OPEN LETTER TO NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL AUTHORITIES
Barra Velha / Bahia – Brazil, March 21, 2025
To the authorities of the Federative Republic of Brazil,
To the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights,
To the United Nations Human Rights Council,
To the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,
To international organizations, the media, and global civil society:
Geovany Cunampio Salazar (Emberá) was born in the Piriatí Emberá community in eastern Panama. He is an active member of the General Emberá Congress of Alto Bayano, the traditional government structure of the Emberá Peoples of Alto Bayano. He was Secretary General of the General Emberá Congress of Alto Bayano from October 2012 to April 2021, where he accompanied the process of collective land titling of the Indigenous communities of Piriatí Emberá and Ipetí Emberá and the international lawsuit against the Panamanian State in Kunas de Madungandi and Embera de Bayano vs Panama. Geovany holds a Law and Political Science degree from the University of Panama and a Diploma in Strategic Communication for Indigenous Peoples from the Inter-American University of Panama. He served as Technical Secretary of the National Council for the Integral Development of Indigenous Peoples of Panama (CONDIPI) under the framework of a project to support the National Development Plan of Indigenous Peoples in Panama and as an international consultant for Indigenous Foundation FSC, based in Panama. Reach Geovany at geovany.cunampio@culturalsurvival.org.
Ilenia Pérez (Guna), Advocacy Coordinator - Panama, is from Panama, is an administrator by profession, and has a postgraduate degree in Indigenous Peoples' rights. She has extensive experience in the technical and financial management of community projects in Indigenous communities, especially in Indigenous rights, biodiversity, and climate change. She has collaborated with organizations such as the Network of Indigenous Women on Biodiversity in Latin America and the Caribbean. Her work has focused on the defense of the rights of indigenous peoples, especially women and youth, promoting the protection of biodiversity, territorial defense, the fight against climate change, and the preservation of ancestral knowledge. She has experience in political advocacy in local, national, and international spaces. Her passion is working with indigenous women and youth, promoting their empowerment through transmitting ancestral knowledge and managing their territories. Contact Ilenia: ilenia.perez@culturalsurvival.org
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Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are headquartered on Massachusett land, in Cambridge, MA, and we thank the past, current, and future Indigenous stewards of this territory.
