The Fund for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean (, FILAC) is an intergovernmental organisation that supports the rights of indigenous peoples, communities, and organisations in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The headquarters of the organisation is located in La Paz, Bolivia. The Technical Secretary, who is the head of the organisation, is Gabriel Muyuy Jacanamejoy of Colombia.
History
FILAC was established by an intergovernmental agreement signed on 24 July 1992 in Madrid, on the margins of the II Ibero-American Summit, following a proposal contained in the Declaration of Guadalajara adopted at the first summit in 1991.
The agreement entered into force on 10 February 1994 upon deposit at the headquarters of the United Nations, and its signatory states were Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal and Spain.
In 2006, at the XVI Ibero-American Summit in Montevideo, the heads of state and government of the member states decided to transform the fund into an international organisation specialised in the promotion of development of indigenous peoples.
In December 2017, the United Nations General Assembly granted FILAC observer status in the General Assembly through resolution 72/128.
Activities
FILAC provides technical assistance, facilitation of dialogues, and capacity-building for indigenous peoples, governments and organisations in the region. Since 2018, it also monitors the implementation of the Ibero-American Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
In February 2022, FILAC, the Ibero-American General Secretariat and the Organization of Ibero-American States launched the Ibero-American Institute of Indigenous Languages, an intergovernmental initiative on the preservation of indigenous languages spoken in the Ibero-American region.
FILAC has also published joint studies with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean on the situation of the indigenous peoples of the region. In 2023, it signed a collaborative agreement with the UNICEF Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean on the rights of indigenous children and youth.
Governance
FILAC is governed by the General Assembly and the Board of Directors. Under parity arrangements, meetings of the governing bodies allow the equal participation of government and indigenous peoples representatives.
The Board of Directors elected at the XV General Assembly in La Paz in 2021 was made up of representatives of twelve countries. Freddy Mamani Machaca of Bolivia was elected as President, Myrna Cunningham Kain of Nicaragua as First Vice President and Juan Pita of Spain as Second Vice President.
References