Project area. The project will be located in Delta Amacuro State in the north-eastern part of the country. Almost all of the state is located in the Orinoco River delta. The project's coverage and scope will be discussed during the March 2008 mission with the recently established Ministry of Indigenous Peoples and other Government counterparts, at which time the project area may be extended to cover other ethnic groups. Target group. The main target group will be Warao communities in Delta Amacuro State, most of which are poor or extremely poor. With a population of 26,080, the Warao represent 23.9 per cent of the state's population. The project will cover about 280 of the 365 generally very small Warao settlements distributed along the waterways of the Orinoco River delta. Project objectives. The project's overarching goal is to bring about sustainable improvements in the living conditions of poor Warao communities. Its general objective is to significantly reduce Warao poverty and extreme poverty levels through a culturally appropriate, equitable and environmentally sustainable process. More specifically, the project will (i) operate a community investment fund that will be responsive to local demand and provide incentives for proposing financial, technical and other services within the framework of a negotiated development strategy; (ii) strengthen Warao community organizations and facilitate their effective, informed participation in all aspects of project implementation, including monitoring and evaluation; (iii) facilitate an integrated process of land demarcation designed to protect collective property rights recognized in the national legal framework; and (iv) strengthen the local institutional framework and facilitate the formation of operative alliances with Warao organizations. Project description. In addition to project management, the project will build a transparent, accessible process to facilitate the identification, formulation, implementation and evaluation of community and multi-community microprojects. Depending on local demand and overall project strategy, these microprojects may be focused on, among others, the following activities:
Important features. IFAD has been working in support of indigenous peoples since it started operations in 1978, and has provided, to date, more than US$1 billion in loans for projects and programmes benefiting them. In recognition of IFAD's considerable expertise in dealing with indigenous development issues, the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has requested the Fund's collaboration in the design of this project for Warao communities. Indigenous communities were granted special rights in the country's 1999 constitution, and these rights were more fully expressed in the 2005 Law of Indigenous Peoples and Communities. Since 2003, indigenous peoples in the country have received support from a special programme designed to protect their rights and promote their development: the Guaicaipuro Mission, coordinated by the Ministry of Popular Power for Indigenous Peoples. In parallel, the Foundation for Training and Applied Research in Agrarian Reform (CIARA), attached to the Ministry of Popular Power for Agriculture and Land, is responsible for providing technical assistance for agricultural and rural development. The proposed IFAD project will support the country's efforts to include indigenous communities in its political, social and economic life. Specifically, it will support public policies addressing the needs of indigenous peoples and communities based on their own priorities and cultural identities. The project is consistent with IFAD's 2006 country strategic opportunities programme for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, which gives priority to indigenous peoples and communities. It will also draw on lessons learned from IFAD's experience during the implementation of three other operations it has funded in the country: the Economic Development of Poor Rural Communities Project; the Support Project for Small Producers in the Semi-Arid Zones of Falcon and Lara States; and the Regional Programme in Support of Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon Basin. Potential cofinanciers. To be determined. The domestic contribution is expected to represent about 50 per cent of total project costs |
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