Mujeres indígenas de la Selva Central: Una misma identidad étnica, Diferentes rutas organizativas. Una aproximación comparativa desde las organizaciones FREMANK y OMIASEC

Esta investigación es un estudio comparativo subnacional sobre cómo en un mismo territorio (provincias Satipo y Chanchamayo) emergen dos rutas organizativas de mujeres indígenas amazónicas. Los casos de estudio son: la OMIASEC, Organización de Mujeres Indígenas de la Selva Central (organización paralela, perteneciente a una organización indígena mixta, la CECONSEC, Central de Comunidades Nativas de la Selva Central) y la FREMANK, Federación Regional de Mujeres Asháninka, Nomatsiguenga y Kakinte (una organización independiente, fuera de las organizaciones mixtas). Se busca explicar por qué estas dos organizaciones han conformado distintas rutas asociativas en un mismo territorio. Para ello, se analizan los mecanismos que permiten que estas organizaciones emerjan y se mantengan, así como la creación de significados en torno al cual se fundan. Se halla que ambas organizaciones poseen un proceso de formación similar: necesitan un ambiente político favorable, identifican como causa común la necesidad de un espacio de representación para las mujeres y pasan por un proceso de legitimación frente al movimiento indígena. No obstante, la diferencia significativa es que las dos organizaciones surgen en tiempos diferentes. El tiempo no solo plantea un momento cronológico, sino histórico, con diferentes contextos sociopolíticos para estas organizaciones y los actores aliados trabajando con ellas. Cuando surge la FREMANK, entre finales de la década de 1990 e inicios del 2000, las organizaciones indígenas de Satipo estaban debilitadas por el conflicto armado y recién se estaban abriendo a la participación de las mujeres, aunque existían ONGs dispuestas a apoyar las iniciativas de una organización de mujeres. Por lo tanto, las mujeres de la FREMANK se organizan independientemente y fundan su propia federación. En cambio, cuando surge la OMIASEC, en el periodo de 2012- 2014, las organizaciones indígenas estaban más fortalecidas y familiarizadas con la participación de las mujeres indígenas y como se interseccionan los temas de género con la agenda indígena. Como consecuencia, la OMIASEC se configura como paralela a una organización indígena mixta, la CECONSEC.This research is a sub-national comparative study on how in the same territory (Satipo and Chanchamayo provinces) emerge two organizational routes of Amazonian indigenous women. The case studies are: OMIASEC, Organización de Mujeres Indígenas de la Selva Central (parallel organization, that belongs to a mixed indigenous organization, the CECONSEC, Central de Comunidades Nativas de la Selva Central) and the FREMANK, Federación Regional de Mujeres Asháninka, Nomatsiguenga y Kakinte (an independent organization, outside of mixed organizations). The research aims to explain why these two organizations have formed different associative routes in the same territory. We analyze the mechanisms that allow these organizations to emerge and remain, as well as the creation of meanings around which they are founded. We found that both organizations have a similar formation process: They need a favorable political environment, they identify as a common cause the need for a space of representation for women, and they go through a process of legitimation in the face of the indigenous movement. However, the significant difference is that the two organizations arise at different times. Time not only implies a chronological moment, but also a historical one, with different socio-political contexts for these organizations and the actors working with them. When FREMANK emerged, between the late 1990s and early 2000s, the indigenous organizations of Satipo were weakened by the armed conflict and were just opening up to the participation of women, but there were NGOs willing to support the initiatives of a women's organization. Therefore, the women of the FREMANK organize independently and create their own federation. On the other hand, when OMIASEC emerged, in the period 2012-2014, indigenous organizations were more strengthened and familiar with the participation of indigenous women and how gender issues intersect with the indigenous agenda. As a consequence, OMIASEC is configured as parallel to a mixed indigenous organization, CECONSEC

Women of Influence: Interdisciplinary participatory approaches to understanding female leadership in the Peruvian Amazon

