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A regular series of notes highlighting recent lessons emerging from the operational andanalytical program of the World Bank‘s Latin America and Caribbean Region

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES LEADERSHIPCAPACITY BUILDING

PROGRAM FOR THE ANDEAN COUNTRIESJorge E. Uquillas Rodas

March 2005 No. 65

1. Background

The Indigenous Peoples Leadership Capacity-Building Programfor the Andean Countries (Andean Program) is the result of aninitiative of the Fund for the Development of IndigenousPeoples of Latin America and the Caribbean (Fondo Indígena),supported initially by the governments of Ecuador and Peru andlater by the main national indigenous organizations of theAndean countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru andVenezuela. Responding to this interest, the World Bank (Coun-try Management Unit for the Andes) started a participatoryprocess to identify the demand and the most important themeswhich would be the basis for a capacity-building program. As aconsequence, training modules on governance, developmentwith identity, indigenous rights and the use of technologies ofinformation and communications (ICT) have been prepared andvalidated in a series of workshops held since 2003, with theparticipation of indigenous lead-ers.

The Andean Program attempts toenhance the ability of indigenousleaders to play an active part inthe formulation of public policiesdesigned to promote the develop-ment of their countries and in-crease their participation in local,regional, national, and interna-tional affairs, and especially indiscussions of state policies, thedesign and execution of develop-ment projects, and regional eco-nomic integration efforts.

The more specific objectives of the program are;

-To devise training programs on democracy, good gover-nance, public policies, social management, project man-agement, leadership, and other topics.

-To encourage the sharing of experience and approachesamong those responsible for indigenous policies, pro-grams and projects,

-To promote the use of new information and communica-tion technologies (ICT), and

-To establish a network of institutions oriented to the for-mation of indigenous leaders.

2. The implementation process

The Andean Program promotes and reinforces partnerships withthe Fondo Indígena whose own main strength lies in its power toactivate indigenous leaders, government representatives andinternational donors. In addition, the regional focus of this

project supports partnerships be-tween the Bank (Social Develop-ment Sector Management Unit,Country Management Unit forBolivia, Colombia, Peru and Ven-ezuela, and World Bank Institute)and indigenous national organiza-tions. Other important partner-ships developed in the process arewith the Andean Community ofNations, the Spanish Secretariatof Iberoamerican Cooperation(Secretaría de CooperaciónIberoamericana, SECIB) and theBelgian Government.

The Andean Program providesmulti-country benefits such as the generation of curriculummaterials for regional use. It contributes to the Fondo Indígenastrategy to create an Andean School of Governance and anIndigenous University. Furthermore, it is embedded in theframework of the Andean Community of Nations, being devel-oped with the input of indigenous leaders from the five partici-

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pating countries. The Andean Program is serving also as aglobal pilot for indigenous leadership capacity buildingwhich could be replicated elsewhere in the future.

The development of the Andean Pro-gram has already helped to attractnew donors. The Swiss Governmenthas already contributed funds duringFY04 and is expected to continuedoing so; the Belgian Government(which has a strong relationship withthe Fondo Indígena) has expressedsolid interest in supporting Schools ofGovernment in Ecuador and Peru.The combination of a field presencewith strong indigenous professionalsin the Fondo Indígena and the techni-cal and economic expertise of theWorld Bank creates an opportunity to leverage resources forthe benefit of many indigenous communities, and buildsinterest in contributing among many in the internationaldonor community.

The Andean Program is externally managed by the FondoIndígena, in cooperation with an Advisory Board which hasbeen established to provide overall supervision and qualitycontrol of the program. The Bank and the World BankInstitute (WBI) serve as observers on the Board. AnnualPlans have been developed, reviewed and agreed upon by theBoard. A Letter of Agreement has been developed with theFondo Indigena to guide the work. The WBI helps tocoordinate with the Andean Program in the delivery of thecurriculum modules.

