BOGOTÁ (Colombia): Late last year, the eight countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) agreed to formally integrate Indigenous peoples into the bloc’s governance, granting them a permanent and structured role in regional decision-making for the first time since the organization was created more than four decades ago.
The decision was approved during high-level meetings in Bogotá, where foreign ministers and senior officials endorsed the creation of the Amazonian Indigenous Peoples Mechanism, a body designed to ensure Indigenous participation in ACTO policies and programs related to forest conservation, climate change, biodiversity protection and sustainable development.
ACTO, established in 1978, includes Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela and serves as the main intergovernmental forum for cooperation across the Amazon Basin. While its mandate has long emphasized environmental protection and regional coordination, Indigenous peoples, who number in the hundreds of distinct nations across the basin, were previously limited to consultation processes without formal standing in ACTO’s institutional structure.
Under the newly approved mechanism, each member country will designate Indigenous representatives through national Indigenous organizations. These delegates will participate in ACTO meetings, issue recommendations, contribute to technical discussions and advise governments on priorities affecting Indigenous territories and ecosystems. The mechanism also establishes procedures for coordination with ACTO’s governing bodies and working groups, aiming to integrate Indigenous perspectives into regional strategies rather than treating them as external inputs.
Officials described the move as recognition of Indigenous peoples’ central role in safeguarding the Amazon. Large portions of the forest that remain relatively intact overlap with Indigenous territories, and numerous studies have shown lower deforestation rates in those areas compared with surrounding lands. Indigenous leaders have long argued that conservation efforts and climate policies are more effective when Indigenous land rights and governance systems are respected.
The agreement followed years of advocacy by Indigenous organizations, which had called on ACTO to align its governance with international standards on Indigenous rights. During meetings leading up to the decision, Indigenous representatives emphasized that exclusion from decision-making undermined both human rights and environmental outcomes, particularly as communities face increasing pressure from illegal mining, logging, agricultural expansion and infrastructure projects.
The approval of the Indigenous mechanism was part of a broader package of commitments adopted at ACTO’s Fifth Presidential Summit in Bogotá. At the summit, Amazonian heads of state reaffirmed pledges to reduce deforestation, strengthen regional cooperation and mobilize financing for forest protection. Indigenous participation was highlighted as essential to achieving these goals, especially as the Amazon faces mounting risks linked to climate change and forest degradation.
ACTO officials said the new mechanism is intended to be permanent and evolving, with internal rules to be developed by Indigenous representatives themselves. The structure includes provisions for regular meetings, coordination with national governments and the ability to raise urgent concerns affecting Indigenous peoples across borders.
Indigenous leaders welcomed the decision but cautioned that its significance will depend on implementation. They stressed the need for adequate resources, clear authority and respect for free, prior and informed consent in all initiatives affecting Indigenous lands. Some also warned that participation must translate into concrete policy influence rather than symbolic inclusion.
The move has been widely viewed as a turning point for ACTO, signaling a shift toward more inclusive regional governance at a time when the Amazon’s future is increasingly tied to global climate stability. By formalizing Indigenous participation, Amazon countries aim to strengthen cooperation while acknowledging that long-term protection of the rainforest depends on the people who have inhabited and managed it for generations.
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