Indigenous leader joins PEFC Board of Directors

13 March 2013 News

“PEFC has a long history paying special attention to the specific needs of smallholders in advancing responsible forestry”, said Juan Carlos Jintiach on the occasion of the PEFC Board of Directors meeting, which is currently taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.

“It is the focus on local ownership, on bottom-up approaches that makes PEFC so appealing to family-forest owners and indigenous peoples alike, and I welcome the chance to contribute to PEFC’s work.”

Juan Carlos Jintiach was elected to the PEFC Board of Directors in January 2013 and is currently attending his first PEFC Board meeting. “Indigenous peoples have been managing forests sustainably for generations. For us, forest certification represents a mechanism that can give us recognition and respect for our often unnoticed contribution in protecting our forests. What we offer in return is our commitment, our experience and our traditional knowledge gathered through hundreds or thousands of years that we have been living in the Amazon basin.”

Juan Carlos Jintiach currently serves as International Cooperation Specialist for COICA (Coordinadora de las Organizaciones Indígenas de Cuenca Amazonica. COICA is an international organization that coordinates activities between national indigenous organizations of the nine Amazonian countries Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Guyana, French Guyana, Suriname, Bolivia, and Venezuela.

“We warmly welcome Mr. Jintiach and his unique perspective to the PEFC Board of Directors and are looking forward to a long and fruitful collaboration”, commented William Street, Chairman of PEFC International.

“As the world’s largest forest certification system it is also at the forefront of advancing social sustainability standards. We understand the importance of the historical and cultural uniqueness of indigenous peoples interests. Free, prior and informed consent, the UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, and ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples are all an integral part of our standards. “
“Mr. Jintiach’s election continues indigenious peoples participation on PEFC’s Board. We are glad to be joined by such an outstanding person such as Juan, “Mr. Street emphasized.

Mr. Jintiach also serves as the elected official representing indigenous peoples of Latin America in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and as a focal point in the indigenous people’s caucus within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Forest Investment Program (FIP) within the World Bank. He studied Natural Resources Management at the University of San Francisco of Quito.

Mr Juan Carlos Jintiach is a Shuar indigenous from the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador. He has been continuously working with the Shuar, Achuar, and Kiwchuas communities and indigenous organizations of Ecuador. Most recently, he worked as a Parliamentary advisor in the Republic of Ecuador´s National Congress.