Open call

Registration period: From October 6 to November 5, 2025

Land is Life invites Indigenous women leaders who are driving change in their communities to apply. We welcome proposals with clear and achievable goals that demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing Indigenous Peoples’ rights, gender equality, and community well-being.

About Indigenous Women’s Program

Designed and led by Indigenous women, the program supports Indigenous women and their organisations in Africa, Asia, and throughout the Americas in effectively asserting their individual and collective rights to access, use, and control land and natural resources; to improve their livelihoods; and to promote and protect their peoples’ entitlements.

About the fellowship

Under our Indigenous Women’s Program, the year-long fellowship nurtures the next generation of Indigenous women leaders by supporting those who are taking innovative steps that contribute to gender equality, the well-being of their communities, and the recognition of their land and resource rights.

What do we offer?

1. Personalized mentoring from Indigenous women leaders with proven experience advancing Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
2. Funding and technical support (up to $3,000 USD) to design and implement a community-level project.
3. A stipend of $3,600 USD to support your participation throughout the program.
4. Knowledge sharing through monthly trainings on key topics related to Indigenous Peoples’ rights.
5. Leadership development to strengthen Indigenous women’s voices and decision-making power.
6. Networking opportunities to build or strengthen alliances with local, regional, and global partners and allies.
7. Advocacy support to participate in national and international decision-making spaces.

What do the fellows commit to?

1. Design and implement a community project to be completed within 10 months.
2. Support their communities in advancing the promotion and protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights, with particular attention to the rights of Indigenous women and girls.
3. Actively participate in monthly training sessions and peer-learning activities.

Who can apply?

1. Indigenous women between 18 and 35 years old
2. The applicant should not have been a former Land is Life fellow.

How to apply?

1. Fill out the application form.
2. Develop a community project that promotes the rights of Indigenous Peoples, with particular attention to the rights of Indigenous women and girls.. The project can address a range of key issues, including capacity building, biodiversity conservation, climate action, participation in decision-making, improved livelihoods, governance, and leadership development.
   • In case you are unable to complete the form, please apply by video. Here’s how to do it:
     • Review the questions in the application form and clearly answer each of them in the video.
     • Record a video of up to 15 minutes in English, French, or Spanish.
     • Make sure to answer all questions in the application form.
     • At the end of your video, provide your oral acceptance of the terms and conditions, since we cannot obtain your written signature.
     • Save your video preferably in mp3/mp4 format and send it to us mail

Registration period: From October 6 to November 5

Results: By January 5th

Starting date: January 12, 2026

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Land is Life is a global coalition of Indigenous Peoples that works to advance the self-determination and collective rights of Indigenous Peoples in the world’s seven socio-cultural regions.

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By Tatiana Blanco Quiroga

I grew up hearing my grandmother speak to the water before drinking it. She taught me that the river doesn’t just flow; it also listens, it also feels. As a young Andean Indigenous woman, trained in science but guided by ancestral wisdom, I have learned that our struggles are not only for rights, but for memory, for dignity, for the right to continue being who we are.

Participating for the first time in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues was like opening a door to a world we already inhabited, but where our voices were rarely heard with open hearts. It was an experience that moved me, challenged me, and strengthened me.

Speaking in such an institutional space as a young woman, Indigenous, and defender of territories, was not an individual act. It was a collective act. I spoke on behalf of the Indigenous women in my family, my community, “Mujeres del Sur,” our alliance of Indigenous women who protect water, life, and the knowledge of our peoples. I spoke from the Andes, but also from the pain and hopes of so many peoples who face extractive projects without consent, education that denies our languages, and policies that still see us as obstacles, not solutions.

At the Forum, I felt the power of encounter. I listened to sisters from the Arctic, the Pacific, the Amazon. Each one shared her truth, but we all agreed on the essential: the Earth is crying, and with it, we cry.

One of the deepest lessons was seeing how the rights contained in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples can be living tools, not just formal texts. But for this, we need spaces where we are heard, not just tolerated. We need resources to sustain our own ways of learning, caring, and deciding. And we need the international community to recognize that without us, there is no possible sustainable future.

Comunaria Uru, Bolivia 

Foto de Tatiana B.

I returned home with more questions than answers, but also with renewed clarity: these global spaces must serve to nourish local resistances. Because it is in the territory where we defend life every day, where we weave alternatives, where we teach our girls to love being Indigenous, to know themselves as seeds.

I thank Land is Life for opening this space for us to speak. From our hills, from our struggles, we continue to say: the future has roots. And those roots are the Indigenous peoples.

Jallalla.

Tatiana Blanco is an Aymara woman, community leader, environmental scientist, and Land is Life fellow committed to defending the rights of Indigenous Peoples and restoring ecosystems. Motivated by what she has seen of the environmental degradation caused by mining pollution and climate change, she has dedicated her work to unite traditional knowledge with science to heal territories and bodies of water.

