Coordination of Indigenous Organisations of the Amazon Basin (COICA)

Summary

The Coordinator of Indigenous Organisations of the Amazon Basin (COICA) was created in Lima, Peru in March 1984. Presently, the Coordinator is comprised of nine organisations that come from the nine countries that make up the Amazon Basin.

1. Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Amazon (AIDESEP) - Peru
2. Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) - Guyana
3. Confederation of Indigenous People of Bolivia (CIDOB) - Bolivia
4. Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB) - Brasil
5. Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (CONFENIAE) - Ecuador
6. Organization of Amazon Indigenous Communities (ORPIA) - Venezuela
7. Organization of Amerindians of French Guiana (OAG)- Guayana Francesa
8. Organization of Amazon Indigenous Communities of Colombia (OPIAC) - Colombia
9. Organization of Indigenous Communities of Surinam (OIS) - Suriname

COICA articulates thousands of indigenous communities contained within these nine confederations. COICA calls on social movements and human rights institutions for the support of the Mayan community, and systematically disseminates indigenous demands to international agencies such as the World Bank, and to international meetings prior such as in technical group meetings for climate change negotiations and REDD+ initiatives. It also promotes the participation of indigenous populations of the Amazon Basin in international events.

COICA considers the the solutions proposed by governments and international NGO’s for addressing the effects of climate change to be based on market logic, which therefore constitutes a new form of geopolitical economy that threatens the collective rights of the indigenous people and their ancient territories. It therefore proposes an alternative REDD+ mechanism: 'Indigenous REDD+ Alternative', based on the integrity of forest ecosystem services and indigenous territories, not only limited to the concept of carbon and areas most threatened by deforestation. It proposes prioritising public funding tied to effective emissions reductions and the avoidance of non-regulated voluntary carbon markets.