This document provides a preliminary report on a UNDP/Apikan scoping mission to Belize, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Panama from September 13 to October 5, 1994 to explore opportunities for North/South Indigenous partnerships for self-sufficiency. The report summarizes meetings with 194 individuals from 78 organizations in the 4 countries. It finds unanimous interest from Indigenous groups in partnerships focused on sustainable development and trade. It identifies over 35 potential partnership project opportunities and makes 7 preliminary recommendations, including that Indigenous trade be incorporated into all development projects, a public education campaign on fair trade be developed, Indigenous trade strategies be prepared for each country, and a pilot North/South Indigenous schools linkages project be initiated.

1. INDIGENOUS PARTNERSHIPS
FOR
SELF SUFFICIENCY
AN APIKAN/UNDP INITIATIVE
PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE
CENTRAL AMERICAN SCOPING MISSION
SEPT. 13 — OCT. 5, 1994
Date: October 11, 1994
Prepared by: Wayne Dunn
Apikan Indigenous Network
154 Aylmer Ave.
Ottawa, On. K1S 2Y4
CANADA
Phone: (613) 733-6069
Fax: (613) 733-7816

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 1
2. OBJECTIVE .................................................................................. 1
3. METHODOLOGY .......................................................................... 1
4. CHRONOLOGY OF FIELD RESEARCH ....................................... 2
4.1 BELIZE.....................................................................................................................2
4.2 NICARAGUA ...........................................................................................................2
4.3 GUATEMALA .........................................................................................................4
4.4 PANAMA ..................................................................................................................4
5. RESULTS ...................................................................................... 5
6. PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................ 6
6.1 RECOMMENDATION ONE .................................................................................6
6.2 RECOMMENDATION TWO ................................................................................6
6.3 RECOMMENDATION THREE ............................................................................7
6.4 RECOMMENDATION FOUR...............................................................................7
6.5 RECOMMENDATION FIVE ................................................................................8
6.6 RECOMMENDATION SIX ...................................................................................8
6.7 RECOMMENDATION SEVEN.............................................................................9

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1. INTRODUCTION
This is a preliminary discussion report on the findings of the UNDP/Apikan—Indigenous
Partnerships for Self Sufficiency scoping mission to Belize, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Panama
(Sept. 13-Oct. 5/94). The material presented in this report is meant to stimulate and focus
discussion. A more comprehensive report will follow; this was prepared very shortly after the
completion of the scoping mission in order to be tabled at Apikan/UNDP Round Table on
Indigenous Trade and Development being held in Washington, DC on October 11, 1994.
The Apikan/UNDP scoping mission was designed to test a thesis; that there is interest in and
opportunities for North/South Indigenous Partnerships for Self Sufficiency. With the logistical
support of the UNDP and Plenty Canada, field research was conducted in five countries; El
Salvador, Belize, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Panama. Meetings were held with 194
individuals, representing 78 organizations (57 Indigenous) during the 23 day mission.
The project was financed by, Apikan Indigenous Network, Industry Canada—Aboriginal
Business Canada, Canadian International Development Agency and UNDP/Prodere. The
mission was led by Wayne Dunn, with assistance from Gary Peters and Samuel Mercado, all
of whom have extensive experience in Indigenous development. In country logistical support
for the mission was provided by, UNDP, UNDP/Prodere, Pana Pana, Plenty Canada
Any groups, organizations or individuals wishing to comment on this report and its findings are
invited to submit comments to Apikan Indigenous Network at the address on the cover sheet.
2. OBJECTIVE
The overall objective of the Indigenous Partnerships for Self Sufficiency project is to test an
Indigenous Partnerships/Linkage model to bring together North/South Indigenous groups and
private sector interests to develop Indigenous trade opportunities.
The objectives of the Central American scoping mission were to determine;
1. Are Central American Indigenous Groups interested in working with North American
Indigenous groups on sustainable development projects?
2. If the answer to question one is positive, Are the Central American Groups interested in a
trade focus to these initiatives?
3. Are there concrete project opportunities where these partnership models can be developed
and tested?
3. METHODOLOGY
The general methodology used to test the thesis, and determine project opportunities was by
direct contact with local, regional and national Indigenous groups in each of the target
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countries. This was supplemented with meetings and interviews with UNDP staff and other
professionals and NGOs operating in the region.
In total, 194 persons were met with, representing 78 organizations in 5 countries. Of these,
most were local Indigenous persons, representing 57 different Indigenous organizations.