She leads the Uru Uru team, which works to decontaminate lakes and wetlands in Bolivia, promoting nature-based solutions and strengthening the role of indigenous women in environmental protection. She has collaborated with national and international institutions, highlighting the importance of ancestral knowledge in the fight against climate change.

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Desarrollado en colaboración entre Land is Life y la Universidad de Arizona, este curso ofrece una oportunidad de aprendizaje para mujeres indígenas de las siete regiones socioculturales, brindándoles experiencia práctica en la interacción y navegación dentro del sistema de derechos humanos de las Naciones Unidas.

Los estudiantes aprenderán de ponentes de alto nivel, incluidos Relatores Especiales de la ONU, líderes Indígenas y académicos distinguidos.

Fechas tentativas para las presentaciones de los ponentes invitados:

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Certificate course offered by the University of Arizona

Developed in collaboration between Land is Life and the University of Arizona, this course provides a learning opportunity for Indigenous women from across the seven socio-cultural regions to gain hands-on experience in engaging with and navigating the United Nations’ human rights system.

Students will learn from high-level guest speakers, including UN Special Rapporteurs, Indigenous leaders, and distinguished scholars.

Tentative dates for the guest speakers’ presentations: 

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El segundo país más biodiverso del planeta recibe a la COP16 de biodiversidad durante el 21 y el 1 de noviembre de 2024. Delegaciones de 196 países se reúnen en Cali para informar cómo han traducido en acciones nacionales los objetivos del Marco Mundial de Diversidad Biológica Kunming-Montreal, establecidos en la COP15. También presentarán sus avances en la implementación del marco de diversidad biológica y Planes de Acción nacionales concretos.

Desde Land is Life estamos convencidos de que no es posible garantizar la protección de la biodiversidad sin sus guardianes: los Pueblos Indígenas. Las mujeres Indígenas están listas para contribuir a los procesos de toma de decisiones en todos los niveles. Procedentes de las siete regiones socioculturales, ellas se han movilizado para impulsar su agenda en Cali y nosotros las acompañamos en dos eventos particulares: 

1. Elevando voces, asegurando futuros: Participación de los Pueblos y las mujeres Indígenas en movilización de recursos para la biodiversidad.
   Cuándo: 24 de octubre, a las 3:00 P.M
   Dónde: Zona Azul. Salón Nuquí – Salón Academia e Investigación Plaza Uno.
   Interpretación disponible: ESP- ENG

2. Protectoras de la vida: Mujeres Indígenas preservando la biodiversidad
Cuándo: 30 de octubre, 12:30 P.M
Dónde: Zona Azul. Pabellón de América Latina y el Caribe, la BIOdiversidad nos une.

Con ánimo de aportar a la conversación, contribuir al posicionamiento de los Pueblos Indígenas en estos espacios y resaltar su rol en la protección y fomento de la biodiversidad; compartimos los siguientes documentos: 

1. El compromiso que necesitamos

17 financiadores anunciaron un compromiso histórico de US$1.7 mil millones en la COP26, en 2021, para avanzar en los derechos de tenencia forestal en países con bosques tropicales entre 2021 y 2025. En anticipación del anuncio de una Promesa 2.0, un grupo de 45 organizaciones de Pueblos Indígenas de África, Asia, América Latina, el Ártico y el Pacífico proporcionan recomendaciones estratégicas e ideas para informar y fortalecer los debates y resultados de la Promesa 2.0. 

1. 10 Razones por las que no se debe asociar a los Pueblos Indígenas con el término comunidades locales

Tras la adopción de la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas sobre los derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas en 2007, se formó un consenso internacional en torno a la naturaleza específica de los Pueblos Indígenas. Los Estados comenzaron a alinear su terminología con el reconocimiento de los Pueblos Indígenas en la Declaración.

1. Cuestiones clave que se abordarán en la COP16

Este documento es el resultado de cinco seminarios web que representaron una oportunidad para desarrollar la capacidad y los conocimientos de las mujeres y jóvenes Indígenas para su participación en la COP16 que tendrá lugar del 21 de octubre al 1 de noviembre de 2024 en Cali, Colombia. Estos son los temas a discutir y el papel de los pueblos indígenas en las próximas negociaciones

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The second most biodiverse country on the planet will host COP16 on biodiversity from October 21 to November 1, 2024. Delegations from 196 countries will gather in Cali, Colombia,  to report on how they have translated the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, established at COP15, into national actions. They will also present their progress on implementing the biodiversity framework and concrete National Action Plans.

At Land is Life, we are convinced that it is impossible to ensure the protection of biodiversity without its guardians: Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous women are ready to contribute to decision-making processes at all levels. Coming from seven sociocultural regions, they have mobilized to advance their agenda in Cali, and we will support them at two specific events:

1. Raising voces, securing futures: Participation of Indigenous Peoples and women in Resources mobilization for biodiversity.

