The delegates welcomed the structural proposals announced by the future Government of Gustavo Petro and ratified that they will join them with initiatives that will allow the materialization of their rights and the transformation of the country
Bogota, August 1 (RHC)-- The Summit of Indigenous Peoples, which since last Wednesday was held in the town of Silvia, Cauca department (southwest), concluded on Saturday with a unanimous call for Colombia to walk towards peace and leave behind the war to become a power of life, as expressed by President-elect Gustavo Petro.
In their final declaration, the delegates to the meeting demanded that "the humanitarian, economic, social and environmental emergency of the indigenous peoples" be immediately decreed.
The representatives of Colombia's indigenous peoples argued that they have historically faced "discrimination, social, physical and cultural extermination", and that such a measure would help to avoid the repetition of this marginalization and the murder of new comrades.
In their message, the nearly 30,000 participants ratified that they are "original peoples, prior to the conformation of nation states, with their own governments, backed by indigenous guards and other forms of spiritual and cultural protection of the territory."
On this basis, they pointed out that they will participate in the stage of changes that will begin on August 7 in a dialogue of equals, from Government to Government, with structural proposals that will allow the materialization of their rights and the transformation of the country.
Regarding the National Development Plan, they expressed that "it must be built based on the principles of indigenous specialty, territoriality, demography, unity and good living", and proposed that it incorporate "an indigenous chapter with the guarantee of budgetary allocations that allow its implementation."
They stressed that the government program of the Historic Pact "is built with affirmative measures for the equal participation of indigenous women in all spaces and processes", as well as "young people, the elderly, children and people with diverse capacities."
They made it known that they will continue to claim their fundamental rights "to consultation and free, prior and informed consent", and urged that future administrative and legislative measures guarantee the participation of indigenous peoples in all processes.
