Land is Life

05/28/2026

Weeks after the latest COP, the conversations continue, not only about environmental protection, but about power, participation, and justice.

The Escazú Agreement has the potential to strengthen access to information, public participation, and environmental justice across Latin America and the Caribbean. But for , implementation cannot remain symbolic.

As extractive industries continue expanding across Indigenous territories, communities are demanding more than consultation processes that exclude them from real decision-making. Indigenous Peoples must be recognized as political actors, rights holders, and leaders in shaping environmental policies that directly affect their lands and futures.

The next two years before will be critical. Most of the real decisions will happen through national implementation processes, and Indigenous Peoples must be meaningfully included every step of the way.

At Land is Life, we remain committed to supporting Indigenous-led advocacy, regional solidarity, and collective action for environmental justice.

05/28/2026

Acompañamos con respeto y solidaridad a la familia, comunidad y pueblos hermanos que hoy despiden a Donald Rojas.

Que su legado continúe guiando la defensa de los territorios, la dignidad y los derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas.

05/25/2026

🎥 Join our on Indigenous-led storytelling and audiovisual communication strategies.

Learn practical skills to create reels and audiovisual content that amplify Indigenous voices, strengthen advocacy efforts, and share community-led narratives with wider audiences.

🗓 Thursday, May 28, 2026
⏰ 9:00–10:00 AM (ET)
💻 Zoom | English & Spanish interpretation

Speakers: Daniela Alzate & Eduardo Peralta
Moderator: Ana Amaguaña

📌 Pre-register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/9lYZU22bRU2lBkOg7jxvfA

Global Indigenous Youth Caucus

05/22/2026

On this International Day for , we celebrate the climate change Advisory Opinions of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice, alongside the recent adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of the resolution on climate accountability, welcoming the opinion - a strong signal of growing global commitments to protect biodiversity, uphold human rights, and advance climate action.

These developments also recognize the essential role of in protecting biodiversity and responding to the climate crisis, reaffirming a critical truth: protecting biodiversity means protecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights, territories, and knowledge systems.

Indigenous Peoples play an essential role in conserving ecosystems and strengthening climate resilience, while facing some of the most severe impacts of climate change and environmental destruction.

Protecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights is protecting biodiversity.
Protecting Indigenous knowledge is climate action.

05/19/2026

are already leading solutions to the climate crisis through their territories, knowledge systems, and governance practices, yet these efforts remain under-recognized and underfunded.

🌎 Land is Life is conducting a study on Indigenous Peoples’ responses to climate change, and we invite Indigenous leaders, communities, and partners to share their experiences and priorities through a short questionnaire.

🕒 The survey takes less than 10 minutes to complete and will remain open until May 25.

🔗 Complete the questionnaire here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd2UOS76v1eFPe_XvhfDPrWzl-K3J0f7tfWkLRVgNpoHEe6gQ/viewform?hl=en

Your contribution will help strengthen this research and amplify Indigenous-led climate solutions from different territories.

Introductory note to Indigenous Peoples’ organizations This questionnaire aims to document the impacts of climate related environmental disasters on Indigenous Peoples’ territories and to better understand the responses led by Indigenous Peoples to address these impacts.

05/11/2026

Across territories and negotiation tables, one truth remains clear: are already leading the solutions the world needs.

In this reflection on Land is Life’s 2026–2029 Strategic Plan, Executive Director Luisa Castañeda-Quintana shares why this moment calls not for symbolic inclusion, but for systemic transformation grounded in Indigenous leadership, territorial defense, governance, and collective action.

Built alongside 107 coalition members representing 86 Indigenous Peoples across 27 countries, this strategy is both a roadmap and a call to action for funders, policymakers, and allies to move beyond rhetoric and support Indigenous Peoples as decision-makers shaping our collective future.

The path forward is not uncertain. Indigenous Peoples are already walking it.

By Luisa Castañeda-Quintana, Executive Director, Land is Life

05/07/2026

A glimpse into the Land is Life Strategic Plan ✨

Developed through a 2025 Partner Survey with 107 coalition members representing 86 Indigenous Peoples across 27 countries, this plan reflects shared priorities for territorial protection, collective leadership, climate justice, and Indigenous self-determination.

Built around three interconnected pillars: Territorial Defense and Crisis Response, Governance and Leadership Support, and Advocacy and Policy Influence. the plan guides our collective work in the years ahead.

Read the Strategic Plan and explore the vision shaping our collective future:https://www.landislife.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Strategic-Plan-LIL-2026-V3.pdf

05/07/2026

“This is a moment of opportunity. These advisory opinions are not symbolic, they are instruments of power.”

At the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Luisa Castañeda emphasized the importance of transforming international into real tools for Indigenous Peoples' advocacy, accountability, and protection of Indigenous lands and rights.

As governments continue failing to meet climate obligations, Indigenous leaders are calling for stronger enforcement, implementation, and recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ leadership in .

👇👇Read this article from Grist on the growing movement to ensure international climate decisions lead to action on the ground.

The gap between what international courts say and what governments do is stark.

05/04/2026

A glimpse into our days at ✨

These weeka were about listening, learning, and standing alongside Indigenous leaders shaping global conversations on rights, climate, and justice.

These moments remind us of the power of collective action and the importance of centering Indigenous Peoples voices.

05/01/2026

At the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, alongside the University of Arizona Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy Program and the Yale Center for Environmental Justice, we explored how Article 32 of is being implemented through Indigenous-led initiatives and stewardship.

Indigenous leadership is driving the change.