When: October 24, at 3:00 PM

Where: Zona Azul. Nuquí Room – Academia and Research Plaza Uno.
Interpretation available: ESP-ENG

2. Protectors of Life: Indigenous Women Preserving Biodiversity.

When: October 30, at 12:30 PM
Where: Zona Azul. Pabellón de América Latina y el Caribe, BIOdiversidad nos une. 

In the spirit of contributing to the conversation, supporting the positioning of Indigenous Peoples in these spaces, and highlighting their role in the protection and promotion of biodiversity, we share the following documents:

1. The Pledge We Need

Seventeen funders announced a historic commitment of $1.7 billion at COP26 in 2021 to advance forest tenure rights in tropical forest countries from 2021 to 2025. In anticipation of the announcement of a Promise 2.0, a group of 45 Indigenous Peoples organizations from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Arctic, and the Pacific provide strategic recommendations and ideas to inform and strengthen the discussions and outcomes of Promise 2.0.

2. 10 Reasons Why Indigenous Peoples Should Not Be Associated with the Term Local Communities

Following the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007, an international consensus was formed around the specific nature of Indigenous Peoples. States began to align their terminology with the recognition of Indigenous Peoples in the Declaration.

3. Key Issues to be Addressed at COP16
This document is the result of five webinars that represented an opportunity to develop the capacity and knowledge of Indigenous women and youth for their participation in COP16, which will take place from October 21 to November 1, 2024, in Cali, Colombia. These are the topics to be discussed and the role of Indigenous Peoples in the upcoming negotiations.

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From the 8th to the 12th of March, Land is Life held a training session for Indigenous women as part of its ongoing Indigenous Women’s Program. The event, organized in Panamá, also served as the launch point for the new cohort (2024 – 2025) of the Women’s Program fellowship.
The meeting was a space for learning, sharing of experiences and knowledge, and building solidarity amongst Indigenous women. The session was attended by Fellows from Land is Life, as well as by Indigenous women from The Indigenous Women’s Network on Biodiversity. In all, five countries were represented – Mexico, Ecuador, Kenya, Colombia and, of course, Panama, where representatives of the Guna and Emberá Peoples were present.
The event was held in the Dad Naggue Dubbir community, in the Indigenous Comarca of Guna Yala, on the country’s Pacific Coast. In 2025 the community will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Guna revolution, and the return to the Guna People of control over their traditional territory.
Workshop participants engaged in discussions about the empowerment of women and youth in decision-making processes, and the importance of developing community protocols on Free, Prior and Informed Consent. They built their capacity to engage in negotiations of the Climate Change and Biodiversity Conventions, sharing their communities’ perspectives and experiences. Participants also learned about the unique governance structure of the Guna People, their history, and their culture, including a visit to the Mola Dibanan Galu Women’s Cooperative project.
The fellows present left the event inspired to start their local projects, which have one common goal: to strengthen the rights of Indigenous women.

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CEDAW is a UN treaty body, under the auspices of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, that monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women – the most important international treaty regarding women’s rights. Even though the treaty was ratified in 1981, this is the first time that CEDAW has issued a General Recommendation that pays attention to the particular situation and realities of Indigenous women.

In 2004, the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), encouraged by a group of Indigenous women, called on the CEDAW to begin a process to develop a general recommendation on Indigenous women. General recommendations are suggestions or clarifications directed to States regarding specific issues affecting women to which the Committee thinks more attention and resources should be devoted.

In 2009, to push this initiative forward, the Tz´ununija´ Indigenous Women’s Movement from Guatemala prepared a shadow report to the CEDAW on the situation of Indigenous women in their territory. CEDAW responded three years later and held a week-long workshop in Wayuu territory in Colombia. This event, organized by Indigenous women from the region, was a space for developing a deeper understanding of CEDAW and formulating strategic alliances. The workshop was followed by a ten-year process of meetings, consultations, dialogues, and research that finally resulted in the General Recommendation No.39, released last week.

The General Recommendation is the first-ever binding instrument that centers around eliminating the intersectional discrimination and human rights violations faced by Indigenous women and girls. It acknowledges their role as leaders, knowledge-bearers, and culture transmitters, and pays attention to their intrinsic connection to their territories, as well as the collective dimension of their rights. The recommendation addresses the lack of implementation of their rights to self-determination and autonomy as one of the root causes of their discrimination.

Land is Life applauds General Recommendation No.39, and especially the grassroots efforts of Indigenous women who tirelessly pushed the process forward for almost two decades. We call on the State parties to effectively start fulfilling the obligations stated in the recommendation, so that Indigenous girls and women worldwide can live free from discrimination.

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