Program of Work under Article 8(j) was adopted, embedding Indigenous rights, knowledge, and leadership in the global biodiversity framework. 

An Afro-descendant pre-COP led by our partner the Black Communities Process (PCN) in collaboration with Colombia’s Vice-Minister was similarly crucial in securing the recognition of Afro-descendant Peoples under the Biodiversity Convention. 

With Colombia holding the COP16 Presidency, our partners also collaborated with the national government to advance rights-based conservation at national level. They helped shape Colombia’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which recognises Indigenous, Afro-descendant, and local territories as critical to achieving Target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework, commits to funding sustainable territorial management and translates the framework into national policy.