Indigenous populations in Latin American continue facing a series of challenges in the new millennium that must be resolved in order to improve living conditions, have greater access to resources and basic services, increase respect for their human and collective rights, and guarantee greater recognition as political stakeholders.

In this context, the Institute of the Commons (IBC), together with the Ford Foundation and Oxfam America, undertook a project, Indigenous Peoples of Latin America: Challenges for the New Millennium, with the goal of stimulating reflection on achievements benefiting indigenous peoples in Latin America and what still needs to be done.  The principal idea running though the work was the way in which the challenges facing indigenous peoples were influencing their capacity to govern, and relate to the legal and political frameworks in each country.  It was also necessary to analyze challenges based on the existing inter-relations between identity and culture with respect to the economy and access to resources.  These relationships formed the central chords used to weave a tapestry of challenges and issues confronting Latin American indigenous peoples at the start of the XXI century.

This project was carried out in two phases, each with specific objectives and products

• Phase one
• Phase two