For the Andean Program, consultants are hired by the FondoIndígena to carry out the curriculum development, capacitybuilding, information sharing and brokerage. Indigenousconsultants are identified and hired strategically, in a mannerconsistent with Bank policies and procedures. Regional Bankstaff are involved in the review of the Letter of Agreement,

annual operating plans of partners, terms of reference, andreports submitted as well as in the development of the trainingcurriculum with WBI and in the technology for distancelearning both with WBI and the Development Gateway. Bank

staff also attend the periodic capac-ity building events. The FondoIndígena is responsible for generalcommunications in Spanish andpublic relations. In financial terms,the FY04 program was imple-mented with resources both fromthe World Bank (DevelopmentGrant Fund and Swiss Trust Funds)and the Fondo Indigena.

3. Preliminary results

The Advisory Board of the AndeanProgram had two formal meetings. One meeting took place inLa Paz, Bolivia, on April 1 and 2, 2004, to analyze the FY04action plan of the program, including a revision of the processof selection of consultants, facilitators and assistants, as wellas the methodology for case studies carried out prior to theworkshops. The second meeting took place viavideoconference on July 7, 2004, in order to evaluate theresults of the Andean Program. Representatives of the FondoIndigena, the World Bank and WBI also participated in theevaluation meeting.

The Andean Program is consolidating a process of intercul-tural exchange and mutual learning among indigenous lead-ers of the five countries involved, promoting analytical workand discussion of themes of high relevance to indigenouspeoples and their organizations. It is formulating teachingmodules to be used for future training in the Andean Schoolof Governance, associated with the Fondo Indigena, as wellas in similar endeavors at the national level. Some of thespecific products delivered during FY04 are:

-Selecting and contracting consultants, country coordi-nators/facilitators and assistants in the five Andeancountries

-Adaptation of two training modules (on governanceand on information and communication technologies)

-Preparation of two new training modules (on develop-ment with identity and on indigenous rights)

-Carrying out over 15 case studies on topics of gover-nance, development with identity and indigenous rights

-Implementation of the 10 training workshops (two percountry), lasting 6 days each in close coordination withnational indigenous organizations

-Capacity building of 195 indigenous leaders

-The participants were for the most part people with

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current leadership positions in indigenous organizations,local governments, national government and congress.

-Preparing 5 country workshop reports

-Preparing a final report of the Andean Program

The module on governance has focused on the currentsituation of the Andean countries, particularly the crisis of thepolitical party system, the emergence of indigenous move-ments and their participation in the electoral process. Thediscussion of governance at he local level has dealt withissues such as institutional development, social audits, par-ticipation, intercultural relations, local development, decen-tralization, and technical reports.

The module on indigenous rights has focused on the concep-tual framework of indigenous rights and their relation tohuman rights and indigenous legislation, making a cleardistinction between the latter two concepts. In addition, it hasanalyzed the degree of inclusion of indigenous rights in thegovernment in general and the administration of justice inparticular, complemented with case studies of the Andeancountries. One of topics highlighted in the discussion is that,even though some multi-cultural societies such as those ofthe Andean countries, recognize a broad set of indigenousrights, the implementation of indigenous rights is deficientnot only because la lack of political will or institutionalmechanisms for their application but also because there is notan adequate understanding of the nature of those rights.

The module on development with identity starts summarizingthe main theories of economic development and ends with theformulation of a conceptual framework of development withidentity. It briefly discusses the concept of ethno develop-ment, used by the World Bank (particularly in the context ofits Indigenous and Afro Ecuadorian Peoples DevelopmentProject, PRODEPINE I) and of the process of globalization.In contrast to those theories of development which giveexcessive weight to individual initiatives and the accumula-tion of economic surplus, the conceptual framework ofdevelopment with identity emphasizes the role of the indig-enous community and the importance it places on equality,solidarity, communal work, informal exchange of goods, andmechanisms for the redistribution of economic surplus.

Finally, the module on information and communications

technologies is used transversally to deepen the treatment ofthe previous modules, particularly of governance and anticor-ruption practices. It teaches peoples how to access informationand data bases from the internet and electronic mail, how tocreate and disseminate information about indigenous peoplesand form electronic networks for the sharing of information onbroad issues such as indigenous rights, small enterprises,marketing of indigenous products, etc.

4. Conclusions and recommendations

The Andean Program has been evaluated by the participantsand by the Advisory Board, having both the Fondo Indigena,World Bank and WBI as observers of the later process.

From the participants perspective, the main conclusions arethe following:

·There is a general consensus that Andean Programresponds to the legitimate need to form indigenousleaders in the countries of the Andean region.

