WASHINGTON, USA – The Organization of American States (OAS) will celebrate, from August 5-9, the VII Inter-American Week for Indigenous Peoples with a series of activities to highlight Indigenous communities’ right to access to justice, a clean and healthy environment and their right to protect communities, and the world, against the impact of climate change.
Under the theme, “Empowering Indigenous communities to exercise their right to access to justice and to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment,” the commemorative week will also serve as an opportunity to highlight the ancestral knowledge of Indigenous communities, their role as guardians of the global ecosystem, and their protagonism in the climate change agenda.
The Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro and the assistant secretary-general, Nestor Mendez will inaugurate the week on Monday August 5, with a ceremony at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC. The governor-general of Belize, Dame Froyla Tzalam, will deliver the keynote address at the opening ceremony, which will be followed by a ceremony to unveil paintings donated by Permanent Missions to the OAS which depict indigenous culture.
Opening Ceremony to launch the VII Inter-American Week for Indigenous Peoples
