The Future of Colombia’s Afro-Colombian and Indigenous Communities: Preservation or Displacement and Extinction?

The Washington Office on Latin America and Global Rights Partners for Justice cordially invite you to a special evening discussion on:

The Future of Colombia’s Afro-Colombian and Indigenous Communities: Preservation or Displacement and Extinction?

featuring

Jacobo Orejuela, AFRODES Quibdó, Chocó
Luzmilla Gutierrez, AFRODES Buenaventura, Valle de Cauca
Jose Santos Caicedo, Black Communities Process (PCN), Bogotá- invited
Javier Sanchez, Councilor for Territory, Natural Resources and Biodiversity, ONIC
Fernando Fierro Gomez, Lawyer, ONIC

On November 9, 2009, Christian Salazar Volkmann, representative of the UN High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) stated, “Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities are subject to increasing persecution by protagonists of Colombia's armed conflict and that as a result the murder rate among leaders of these communities has more than doubled.” Since this time the human rights and humanitarian situation for these communities has only continued to worsen. According to Amnesty International, in 2009 114 members of indigenous communities were murdered and to date in 2010, 110 members of indigenous communities have been murdered. In 2010 alone at least three massacres have taken place in Afro-Colombian communities with the latest massacre being that of five persons in Nariño on October 1st.

Join us for presentations with Afro-Colombian and Indigenous community leaders and IDP representatives from the National Association of Internally Displaced Afro-Colombians, Black Communities Process and the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia to hear about the latest developments concerning these communities’ territorial, human and cultural rights. The AFRODES leaders will present on recent murders, threats and internal displacements of Afro-Colombians in the Chocó and Valle del Cauca. PCN will discuss recent developments concerning anti-narcotic efforts and continued violence in the Southwestern region of Colombia. The ONIC will launch their comprehensive campaign for the survival of indigenous peoples at risk of extinction in Colombia in the US at this event. All the presenters will present their analysis of the Juan Manuel Santos Administration and recommendations for US policymakers and civil society.

Monday, October 25, 2010
5:30-7:30pm
Washington Office on Latin America
1666 Connecticut Ave, 4th Floor conference room
Washington, DC

Light refreshments will be served

Presentations in Spanish with simultaneous translation into English

RSVP by October 21st by e-mailing Anthony Dest at adest@wola.org or by calling (202) 797-2171