Vision

Our vision is simple: We live for the day when indigenous peoples around the world are able to practice self-determination; when our human, economic, social, cultural, political and territorial rights are both recognized and respected; when we are free to speak our languages, maintain our sacred traditions and continue the work of caring for our ancestral homelands. We work towards the day when indigenous peoples are recognized as valued members of the international community, and we are allowed to assume our rightful role as partners in the search for a more equitable, just and sustainable world.

Our vision is global: From the Arctic to the Amazon, from Siberia to South Africa, from West Papua to Rwanda, we envision genuinely democratic and autonomous indigenous regions, where we can live according to our own economic, social and political institutions, maintain and develop our cultures, and pursue our own models of development. This, we believe, is necessary not only for our survival and continuity as distinct cultures, but also to maintain the ecological, hydrological and climatic stability of the entire planet.

Mission

We are at a critical moment in history. Humanity is in the process of losing the vast majority of its cultural, linguistic, religious and artistic diversity. Immense bodies of biological, ecological, pharmacological and spiritual knowledge are disappearing at an alarming rate. We can continue in this direction, and face enormous consequences, or we can begin creating a world where indigenous cultures can flourish and contribute to global peace, health and security.

The mission of Land is Life is to support indigenous communities in their efforts to secure rights at the local and national levels, and move forward a process of dialogue and strategic action that would bring about the international legal recognition of indigenous peoples' rights to self-determination and collective ownership of lands, resources and knowledge.