Indigenous leaders, intercultural bilingual education teachers and indigenous university students belonging to the Awajún indigenous people of the Amazon region participated in the intercultural program “We are heritage that builds the future” of the GEF ABS Nagoya Project, promoted by the Ministry of Environment, UN Environment and Profonanpe, with the aim of strengthening their capacities on the conservation and enhancement of their traditional knowledge associated with biodiversity.
The Awajún indigenous peoples possess valuable knowledge about the use of biological resources such as medicinal plants, which could contribute in the future to the development of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, among others. This is why the Nagoya Project developed the intercultural training program “We are heritage that builds the future”, which allows them to recognize the value of their knowledge through collective learning, in order to be able to replicate what they have learned in their communities and other spaces.
“This workshop is very important because it helps us to value and understand our culture and that of our brothers and sisters. I like it very much because we come here to share what we know and to learn from the other people with whom we share our culture”, said Claudia Kinin Tajin, from the native Awajún community of Shug Shug.
Yohannaliz Vega Auqui, head of Profonanpe’s Indigenous Peoples Unit, highlighted the work with the communities: “At Profonanpe we are strengthening our actions to design a capacity building program with indigenous peoples. This workshop allows us to gather valuable experiences that we will be able to replicate in our interventions.”
The workshops, which were conducted in the Awajún language, took place over three days in the city of Bagua Grande, and were attended by indigenous leaders from the native communities of Shushug, Pakui and Wawas, which belong to the ECA Chayu Naim, as well as teachers of intercultural bilingual education and indigenous students from the Intercultural University Fabiola Salazar Leguía of Bagua.
“We are heritage that builds the future”
This is an intercultural training program that was developed in a participatory manner with the organizations and representatives of the indigenous and peasant communities, under the coordination and direction of the GEF-ABS-Nagoya project.
About the GEF-ABS-Nagoya Project
This project, financed by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Profonanpe and UN Environment, aims to strengthen national capacities for the effective implementation of regimes for access to genetic resources and traditional knowledge in accordance with the Nagoya Protocol and thus contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and the well-being of people in the country.