Meetings and interviews were conducted under a variety of settings ranging from the
Nicaraguan National Assembly in Managua, to a coffee bean warehouse in the Guatemalan
highlands to high-rises in Panama City to an old overgrown cacao operation deep in the
rainforest of northern Nicaragua.
The format for the meetings involved an introduction to the mission and a brief background on
the experiences of Canadian Indigenous groups. Following this introduction, three questions
were posed;
1. Are you interested in working with North American Indigenous groups on sustainable
development projects?
2. Are you interested in a trade focus to these projects?
3. Are there concrete project opportunities where these partnership models can be developed
and tested?
Note: when meeting with Indigenous individuals and groups, these questions were asked
directly, when meeting with non-Indigenous individuals, they were asked for opinions as
to the Indigenous response to the questions.
4. CHRONOLOGY OF FIELD RESEARCH
The consultants began the mission September 13 & 14, 1994, with an initial briefing at
UNDP/Prodere headquarters in San Salvador and a briefing with the UNDP country office.
4.1 BELIZE
Following the San Salvador briefing, field work began in Belize on September 15, with meetings
with UNDP staff, UNDP/Prodere staff, several NGOs and Indigenous groups in Belmopan,
Belize City and San Jose Succotz. The Belize program was jointly organized by
UNDP/Prodere and local Apikan Network contacts.
4.2 NICARAGUA
The majority of the Nicaraguan program was organized by Samuel Mercado, Central American
Program Officer with Plenty Canada.
Field research began in Nicaragua on Monday, September 19, with a briefing session at the
UNDP country office and meetings with Indigenous politicians and organizations in Managua.
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Tuesday, September 20, the mission traveled to Puerto Cabezas in the North Autonomous
Region (RAAN), and met with the local Governor, Pana Pana (a local Indigenous NGO), the
President of the Indigenous Parliament of the Americas, local Indigenous political leaders and
others.
Wednesday, Sept. 21, the group departed by land for the 4 hour (160km) trip to Waspan on the
Rio Coco, and from there traveled by boat up the Rio Coco approximately 80 miles, stopping at
several remote Miskito communities and returning to spend the night in San Carlos. The
following day, they returned to Waspan by boat and then to Puerto Cabezas by truck.
During the Rio Coco trip, the group met with many local leaders and residents, and purchased
several Cacao bean samples as requested by Whole Earth Foods, a United Kingdom Fair
Trade Company. Also, during this portion of the mission, the group was exposed to the
destruction and total lack of infrastructure that is a result of the Civil War.
Friday, September 23, the mission met with 3 Indigenous members of Parliament of the
Southern Autonomous Region prior to flying from Puerto Cabezas to Managua. In Managua
they met with Brooklyn Rivera, Minister of the Nicaraguan National Government in charge of the
Autonomous Atlantic Regions. Following this meeting, a debriefing session on the week’s
activities was held with local UNDP staff.
Saturday, September 24, the mission flew from Managua to Bluefields, where meetings were
held with the local Proraas staff, the Executive of the Parliament for the Southern Autonomous
Region (RAAS), and the Executive of the Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University.
Sunday, September 25, the mission flew from Bluefields to Managua to Guatemala City.
Enroute from Bluefields to Managua an informal meeting was held with Dr. Harry Brautigam
Vice President—Central America, Bank of America. This meeting focused on the need for
improved, grassroots based mechanisms for the delivery of credit and capital in the $500 to $50
000 range.
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4.3 GUATEMALA
The entire Guatemala program was organized by the local UNDP/Prodere office, and UNDP
Prodere staff assisted with and participated in all meetings.
Monday September 26, the mission met with UNDP and UNDP Prodere staff in Guatemala City.
As well, meetings were held with the Guatemalan Peace Project, Executives and Board
members from the National Peace Fund and the National Indigenous Development Fund.
Following this, a meeting was held with representatives of several Indigenous Craft and
Development organizations.
Tuesday, September 27, the mission flew to Sacapulas in the Guatemalan highlands and then
drove to Nabaj. Over the next two days meetings were held with various organizations and
individuals involved in development projects in the Prodere Ixil area project, prior to returning to
Guatemala City late on Thursday September 29.
