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10 May 2012Indigenous Women Leaders Convene at the Ford Foundation
Enlace Continental de Mujeres Indigenas de las Americas (ECMIA), a delegation of indigenous women leaders representing communities throughout North America, South America, Mexico and Central America, gathered at the Ford Foundation’s headquarters today for an informal dialogue and exchange of ideas. Having assembled in New York to take part in the United Nations Indigenous Peoples Forum, these leaders embraced the opportunity to discuss a range of issues with each other and with Ford’s program staff, including the social exclusion of indigenous communities, violence against indigenous women, economic development and how to protect land rights, natural resources and traditional knowledge.
Luis Ubiñas, president of the foundation, welcomed the delegation of indigenous leaders. “Acknowledging, recognizing and celebrating the voices of women—in particular those who are members of historically marginalized and excluded communities—is one of the most basic commitments of the Ford Foundation,” he said. “We are constantly working to ensure that the human rights movement is focused on the poor and marginalized communities and is geared toward achieving a real-world impact.”
The delegation was led by Tarcila Rivera Zea, director of CHIRAPAQ, a grantee of Ford’s Advancing Racial Justice and Minority Rights initiative that is working to strengthen the human rights of Peru’s indigenous peoples.
More Information
- Explore ECMIA online (in Spanish)
- Learn more about the UN Indigenous Peoples Forum
- Visit CHIRIPAQ (in Spanish)
- Read about our Advancing Racial Justice and Minority Rights initiative
Media Contacts
Press Line
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- pressline@fordfoundation.org
Joshua Cinelli
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- j.cinelli@fordfoundation.org
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