-Women from local communities and indigenous territories are transmitters of the ancestral wisdom which preserves the last tropical forests of the region.
-The real recognition of territorial rights must be a priority to conserve the lungs of the earth.
Defending the territories, reforesting, rescuing native seeds, planting with ancestral agro-ecological techniques, singing spiritually, mixing herbs to heal: The territorial women of Mesoamerica are leading processes to rescue the good ancestral practices that are part of the solutions to climate change.
The Coordinator of Territorial Women Leaders of Mesoamerica convened the First Summit of Native Mesoamerican Women to facilitate dialogue, reflect, and create resilience strategies from the joint climate advocacy agenda. The main result of this summit will be the construction of the first Regional Gender and Climate Change Plan, prepared by indigenous women and local communities in the world.
The summit will take place from May 8th to the 11th on Ometepe Island, Nicaragua, and will include the representation of women territorial leaders from the Guna, Emberá, Bribri, Cabécar, Miskitu, and Mayangna peoples, as well as organized local communities: FEPROAH in Honduras, ACOFOP and ANOFG in Guatemala and Red MOCAF in Mexico.
Socio-environmental context
Indigenous peoples and local communities, who inhabit and care for the last forests on the planet, receive less than 1% of the so-called Green Funds and continue to be excluded from “high-level” spaces where environmental decisions that directly affect the territories are made.
The future of humanity depends on the inhabited forests, as they are the last sources of water and pure oxygen. The global climate crisis, which can end life on earth, is the result of centuries of invasions and destruction of territories by large industries, who – without free, prior, and informed consent – have polluted waters, destroyed ecosystems, and native people. That is why today, protecting and regenerating forests is a global emergency, a task in which everyone must be a part of.