·The Program’s methodology, using a participatory ap-proach which combines case studies, direct training andexchange of experiences using videoconference facili-ties, is innovative and apt for the purpose.

·The training modules are of excellent quality but theyneed to be further refined and adjusted to the comprehen-sion level of the majority of participants, being lessacademic and more focused on the specific countrycontexts.

·The program is allowing a critical, innovative andcomparative analysis of topics deemed of great impor-tance to indigenous peoples, namely governance, devel-opment, indigenous rights and the use of ICT.

·The Andean Program has giving indigenous leaders anopportunity to strengthen their cultural identity and to

The Indigenous Leadership Capacity-Building Program forAndean Countries is currently part of a larger World Bankinitiative know as the Global Fund for Indigenous Peoples.For more information, please visithttp://www.worldbank.org/indigenoushttp://www.developmentgateway.org/ipphttp://www.worldbank.org/wbi/governance/indigenas/http://fondoindigena.org/pflican

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About the Author

Jorge Uquillas is Senior Sociologist with the Environmentallyand Socially Sustainable Development Departament of theWorld Bank’s Latin America and the Caribbean Region.

Latin America and Caribbean RegionSustainable Development Working Paper 20

Lessons of Indigenous Development in LatinAmerica

The Proceedings of a World Bank Workshop onIndigenous Peoples Development

Edited by:Shelton H. DavisJorge E. UquillasMelanie A. Eltz

The World BankLatin America and the Caribbean RegionEnvironmentally and Socially Sustainable Develop-ment Departament (LCSES)September 2004

AbstractDuring the last decade, the World Bank has steadilyincreased its attention to indigenous peoples of LatinAmerica, as a result of its poverty alleviation mandateand its indigenous peoples policy. The Latin AmericaRegion of the World Bank has both improved compli-ance with the safeguard provisions of its indigenouspeoples policy and adopted a proactive approach to-ward the promotion of indigenous peoples develop-ment. In addition, the Bank has carried out an effectivecapacity building program, working with indigenousorganizations and indigenous affairs agencies in twelvecountries of the Region (including a tripartite dialogueamong indigenous peoples, oil companies, and govern-ments in the Andean countries); it has supported thepreparation of national indigenous peoples profiles inMexico and Central America as well as studies of thelegal and policy framework on indigenous peoples andon the life strategies of urban indigenous residents inPeru, Mexico, and Ecuador; and it has invested inspecific projects targeting indigenous peoples andother ethnic groups in Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador,Bolivia, Brazil, and Argentina.

At the closing of the United Nation’s Decade ofIndigenous People, the World Bank is proud to presentthis volume on the “Lessons of Indigenous Develop-ment in Latin America,” based on the experiences ofdifferent projects and programs targeting indigenouspeoples.

develop positive attitudes and an openness to dialogueand intercultural relations.

The main recommendations follow:

·The Andean Program needs to be continued becausethus far it has been developing and adapting teachingmodules and trying a cutting edge methodology, both ofwhich need to be further consolidated.

·The didactic materials need to be improved, taking intoconsideration country contexts and the level of educa-tion of the participants.

·Given the lack of sufficient time to discuss matters ofrelevance to participants in each of the countries in-volved, there is a need to reduce the use ofvideoconferences and to have more direct training.

Consequent with the above, the program is planning adecentralization of the training process towards country-runprograms. In addition, in each country, grater efforts shouldgo to the creation of networks for the exchange of methodolo-gies and experiences; and more efforts need to be directed tohave a good gender balance in the future.

The Advisory Board highlighted the importance of the part-nerships formed in the process of implementation of theAndean Program, particularly the opportunity that indigenousleaders had of using advanced communications technologyfor face to face interaction, complemented by the moretraditional methods of direct training. Reflecting the partici-pants views, it maintained that the topics should be furtherdeveloped and adapted to the particular circumstances of thecountries, including discussions of current affairs. In addi-tion, the Advisory Board recommended that future eventsshould have more time for planning and preparation, thatworkshop materials should be delivered well before the actualevents so that participants had time to review them. Themembers of the Advisory Board also advocated for a decen-tralization of the program and for the inclusion of new topicssuch as land regularization, public policies on indigenouspeoples and intercultural relations.