The Mujeres que influyen (Women of Influence) project is a collaboration between researchers at University of East Anglia and PUCP, and young women from the Junín area of Peru who are members of the National Council of Indigenous Women of Peru. It takes its starting point from an acknowledgement that although women play a fundamental role in the preservation of biodiversity and ancestral knowledge, these contributions often go unrecognized and underdeveloped (Ketty Marcelo, 2018), to the detriment of the very culture and environment that should be preserved. Our women-led participatory project, uses film (production, screening, analysis) to highlight the potential and importance for active and organised participation by these young women in their communities in order to protect and nurture their natural resources. Working alongside Asháninka and Yanesha young women, we seek to demonstrate the value of young female involvement in community decision-making, addressing the cultural and societal inequalities that may disrupt their path to leadership and influence. In this paper, we focus on the methods developed in the project, particularly the value of participatory video production as a form of activism, with the outputs serving as creative manifestos in themselves. The co-designed activities have led us to reframe fieldwork as auto-ethnographic digital collaborations that have sought to disrupt power hierarchies and facilitate the co-production of new knowledge. We reflect on how our Indigenous partners have helped us rethink issues of sustainability, resilience and alternative strategies to respond to gender dynamics, political ecologies and environmental challenges

Justice implications of health and food security policies for Indigenous peoples facing COVID-19: a qualitative study and policy analysis in Peru

The spread of COVID-19 in Peru resulted in the declaration of a national health emergency, in which Indigenous peoples were identified as being particularly vulnerable due to their pre-existing poor health indicators and disadvantaged social conditions. The aim of this paper is to examine how the Peruvian government responded to the health and food needs of the Shawi and Ashaninka Indigenous peoples of Peru during the first 18 months of the pandemic (March 2020-August 2021). This study uses both official policy documents and real-world experiences to evaluate policy responses in terms of their immediate impact and their longer-term sustainability and contribution to the improvement of health, well-being and justice for Indigenous communities. Four health and food security responses were evaluated: the Amazon Health Plan and Indigenous Command; food aid; cash aid; and COVID-19 vaccination. We employed the Multidimensional Injustice Framework to analyse the justice implications of the design and implementation of responses. Data collection included 71 interviews with government officials (n = 7), Indigenous leaders (n = 31) and community members (n = 33). The results show how national and regional governments released policies to address the health and food needs of Indigenous peoples directly or indirectly, as part of a broader focus on vulnerable people. However, justice implications were not sufficiently addressed in the design or implementation of the responses. On the distributive dimension, Indigenous communities were prioritized to receive health goods and services, nevertheless, the distribution had shortcomings that impeded their collection and Indigenous food systems and livelihoods were largely overlooked. On the procedural dimension, Indigenous representatives were included to provide culturally sensitive feedback on health interventions, but without funding, and furthermore, the community members had only passive participation. This paper points out the importance of considering and addressing justice implications for more effective and fairer health and food policy responses to current and future health crises

Policy responses to COVID-19 in Sri Lanka and the consideration of Indigenous Peoples

COVID-19 has had uneven impacts on health and well-being, with Indigenous communities in the Global South facing some of the highest risks. Focusing on the experience of Sri Lanka, this study identifies key policy responses to COVID-19, documents how they evolved over two years of the pandemic, and examines if and how government responses have addressed issues pertaining to Indigenous Peoples. Drawing upon an analysis of policy documents (n = 110) and interviews with policymakers (n = 20), we characterize seven key policy responses implemented by the Sri Lankan government: i) testing for and identifying COVID-19; ii) quarantine procedures; iii) provisional clinical treatments; iv) handling other diseases during COVID-19; v) movement; vi) guidelines to be adhered to by the general public; and vii) health and vaccination. The nature of these responses changed as the pandemic progressed. There is no evidence that policy development or implementation incorporated the voices and needs of Indigenous Peoples. © 202

