Project work in Asia

Aims and objectives

IWGIA's project work in Asia is aimed at empowering indigenous peoples through
· Strengthening the regional network of indigenous peoples' organizations. The network coordinates participation in international processes, exchange of knowledge and information and cooperation between different organizations in specific activities
· Supporting local organizations and strengthening their capacity to address the problems they are confronted with

Thematic priorities of project activities

Four thematic priorities form the basis of IWGIA's project work in Asia:

A. Self-organising and empowerment
This program component addresses one of the main weaknesses of many indigenous peoples: the lack of capacity to address the problems they are confronted with. It is the core component of the Asia program since IWGIA is convinced that only if indigenous peoples themselves assert and push for the recognition of their rights on all levels – the local, national and international – that the necessary changes will occur.

B. Self-determination and constructive agreements with the State
Ever since indigenous peoples joined hands with the UN WGIP in working on a Draft Declaration on Indigenous Peoples Rights the right to self-determination has been on top of their agenda. With the exception of a few cases – in Asia actually only in Northeast India – where indigenous peoples have been granted a certain degree of autonomy or self-governance by the State, most indigenous peoples are still struggling to carve out as much space as possible within the existing power structure of nation states in order to regain more control over their lives and their destiny.

C. Land and resource rights
The right over land and resources is probably the most critical single factor on which the survival of the indigenous as peoples depends. Supporting indigenous peoples to secure land and resource rights therefore has always been a priority in IWGIA's work.

D. Livelihood security, resource management and conservation
It is increasingly recognized among indigenous organisations that land rights and land management are inseparably linked, both substantially (without sustainable management the long-term well-being or even survival is jeopardized) and politically ("conservation" is often used as an argument in favour of indigenous peoples' land rights). Although some of IWGIA's projects do have a resource management aspect of component (like in Thailand or the Philippines) resource management and livelihood alone have been given low priority. The main reason is IWGIA's rights-based approach to poverty alleviation, which gives priority to securing rights and empowering people in order to achieve self-development. 

Download the whole Asia Strategy (PDF)

Background

IWGIA has supported indigenous organizations' project work in Asia since the mid 1990's. Due to limited resources, project work is concentrated in a few countries, namely

• Philippines
• India
• Malaysia
• Thailand

Smaller projects are supported in:

• Indonesia
• Cambodia
• Laos

Key partnerships play a central role in IWGIA's Asia programme

Key partnerships are a core element of the Asia programme strategy. Key partners are organizations that have done pioneering work in areas of for example human rights, community organizing, community-based resource management, etc. These organizations have the potential to play an important role sharing experiences with, and disseminating knowledge to, other indigenous organizations.

IWGIA has developed a close cooperation with these organizations over the past few years, and intends to continue this on a longer term. Key partners will thus play a central role in the Asia programme in the future, facilitating regional linkages and cooperation and linking up local organizations in Asia with the international level of indigenous peoples' struggle.