Association of Indigenous Village Leaders in Suriname (VIDS)
Suriname

Description

VIDS Suriname (Vereniging van Inheemse Dorpshoofden) is an association of indigenous village leaders from every indigenous village in Suriname. It was established in 1992 in the aftermath of the internal armed conflict in Suriname. Its goals and objectives are to promote and defend the rights of Indigenous Peoples, to speak for Indigenous Peoples on the national and international levels, and to support sustainable development in Suriname. VIDS has taken a leading role in promoting Indigenous rights, sustainable development and environmental protection in Suriname. It believes that all three are interrelated and all must be supported and monitored. In 2001, VIDS established Stichting Bureau VIDS as its fulltime secretariat.


Scale: Local
Type: Constituency CSO
Focus: Indigenous rights, Cultural identity
Strategies: Lobby