About methodology

The decision to establish contact should always come from the isolated peoples themselves, never from outside.

The fundamental principle underpinning all of Patricia's work is that of non-contact. Isolated peoples, or those living in a state of nature, within the framework of their right to self-determination, have chosen to remain isolated, many of them in their ancestral territories, and any action taken in or around their territories must be based on respect for this decision. This requires the active protection of the territories where these peoples live, ensuring that external agents cannot force contact, as has occurred in other cases. In the case of the Yurí-Passé, the traditional authorities of the neighboring communities have been the ones who have maintained care and protection, using their systems of cultural knowledge and their relationships to curb any action, delay contact, and keep external actors away. "Non-contact" in practice is not an absence of action, but a sustained and organized effort to guarantee the protection of the right to self-determination to remain isolated or in a state of nature.

Cultural, legal, and political protection are interconnected.

Patricia's conceptual framework for protecting peoples in isolation or their natural state rests on three interconnected pillars: cultural protection led by traditional authorities and neighboring communities, legal defense of enforceable rights, and political organization that brings these rights to decision-making spaces at the regional and global levels to strengthen their protection. None of these pillars operates in isolation. Legal recognition and political advocacy at the regional and global levels are what give cultural protection its scope and enduring impact.

What it works on

The constant promotional work in international forums and spaces is yielding concrete results and laying the foundations for achieving more.

Two years of OPIAC's sustained participation and advocacy in international climate and biodiversity frameworks have yielded results that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Under the Subsidiary Body to Article 8(j) of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the protection of Indigenous Peoples was incorporated for the first time. At COP30, it was included in the Work Programme for a Just Transition. Within the framework of the Amazonian Mechanism for Indigenous Peoples (MAPI), a new working group was created to coordinate regional action across the Amazon basin. And for the first time, Indigenous Peoples themselves, rather than universities or external researchers, will prepare a report with recommendations to be submitted to States Parties, covering regulatory progress, the situation of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI), and the actions needed for their protection. Patricia sees COP17 and COP31, taking place this year, as opportunities to ensure recognition of Indigenous Peoples' contributions to global biodiversity goals. "I want to believe we're close," she says, "but processes with significant impacts sometimes take a long time, and perhaps by the time they materialize I won't be alive anymore."

Strengthening the governance of neighboring communities is the most direct action and strategy available.

Patricia asserts that the foundation of any effective protection strategy lies in the capacity of neighboring Indigenous communities to monitor, oversee, and protect the territories of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) from a cultural, political, and legal perspective. Creating spaces for coordination at the territorial level, where communities can meet, develop local strategies, and build a united front, is where the impact is most direct and lasting. Strengthening this capacity also requires investing in the training of Indigenous leaders so that communities can navigate the legal and political systems that govern their rights. She believes that direct funding to communities for these governance structures is essential for the benefits that climate and biodiversity protection frameworks can provide.

About the barriers

Contact with the Yurí-Passé is imminent and the national government is not prepared.

Patricia expresses her concern for the Yurí-Passé, isolated peoples or those living in a natural state in the Colombian Amazon, whose territories are threatened by illegal mining and other extractive activities. “The traditional authorities are resisting,” she states, “but I don’t believe their strength will run out, and it won’t be enough to withstand all the pressure on their territories.” In Patricia’s opinion, contact is imminent, and the national government is unprepared. While the legal and institutional framework that Colombia has built is more developed than that of most countries, it has not translated into concrete actions to prevent contact.

The training of indigenous leaders to defend their rights is uneven across the region, which limits the possibilities.

Patricia understands that the tripartite framework she works within—cultural, legal, and political—is not equally available everywhere. In Colombia, she was able to attend university, understand how the state functions, and navigate the political and legal systems that shape Indigenous rights. This training enabled her advocacy work. In many other regions, access to this type of leadership development is scarce or nonexistent, and without it, Indigenous leaders cannot participate effectively in international forums and spaces where decisions are made about their territories.

At the intersection of climate and the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI)

Governments claim to protect the Amazon while planning a just transition using resources from indigenous territories.

Patricia points out that national governments in the Amazon basin present themselves as protectors of the forest—participating in climate forums, receiving funding, and making commitments—while mining, both legal and illegal, encroaches upon Indigenous Peoples' territories. The “just transition,” presented as a climate solution, is being planned using resources from Indigenous territories in the Amazon basin. Patricia insists that Indigenous Peoples' territories in the Amazon basin must be excluded from any fossil fuel and mining activities within the framework of the transition, and that these peoples must have the right to self-determination and to maintain their knowledge systems and governance within their territories.

On the consolidation of the PIACI category as a global category

The global category is being built, but it requires that indigenous voices be at the center of the process.

Patricia observes a real push toward consolidating the PIACI category as a global category, driven by the constant advocacy of Indigenous Peoples in international forums and spaces. However, this approach cannot assume uniform conditions in all countries. Some states do not recognize isolated peoples, others do not recognize them at all, and the legal and political infrastructure that enables the Colombian framework to function does not exist everywhere. In her view, the role of the GTI-PIACI is to facilitate dialogue and support Indigenous leaders so they can directly influence these processes. An important next step is to ensure that the report being prepared by the MAPI working group—the first of its kind drafted by Indigenous Peoples—reaches all eight countries of the Amazon basin and generates practical recommendations for those most affected.