The Coordinator of the Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), is an indigenous organization of international convergence that focuses its efforts on the promotion, protection and security of indigenous peoples and territories through the defense of their ways of life, principles and social, spiritual and cultural values. 
Our pre-existence is framed in the defense of life and the Amazon to continue as a seed in the earth and conserve the forests for a living planet that ensures the continuity of our present and future generations.

History

Our history as well as our worldview is integral, because the life of our peoples is directly linked to the other beings that inhabit the Amazonian forests.

While the other regions of America, coasts and mountains, were violated by the processes of European conquest, colonization and constitution of republics; Indigenous Amazonian Peoples resist with the help of our spirits, the wisdom of our ancestors and the leadership of our leaders.

Therefore, when we talk about history we can not reduce it to a chronology of episodes like the Western world is used to.

We see history as the way to relate to the world. The accumulation of knowledge and wisdom that the parents of our parents have transmitted to us and that we will pass on to our children.

This section of Indigenous History is divided into three parts: The first is the stories of our peoples. There we will find the origins of the world. The second is dedicated to the history of our organization, which is the history of how the indigenous movement has been strengthened in each of the countries. And the third part is what we call historical episodes, where we relate events and situations that our peoples have lived in contact with the invaders, the conquerors.

With the advance of the invasion of the Amazon and the consequences of the impacts and threats of our lives and spirituality, loss of our territories, environmental and social damage, indiscriminate plundering of our resources and wisdom.

With the purpose of defending our ideals and with the hope of remaining part of the world, of Nature, the Coordinator of the Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin - COICA was born on March 14, 1984 in the city of Lima-Peru, during the First Congress of the Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin, in which participated: AIDESEP, Peru; CONFENIAE, Ecuador; CIDOB, Bolivia; ONIC, Colombia; and UNI, Brazil.

At the aforementioned congress, Mr. Evaristo Nungkuag Ikanan, of the Aguaruna People, representing AIDESEP, was elected as President and served from 1984 to 1992. Lima was the host city until 1992 and in the year of 1993 it was changed to Quito - Ecuador, where he has permanent domicile.

The II and III Congress were spaces for consolidation at different levels and in the IV, held in Manaus - Brazil, November 1992, Mr. Valerio Grefa Uquiña was elected as General Coordinator, replacing the figure of the President. In this same Congress, new organizations were affiliated: ORPIA, Venezuela; OIS, Suriname; APA, Guyana; FOAG, French Guiana; and COIAB, Brazil in substitution to UNI. Later OPIAC, Colombia replaces ONIC.

The history of COICA is the history of each of its organizations, in their struggle to build effective tools to achieve our rights.

Mission

Generate policies, proposals and actions at the local, national and international levels to promote the equitable development of the Amazonian nationalities and indigenous peoples.

Objectives