Strengthening the territorial security and organizational capacity of the Indigenous Peoples of Panama
Completed
From:
01/08/2018
To:
31/07/2020
Partners:
National Coordinating Body of Indigenous Peoples in Panama (COONAPIP)
Fiscal sponsor: Program for Social Promotion and Development (PRODESO)
Associates:
Government of Panama: National Land Administration Authority (ANATI)
Ministry of Environment
National Commission for Political and Administrative Limits
National Geographic Institute “Tommy Guardia”
Vice Ministry of Indigenous Affairs
Office of the People’s Ombudsman
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Stakeholders:
Indigenous Peoples, communities, and their traditional authorities
COONAPIP
Government agencies responsible for land titling and environmental management
The initiative will build the capacity of COONAPIP and its member congresses and councils to secure, protect, and govern indigenous territories. In addition to preparing applications for title, the initiative will address claims blocked by the Ministry of Environment because they overlap with protected areas. In Panama, 80% of indigenous lands without title overlap with protected areas. The initiative will also build the capacity of indigenous women leaders. It scales up the successes of the Tenure Facility pilot project in Panama which advanced titling of 223,500 hectares in four territories and resolved 18 tenure conflicts affecting communities, and applies lessons learned from that experience.
To read a brief overview of Panama, click here.
For a timeline of land and forest rights in Panama, click here.
"Securing collective title to almost 200,000 hectares of land and forest"
Project Overview
Goal
To advance tenure security over the indigenous lands and forests that encompass more than 30% of Panama
Objectives
- Advance the tenure security of the Indigenous Peoples of Panama
- Strengthen the capacity of indigenous organizations to govern their territories
- Strengthen COONAPIP’s administrative, communication, and financial management capacity
Actions
- Design and implement community-level training programs to build the capacities of indigenous authorities, women leaders, and youth
- Prepare and finalize collective title applications, and demarcate indigenous territories
- Detect and stop illegal occupation, logging, and resource extraction, and resolve conflicts with non-indigenous settlers
- Conduct occupation studies
- Develop sustainable use plans
- Strengthen COONAPIP’s communication with members, government, and the public
"The government was surprised because we, the seven indigenous groups, went together to the authorities to demand that dossiers be expedited at ANATI and MIAMBIENTE.
"
- Manuel Martinez, Project coordinator
Expected results
- Strengthened government recognition and support for the legal and administrative procedures that secure and safeguard the integrity of collective indigenous territories
- Strengthened capacity of Indigenous Peoples to claim, process, and protect their collective territorial rights
- Strengthened COONAPIP’s ability to transparently and responsibly manage relations with the seven Indigenous Peoples of Panama, manage projects, evaluate results, report on progress
- Strengthened COONAPIP’s ability to manage projects, capture and apply lessons learned, evaluate results and impacts, report to indigenous congresses and councils, and communicate
- Enhanced coordination between government and indigenous congresses and councils
- Enhanced public support for indigenous rights
Expected impact
- Indigenous Peoples in Panama have the skills, abilities, and confidence required to attain collective title; protect and govern their lands, forests, and water; improve their livelihoods; contribute to global climate change and development goals
- Indigenous land claims are clarified and awarded
- Cases of illegal occupation of indigenous lands, conflicts among neighbouring indigenous groups, and illegal logging are reduced
- COONAPIP’s leadership, administrative, communication, and project management capacities are developed
Marcelo Guerra
COONAPIP president
marceloguerra75@hotmail.com
Manuel Martinez
Project Coordinator
manuelmartinezv@gmail.com
Links
coonapippanama.org
