For years, Colombia has led the dismal ranking of countries with the highest number of murders of human rights defenders worldwide. Members of indigenous communities who defend themselves against the intrusion of armed groups, organized crime, and the overexploitation of natural resources on their ancestral territories are especially affected.
With the 8th Werner Lottje Lecture, we therefore honor the Guardia Indigéna de Cauca - Kiwe Thegnas, winners of the 2020 Colombian Human Rights Award and the 2020 Front Line Defenders Award (Americas), who impressively demonstrate how effective the collective peaceful defense of their territories can be.
What particular threats do indigenous communities face in Colombia and around the world? What effects did the COVID-19 pandemic have? What strategies have these communities developed to defend themselves? What kind of support is required from the international community to protect indigenous communities?
These and other questions we will discuss with our guests:
- Guardia Indígena de Cauca - Kiwe Thegnas, Indigenous human rights collective, Colombia
- Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Peter Ptassek, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Colombia
Information:
Dr. Johannes Icking
Human Rights Officer, Bread for the World
Phone: +49 30 652 111 048
E-mail: [email protected]
The German Institute for Human Rights and Bread for the World invite regularly to the Werner Lottje Lecture. The series discusses current problems and challenges of human rights protection, especially the protection of human rights defenders.
