Foreign Ministry Hosts Indigenous Women's Forum on Multilateral Advocacy

The Foreign Ministry hosted an event on indigenous women's advocacy in multilateral forums, organized jointly with the Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean (FILAC) and Mexico's National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI), marking the International Day of Indigenous Women.

Held on September 4 and 5, the forum enabled indigenous women to analyze the geopolitical dynamics affecting their rights and ways of life. It was also an opportunity to strengthen regional alliances and consolidate a political agenda of their own, in support of a dignified life, climate justice, peace, and democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Indigenous women make up roughly half of the indigenous population of Latin America and the Caribbean. They play a leading role in caring for, balancing, and managing life in their territories, drawing on their own knowledge and practices to protect Mother Earth.

The indigenous peoples to which they belong play a vital role in protecting the planet's ecosystems: some studies indicate that they safeguard approximately 80% of the world's biodiversity, nearly 35% of the planet's forest area, and more than 45% of the biomes holding the region's largest biodiversity reserves.

This meeting is part of a broader effort by Mexico, Spain (in its capacity as Pro Tempore Secretariat), and the Ibero-American General Secretariat to advance ahead of the 30th Ibero-American Summit. Their shared agenda includes an exchange of ideas on knowledge, practices, and customs related to care work aimed at producing concrete recommendations for the inclusive implementation of the commitments set out in the Ibero-American Charter on Care, which will be adopted at the Summit.

FILAC is an intergovernmental organization established in 1992 to promote the rights and initiatives of indigenous peoples. It runs a program for Indigenous women of Latin America and the Caribbean (MILAC), created in 2008 as an advisory body to strengthen indigenous women's leadership and advocacy in decision-making, consensus-building, and engagement with States, indigenous peoples, and international organizations.

This meeting reaffirms Mexico's commitment to promoting the rights of indigenous peoples, particularly indigenous women, at both the regional and national levels.