Background

These rights recognize the essential role that land ownership plays in the lives of farmers—both as a financial asset and as a way to make a living.

Indigenous territories

Indigenous people enjoy special rights to their lands and territories. For indigenous communities, land is a shared resource that defines their collective culture and identity. Another international law protects indigenous territories: the International Labor Organization's "Convention Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries" devotes the entire second section to land issues. However, governments do not always honor their commitments to guarantee these rights, nor do some indigenous communities understand or know how to defend their land rights.

Oxfam's South America program makes assistance to indigenous organizations a priority, helping them get the training they need not only to understand their rights to control their lands, but also to ensure that their rights are respected. This area of work has become more essential in recent years as governments and international corporations seeking minerals and petroleum resources step up their incursions into native lands in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Oxfam helps indigenous organizations better inform their leaders about their territorial rights and the procedures they need to follow to demarcate their lands in ways the government will respect. Our partners communicate this information to the local communities as well so that the largest number of indigenous people—women in particular—understand their rights to inherit and own land.