Sovereignty for Colombia’s Indigenous people

Like much of Latin America, Colombia confronts severe challenges, yet in recent years it has somehow managed to carve out pathways to a more inclusive society. Its landmark 2016 peace accord, for example, ended a half-century of civil war with a rebel group. Now the country is in the vanguard again: Last week, it gave Indigenous groups the right to autonomous administration, granting them governing powers akin to those of a municipal authority. 

“This puts Colombia in the lead when it comes to recognizing Indigenous rights – not just to land, but to identity, autonomy, and decision-making over their own development,” said activist Mayu Velasco Anderson, as reported by The Associated Press.

Around the world, Indigenous groups manage millions of acres in about 40 countries. Often, title to land is not formalized. And for all other issues – health, education, sanitation – they often rely on government help, which undermines autonomy.

For Colombia, the journey to expanded Indigenous authority began under former President Juan Manuel Santos, who won the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. He called for “environmental integrity,” a view growing from his contacts with Indigenous leaders. They encouraged him to make peace with rebel groups – and “make peace with nature,” he recalled at a 2022 University of Notre Dame talk. 

Peacemaking, Mr. Santos said, isn’t easy. Peace-building is even harder; “it’s reconciliation, it’s healing the wounds, it’s repairing the victims.”

One could say Colombia is engaged in environmental peace-building, reconciling economic imperatives with a considered use of natural resources. Last October, the government of current President Gustavo Petro – himself a former rebel – recognized Indigenous peoples’ “environmental” authority over ecosystems, including land, forests, and rivers. Now they have budgetary administrative powers in all other aspects of local government.

This autonomy bodes well for Colombia’s Amazon rainforest territories. “Research consistently shows that Indigenous-managed lands have better climate outcomes than lands managed by other entities,” the Stanford Social Innovation Review noted. Indigenous-led approaches, it says, are not only “just ... they’re highly effective.”