2020 Review: A Year of Grassroots Resilience

Friends,

It has been twenty eight years since Land is Life was founded in that small, forested valley in Brazil, in the village called Kari-Oca. Nearly three decades, and often it seems that we are still fighting the same battles: mining, oil extraction, logging, industrial agriculture, and the building of large infrastructure projects like dams, roads, settlements. In support of these destructive activities – and in the name of development, conservation and security – states all too often label Indigenous people as terrorists and carry out policies of oppression, including the destruction of villages, the decimation of livelihoods, forced evictions, torture and even killings.

Since our founding, Land is Life has been committed to strengthening the struggle for Indigenous peoples’ rights at all levels: local, national, regional and international. Since our founding, we have worked to support communities so that they can continue to live in and safeguard their ancestral territories, in the ways that they choose and according to their own principles, priorities and visions. This year has been no different, we have continued to make good on our commitment.

As 2020 comes to an end, we would like to reflect on the challenges of the past year, highlight some of our accomplishments, and share our hopes for the coming year.

The impact of the coronavirus on our work in 2020 has been profound. The pandemic forced us to re-think how we work, to take a hard look at our priorities, to reconsider how to move forward with our programs, and to have difficult conversations with our funders. It has been a challenging year, but we are proud to be able to say that Land is Life – both as an organization and as a coalition – has come out stronger and more effective than ever. The commitment of our staff, and the resilience and determination of the communities and organizations that make up the Land is Life family, continues to inspire us. We remain concerned about how the COVID-19 crisis will continue into the next year, but we are confident that, no matter what, we will rise to the occasion.

Despite many challenges, we were able to accomplish a great deal in 2020. In addition to responding to communities’ needs for medical supplies, food, masks, gloves and other COVID-19 relief, we were able to: expand our work to protect Indigenous Peoples Living in Voluntary Isolation; make gains in the development of community protocols on Free, Prior and Informed Consent; increase the number and scope of our Indigenous-led grants; strengthen our programs that provide safety and security to Indigenous rights defenders, and; continue to provide long-term strategic and financial support to a large number of Indigenous peoples’ organizations.

Soon, a new year will begin. A year full of challenges and responsibilities. Confronting the threats faced by Indigenous peoples is an enormous and complex task, and the need to invest in Indigenous communities, and strengthen their land and resource rights, has never been more urgent, or apparent. Those who support Land is Life should be proud. Together, we have created an organization that is unique, effective and resilient; an organization that is making a real difference for Indigenous peoples around the world. Together, we are moving towards international recognition of Indigenous peoples’ rights. Together, we are helping humanity to awaken, so that we can learn – once again – how to live in a way that is responsible to future generations.

Our commitment, based on a tradition of love for the Earth and respect for human diversity, is stronger than ever. We hope that each of you will continue to support our work, and we invite you to contribute your ideas about how we can be still more effective.

We walk to the future in the footprints of our ancestors,

Land is Life’s Board of Directors

Marcos Terena, Mariam Wallet Aboubakrine, Brian Keane, Cecilia Baltazar Yucailla, Kara de los Reyes, Gleb Raygorodetsky, Fabian Lliguin, Casey Box