WEBINAR ON INDIGENOUS
GOVERNANCE IN AUSTRALIA AND
LATIN AMERICA – 23 July 2021
Latin America has an estimated indigenous
population of at least 42 million. The
indigenous component of total population
varies between countries from less than 1
percent to over 60 percent. Even within
countries indigenous communities are often
diverse in ethnic, cultural and economic
terms. It is unsurprising, therefore, that
models of indigenous governance vary both
within and between countries.
In Australia the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander population is an estimated 3.3
percent of the total population. In common
with Latin America, the diversity of its
indigenous communities is reflected in an
array of governance structures and systems.
These are comprised of interconnected
layers of extended families, clans and
communities, their land-ownership rights
and interests, and cultural knowledge and
practice to manage and maintain Country.
Sometimes these structures are legally
incorporated; sometimes they remain
informal and flexible.
The webinar will provide an opportunity to
exchange ideas and experiences on
governance structures in Australia,
Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala and
contemplate whether or not they are fit for
purpose - including lessons learned from
negotiating self-determination outcomes, the
efficacy of indigenous knowledge, and
creating certainty in relation to land and
water tenure.
Agenda
1-Welcome – Noel Campbell (Co-Director,
Australian National Centre for Latin
American Studies, ANU)
2-Introductory remarks – Bruce Gorring
(Director, National Indigenous Business
Development Hub, First Nations Portfolio,
Australian National University)
3-Case studies
 Guatemala – Leticia Teleguario,
Kaqchikel politician and Indigenous
rights activist former Minister of Labour
and Social Welfare, Guatemala
 Australia – Virginia Marshall
(Postdoctoral Fellow, School of
Regulation and Global Governance,
Australian National University
 Ecuador – Cristina Males, Deputy Chief
Minister, Province of Imbabura, Ecuador
 Colombia – Natalia Isabel Avalos,
Coordinator for promotion of the rights
of indigenous peoples, Ministry of
Interior, Colombia 
4-Discussion - Questions and Answers
5-Concluding remarks Binota Dhami
(ANU academic, member of the UN Expert
Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples)
Please register to attend this online event
through Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/indigenous
-peoples-and-good-governance-tickets-
162386934693