Friday, September 30, the mission reviewed the results of the Nicaraguan research with local
UNDP/Prodere staff. Following this debriefing and review, the remainder of Friday and
Saturday, October 1 were used for administrative/organizational tasks. Also, on Friday, Samuel
Mercado left Guatemala City for Nicaragua to begin follow-up activities on project opportunities
and priorities identified in that country.
4.4 PANAMA
The entire program in Panama was organized by the Panamanian UNDP office. Local UNDP
staff were present at most meetings.
Sunday, October 2, the mission flew from Guatemala to Panama City
Monday, October 3 there was an initial briefing session with UNDP Panama staff and Resident
Representative, followed by meetings with Panamanian government officials involved in
Indigenous development and meetings with representatives of several local Indigenous
organizations.
Tuesday October 4 meetings were held with additional Indigenous groups prior to a final
debriefing with Mr. Mandeville, UNDP Resident Representative in Panama
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5. RESULTS
There was a unanimously positive response to the questions posed during the field research.
When asked the questions;
1. Are Central American Indigenous Groups interested in working with North American
Indigenous groups on sustainable development projects?
2. If the answer to question one is positive, Are the Central American Groups interested in a
trade focus to these initiatives?
3. Are there concrete project opportunities where these partnership models can be developed
and tested?
There was not one negative response. Every group, individual and organization interviewed
responded positively. In just three weeks of field research, over 35 Indigenous project
opportunities were identified as a result of the field research.
At the time of this writing these projects opportunities have yet to be reviewed or prioritized. It
is expected that some will be combined and that some will not be recommended for pre-
feasibility analysis. Despite this, the number of potential projects is much higher than expected,
and development activity is already happening on several of them.
In the weeks ahead, Apikan will work with the UNDP and other Indigenous interests to prioritize
the opportunities and prepare development action plans for the most promising opportunities.
These will be tabled in a final report, along with other related developments.
In addition to the verbal commitments, the mission received numerous letters of support and
requests to provide technical support and assistance on specific Indigenous projects.
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6. PRELIMINARY RECOMMENDATIONS
The following recommendations are preliminary in nature, and are meant to stimulate
discussion. They are not intended to be comprehensive, but simply to provide a starting point
for discussion. It is expected that, through discussion at the Round Table on Indigenous Trade
and Development, along with additional input from other sources, they will become more
thorough and comprehensive prior to final publication. Persons or organizations with
suggestions or comments, should contact Apikan Indigenous Network at the address on the
cover page.
The following recommendations are presented in an entirely ad hoc order. No prioritization
should be implied from the order of presentation.
6.1 RECOMMENDATION ONE
It was repeatedly stated, by virtually every Indigenous group contacted, that trade and business
development is their most important priority. To synthesize the comments of all the Indigenous
people interviewed; “Education and Health Care are important, but; if someone finances a
school for us this year, next year we will need assistance to hire teachers and operate the
school; if someone finances a health facility this year, next year we will need assistance to staff
and operate it. But, if we are helped to develop profitable trading operations, soon we will have
the resources to build and operate our own schools and health facilities.” This sentiment was
echoed over and over, in virtually every meeting and contact made during the entire mission.
Trading was a part of the Indigenous economy long before European contact. Columbus
reported sighting large trading barges plying the Atlantic coast of Central America. It has been
proven that Indigenous people traded throughout the Americas, long before they were
‘discovered’ by Columbus.
Historically, trade development has not been a major focus of Indigenous development efforts
in the region. Trade development has been identified as a top priority by Indigenous groups.
Development practitioners and planners will need to learn new ways of focusing and
implementing projects to accommodate this desire. In order to ensure that, wherever possible
and practicable, there is a trade focus to development projects, it is recommended that;
Indigenous Trade and Development should be addressed in every development project
planned and undertaken in the Latin American and Caribbean region. If it is not possible
or feasible for the project to address Indigenous trade development, the reasons for this
should be outlined in project documents.
6.2 RECOMMENDATION TWO
Fair Trade aims to facilitate trade with third world producers. It does this by encouraging
industry and consumers to purchase third world goods that have been produced under
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conditions that protect the environment and guarantee a fair return to the people who made
them.
The Fair Trade movement offers an excellent vehicle to develop profitable markets for
Indigenous trade products. Based on the experience of existing Fair Trade businesses and
products, there is growing market acceptance of these products. Noted author and futurist
Faith Popcorn has identified trends that indicate huge growth potential for these types of
products. “There’s a tremendous political consciousness about how people are buying (and)
1
who they want to buy from” . She goes on to note that “a Save our Society” trend is also big
with consumers.
