Identity, Power and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

A series of seminars is being convened to disseminate the results from the research project ‘Identity, Power and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’, under the programme on ‘Identities, Conflict and Cohesion’. The primary objective of this seminar series is to secure feedback from academics, NGOs and indigenous peoples about the project’s research findings and policy recommendations before the publication of programme papers, articles, policy briefs and an edited volume.

The first of these seminars was convened on 18 August 2007 in Cochabamba, Bolivia and hosted by the Universidad Superior de San Simón. The symposium was held at the Centro de Documentación e Información Bolivia (CEDIB), a research centre, archive and clearinghouse for news reports on social and environmental issues in Bolivia.

The speakers at the seminar were Terence Gomez, UNRISD’s coordinator of this research project, Associate Professor Thomas Perreault of Syracuse University and Professor Carlos Crespo Flores of the Centro de Estudios Universitarios Superiores. Gomez presented an overview of the project, including the key issues analysed as well as the results from the eight country studies that were undertaken. Perreault, who was commissioned by Unrisd to prepare the report on Bolivia, provided an in-depth analysis of the key themes in this country study. Crespo Flores served as discussant, offering insightful comments on the objectives of the project, its findings and recommendations as well as insights on how to improve the analysis provided in the Bolivian country study. Approximately 40 people attended the seminar, comprising lecturers and students of the university, NGO activists, including those working with indigenous groups, and executives working with multinational companies operating in the country.