Plan for the protection and legal security of the indigenous territories of the Colombian Amazon

Project Overview

In Colombia there are different policies and laws that deal with the legal security of indigenous territories. However, in practice, these regulations are not effectively enforced. This has caused indigenous and local communities’ territories to face continuous threats due to overlapping, invasions and unrecognition of their legal character. This is especially true for Indigenous Peoples in the Colombian Amazon, who at this moment do not have full recognition of their right to own, use and manage their ancestral territories. 

For instance, Colombia issued Decree 632, which seeks to recognise indigenous territories and operationalise Indigenous Councils in the Amazonas departments of Guainía and Vaupés. Despite this progressive initiative, the decree has not been satisfactorily implemented, leaving Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon highly vulnerable.  

In response, the project seeks to develop a comprehensive framework of actions that guarantee legal security and the consolidation of the political and administrative autonomy of the indigenous territories of the Colombian Amazon. This framework will promote the protection of Indigenous Peoples’ ancestral territories, the protection of indigenous territorial rights and the sustainable preservation of indigenous territories following an intergenerational and gender equity approach. 

Upon its completion, 400,000 hectares of indigenous territories in the Colombian Amazon will have greater tenure security.