Despite this, the Fair Trade movement is still relatively new and, especially in North America,
does not enjoy a high degree of market recognition.
It is expected that increased market recognition of the Fair Trade movement and its products
will result in increased consumer demand for Fair Trade products, which will result in more Fair
Trade products and more Fair Trade businesses, which will result in an increase in trade
opportunities for third world Indigenous groups.
Therefore, it is recommended that,
A public education and awareness campaign on Fair Trade and Indigenous people be
developed, financed and implemented.
This will be done in association with existing Fair Trade organizations and private sector
interests
6.3 RECOMMENDATION THREE
As noted previously, the increasing focus on Indigenous trade and development is a relatively
recent phenomenon. In addition to the wholehearted endorsement by the Indigenous
community (make note on how it relates to field work on this mission), the UNDP and other
organizations such as the IDB, IAF, CIDA, USAID and others are showing increasing interest in
Indigenous trade.
In order to ensure a rational, and speedy approach to Indigenous trade development, it is
recommended that;
An Indigenous Trade Development Strategy be prepared for each country in the Latin
American and Caribbean region.
6.4 RECOMMENDATION FOUR
Indigenous trade and development needs to focus on both long and short term objectives.
While there is an urgency to develop Indigenous linkages and trade opportunities in the short
term, it is important to undertake initiatives that will lay the foundation for future initiatives.
1
Ottawa Citizen - August 17, 1994
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Latin American Indigenous groups have indicated overwhelmingly that they want to link with
Canadian Indigenous groups. Historically, Indigenous trading relationships have had a
significant cultural and social component. In order to stimulate long term social relationships,
and the free exchange of ideas and contacts between North/South Indigenous groups, it is
recommended that;
North/South Indigenous Schools Linkages project be initiated on a pilot basis.
This initiative was suggested by Edmundo Javier Lopez Conzalez, Supervisor of Education for
the Nebaj—El Quiché district in Guatemala. Panamanian groups also expressed interest in
participating in the pilot phase of this initiative.
ááááááááááááááááá
6.5 RECOMMENDATION FIVE
Canadian Indigenous groups have a wealth of successful experience in business and
institutional development and program delivery. There are over 10,000 Indigenous NGOs in
Canada, with activities ranging from child care to drug and alcohol programs to legal services to
local school boards to business support organizations to program delivery groups. In addition,
Canadian Indigenous groups and individuals own and operate businesses in every major sector
of the Canadian economy including; oil and gas, airlines, shipping companies, computer
programming, construction, forestry, mining, legal services, etc.
At the recent Indigenous Partnerships Conference (Belize City-April, 1994), Indigenous groups
from Canada and Latin America and the Caribbean expressed a desire to work together on
development projects. This was a mutual desire, with explicit benefits for both groups. This
finding was confirmed by the findings of the scoping mission to Central America. Therefore, it
is recommended that;
Where desired by local Indigenous populations, Canadian Indigenous development
technology and experience should be utilized as a model for Indigenous development.
Note: This should not be construed as recommending use of Canadian groups in every
project, or in all situations. The decision to use Canadian groups and Indigenous
development technology needs to be made by local interests on a case by case basis.
6.6 RECOMMENDATION SIX
The government of Panama has expressed a desire to the local UNDP office to examine new
strategies to maximize Indigenous participation in the Panamanian economy. The Indigenous
groups in Panama, that were contacted by this mission, expressed an overwhelming desire to
participate more positively in the expanding Panamanian economy. This represents an
excellent opportunity to begin the process of preparing a Panamanian Indigenous Trade
Development Strategy. Therefore it is recommended that;
The UNDP office in Panama organize a meeting with Panama’s Indigenous community
and the Panamanian Government to discuss Indigenous trade development
opportunities.
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6.7 RECOMMENDATION SEVEN
Virtually every Indigenous group interviewed identified lack of financial resources and lack of
access to markets and development technology (i.e. how to participate more fully in the
economy of the country and region) as major barriers to development.
Indigenous trade development is a priority for local Indigenous groups. International agencies
operating in the area have a responsibility to respond to this desire, and to address constraints
to trade development.
Therefore it is recommended that;
A concentrated effort be made by all stakeholders to assemble the financial and human
resources necessary to assist with the development of sustainable Indigenous trade
initiatives.
Apikan/UNDP—1994