Interactions between climate and COVID-19

In this Personal View, we explain the ways that climatic risks affect the transmission, perception, response, and lived experience of COVID-19. First, temperature, wind, and humidity influence the transmission of COVID-19 in ways not fully understood, although non-climatic factors appear more important than climatic factors in explaining disease transmission. Second, climatic extremes coinciding with COVID-19 have affected disease exposure, increased susceptibility of people to COVID-19, compromised emergency responses, and reduced health system resilience to multiple stresses. Third, long-term climate change and prepandemic vulnerabilities have increased COVID-19 risk for some populations (eg, marginalised communities). The ways climate and COVID-19 interact vary considerably between and within populations and regions, and are affected by dynamic and complex interactions with underlying socioeconomic, political, demographic, and cultural conditions. These conditions can lead to vulnerability, resilience, transformation, or collapse of health systems, communities, and livelihoods throughout varying timescales. It is important that COVID-19 response and recovery measures consider climatic risks, particularly in locations that are susceptible to climate extremes, through integrated planning that includes public health, disaster preparedness, emergency management, sustainable development, and humanitarian response

Indigenous knowledge, community resilience, and health emergency preparedness

The COVID-19 pandemic and the climate change emergency are among the greatest socioenvironmental crises of our time. These crises have exacerbated health inequalities,1 revealing substantial weaknesses in health systems and community preparedness.2 Indigenous peoples globally face some of the greatest risks associated with pandemics and global environmental changes. In the past 3 years (since Nov 16, 2020), we have collaborated with Indigenous communities as part of the COVID Observatories Project, to document their lived experiences, perceptions, and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of climatic stresses. In this Commentary, we reflect on the commonalities of Indigenous actions across multiple settings, recently synthesised at a COVID Observatories workshop at the Keystone Foundation in Kotagiri, India (March 19–21, 2023). We also provide examples of the use of Indigenous knowledge and practices that aligned with public health responses and underpinned community resilience in response to the COVID-19 pandemic..

Pathways through which climate and COVID-19 interact

In this Personal View, we explain the ways that climatic risks affect the transmission, perception, response, and lived experience of COVID-19. First, temperature, wind, and humidity influence the transmission of COVID-19 in ways not fully understood, although non-climatic factors appear more important than climatic factors in explaining disease transmission. Second, climatic extremes coinciding with COVID-19 have affected disease exposure, increased susceptibility of people to COVID-19, compromised emergency responses, and reduced health system resilience to multiple stresses. Third, long-term climate change and prepandemic vulnerabilities have increased COVID-19 risk for some populations (eg, marginalised communities). The ways climate and COVID-19 interact vary considerably between and within populations and regions, and are affected by dynamic and complex interactions with underlying socioeconomic, political, demographic, and cultural conditions. These conditions can lead to vulnerability, resilience, transformation, or collapse of health systems, communities, and livelihoods throughout varying timescales. It is important that COVID-19 response and recovery measures consider climatic risks, particularly in locations that are susceptible to climate extremes, through integrated planning that includes public health, disaster preparedness, emergency management, sustainable development, and humanitarian response

The 2024 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: facing record-breaking threats from delayed action

Despite the initial hope inspired by the 2015 Paris Agreement, the world is now dangerously close to breaching its target of limiting global multiyear mean heating to 1·5°C. Annual mean surface temperature reached a record high of 1·45°C above the pre-industrial baseline in 2023, and new temperature highs were recorded throughout 2024. The resulting climatic extremes are increasingly claiming lives and livelihoods worldwide.The Lancet Countdown: tracking progress on health and climate change was established the same year the Paris Agreement entered into force, to monitor the health impacts and opportunities of the world's response to this landmark agreement. Supported through strategic core funding from Wellcome, the collaboration brings together over 300 multidisciplinary researchers and health professionals from around the world to take stock annually of the evolving links between health and climate change at global, regional, and national levels.The 2024 report of the Lancet Countdown, building on the expertise of 122 leading researchers from UN agencies and academic institutions worldwide, reveals the most concerning findings yet in the collaboration's 8 years of monitoring