Vision
The world is witnessing a deep crisis today, especially environmental through wanton destruction of environment prejudicing survival of our planet and its people, and also spiritual through constant wars and civil conflicts. SSCC believes that the contemporary society, especially in developed world, can learn a great deal form ancestral wisdom of indigenous people which, since time immemorial, understood very well interdependence between man and nature.
Mission
SSCC, together with its allies, contemplates a long-term programme uniting indigenous people of the Americas, Asia, Africa and Australia to showcase the value of their ancestral wisdom to protect environment and address challenges of climate change. The July Cartagena 2025 Forum in splendid installations of Spanish Aid Agency (Cooperacion Espanola) in Cartagena is only the first step. On the basis of the final document to be adopted in Cartagena on 2nd July 2025, long term programme will be sketched which will continue to be developed in conjunction with partners from four continents.
We are pleased to announce that the Philippines has already agreed to hold a sequel to Cartagena Forum in April 2026, when this country assumed presidency of ASEAN. It will coincide with the Dance Day of the International Theatre Institute and will assemble artistic groups from all 10 ASEAN countries as well as those from the Americas, Africa and Australia, either in person or by video.
08:00 am:
1st July 2025
Registration
09:00 - 10:00 AM
Opening
Welcome Addresses
- Mamo Arwa Viku (Crispín Izquierdo),
- Claudia Turbay, external relations director, SSCC
Videos and welcome messages:
- Miguel Gonzales, Director of Cooperación Española, Cartagena
- Gabriela Ramos , Deputy Director General for Social Sciences, UNESCO
- Rigoberta Manchu, UNESCO Amabssador of Indigenous
- Peoples of the World, Nobel Peace Laureate, 1992.
- Lic. Vinicio Cerezo, former President of Guatemala, Founding member of Misión Presidencial, SSCC Board member
- Cecile Guidote Alvarez, President Earthsavers, Ambassador for peace, UNESCO, Philippines, SSCC Board Member
- Puyr Tembé, lideresa indigena del Indigenous leader in Brazil, Secretary of State for Indigenous People of the State of Parra
- Ivonne Baki, former Minister for Yasuni, former
- Ambassador of Ecuador to the United States, SSCC Board Member
- Mark Sparks, Managing Director SSCC, CEO of Sparks Financial Services
- Vijay Karia, CEO, Opticloud
10:00 - 01:00 PM
PANEL 1: COSMOGONY AND CULTURE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE FROM THE SIERRA NEVADA AND LA GUAJIRA
- The black line, a system that includes the cosmogony and delineates the boundaries of the ancestral territory of four indigenous communities in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta: the Arhuaco, Kogui,Wiwa and Kankuamo.
- Cosmogony of Wayu people from the Guajira.
- Organization of the territory and community life of Sierra Nevada people.
Panelists: Mamo Arwa Viku, Wielder Guerra (Anthropologist professor of the universidad del Norte-Colombia), Jose Ricardo Villafane (Accordion placer of Arhiaca indigenous people)
Moderator: Coque Gamboa (professional photographer, architect and professor.
01:00 - 02:00 PM
LUNCH
01:00 - 02:00 PM
PANEL 2: EUROPE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE: TWO DIFFERENT VISION OF THE ROLE OF NATURE
- From the sixteenth century’s European colonization to the globalized world of today
- Growing prosperity and nature as viewed during the age of enlightenment
- The hegemonic position of nowledge validated by science and the denial of ancestral knowledge. The industrial era, social transformations and unsustainable use of natural resources.
Panelists: Carl Henrik Langebaeck Anthropoligist, writer, professor of the Universidad de los Andes-Colombia), Javier Ortiz (historian from Cartagena)
Moderador: tba
03:00 - 05:00 PM
COFFEE BREAK
Olinda Salguero
Lic Olinda Salguero, President of Fundación Esquipulas, Vice President of Misión Presidencial, Guatemala
Miguel Gonzales
Director of Cooperación Española, Cartagena
Puyr Tembé
Indigenous Leader from the Amazon region,, Secretary of State for Indigenous People of the State of Para,Brazil
Hon Kojo Yankah
Former minister, MP, Chairman of Pan African Heritage World Museum, Ghana, SSCC Board member
Mauricio Rodríguez Gómez
Director del EPA Cartagena – Colombia
Economist with dual master's degrees in Environmental Economics and Environmental Management, and a Ph.D. in Applied Economics. He has served as a university professor and strategic advisor for public and private organizations, specializing in environmental management, valuation, and the analysis of environmental goods and services. He currently leads the Environmental Public Establishment (EPA) of Cartagena, promoting sustainable development and territorial planning with an environmental focus.
Mamo Arwa Viku
Lic. Vinicio Cerezo
Former President of Guatemala, Founding member of Misión Presidencial, SSCC Board member
Firmin Edouard Matoko
Assistant Director-general of the Africa Department and External Relations of UNESCO
Ivonne Baki
Former Minister for Yasuni; former Ambassador of Ecuador to the United States, SSCC Board Member
Ricardo Lozano
Environmental Geologist & Former Minister of Environment – Colombia
Geologist with a specialization in media and over 25 years of experience in environmental sustainability, ecosystem-based climate adaptation, and human rights advocacy. Former Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, and past Director of IDEAM. He served as Colombia’s Consul General in London and as a negotiator of the Paris Agreement. Currently, he teaches Sustainability at Universidad de Los Andes and directs the People & Earth Institute and Podcast Desde las entrañas. Member of FAO’s Water Tenure Expert Group and contributor to the Green Climate Fund and IPCC. Creator of the Leticia Pact to protect the Amazon.
Mrs. Claudia Turbay
Director of External Affairs - SSCC
Dr. Viktor Sebek
Rigoberta Manchu
UNESCO Ambassador of Indigenous Peoples of the World, Nobel Peace Laureate, 1992
Cecile Guidote Alvarez
President Earthsavers, Goodwill Ambassador for peace, UNESCO, Philippines, SSCC Board Member
José Ricardo Villafañe Álvarez
Arhuaco Indigenous Leader & Vallenato Accordionist – Colombia
Arhuaco Indigenous leader from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and renowned Vallenato musician. Winner of the 2021 Professional Vallenato King title and a cultural reference in UNESCO’s recognition of Vallenato as Intangible Cultural Heritage. He is a public accountant, music graduate, and expert in environmental project formulation and management. Promoter of ancestral conservation practices, he has led initiatives to protect sacred territories and rivers like the Guatapurí. His musical career includes collaborations with international artists and cultural diplomacy in countries such as the U.S., Mexico, and Panama. He uses music to bridge indigenous and non-indigenous worlds through environmental and spiritual dialogue.