The visit of the indigenous peoples of the Cauca Department, Colombia, to New York holds crucial significance in Colombia's current context of the peace agreement signed in 2016 between the guerrilla FARC and the Colombian government of Juan Manual Santos. Facing a humanitarian crisis in the Cauca department, where indigenous peoples endure a process of extermination amidst the armed conflict, their presence in the city represents an urgent call to the international community. Through this act, they aim to denounce the neglect and systematic human rights violations they face in their ancestral territory. Additionally, the visit seeks to share their mechanisms for protecting life and human rights, demonstrating their capacity for self-determination and resilience in the face of adversity. Furthermore, they propose concrete peace-building initiatives from their cultural and territorial perspectives, focusing on delivering forcibly recruited children and activating the indigenous special justice route for peace. By presenting their situation to national and international organizations, as well as civil society groups, they aim to garner support, solidarity, and collaborations for concrete actions to halt the extermination of their communities in the Cauca. In summary, this visit is not only an act of denunciation but also an opportunity to shed light on the indigenous peoples' struggle for peace, justice, and survival in Colombia.

SPEAKERS:
Rosalba Velasco, Chief Counselor of the CRIC, representing the ancestral territory of the Cxhab Wala Kiwe
German Valencia Medina, Thutenas We'sx (Authority) of the Association of Councils of Northern Cauca, ACIN
Dario Campo Bomba, Chief Counselor of the ancestral territory Sath Tama
Maria Eugenia Velasco, Coordinator of the Human Rights Observatory of the CRIC
Sofia López Mera, lawyer advisor of the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca