Background
Secure land tenure and effective Indigenous-led governance arrangements are fundamental to advancing Indigenous self-determination, protecting Indigenous rights, and enabling communities to shape their own development priorities and economies. Similarly, clear governance structures and coordinated institutional frameworks are essential for managing Indigenous territories, supporting territorial planning, resolving land tenure issues, and ensuring that public investments and services respond to the needs and aspirations of Indigenous Peoples.
Costa Rica’s institutional framework for Indigenous territorial governance and land recovery, including the role of Indigenous Integral Development Associations (ADIs) as local governments within Indigenous territories offer a distinctive institutional approach to territorial governance by combining mechanisms for land restitution, community representation, and inter-institutional coordination with broader efforts to improve infrastructure, public services, and sustainable development in Indigenous territories. By bringing together the experiences of Costa Rica, Canada, and Chile, this event provides a platform for peer learning on the institutional arrangements, governance mechanisms, and policy approaches that support Indigenous territorial governance. The discussion will help identify good practices that can inform future OECD work on Indigenous governance, territorial development, and inclusive public policy.