The Indigenous World 2026: Panama

Written on 22 April 2026. Posted in Panama

According to the 2023 census, eight Indigenous Peoples live in Panama: the Ngäbe, Buglé, Gunadule, Emberá, Wounaan, Naso Tjër Di, Bribri, and Bokota. In total, there are 698,114 Indigenous inhabitants, representing 17.2% of the country's total population.^{[i],[ii],[iii]} This demonstrates the multicultural and multilingual nature of Panama. According to the 2023 census,^[iv] there are 352,292 Indigenous women, representing 50.5% of the total Indigenous population and 345,822 men, equivalent to 49.5% of the total Indigenous population.

These Indigenous Peoples are represented by the National Coordinating Body of Indigenous Peoples of Panama, founded on 21 January 1991 with the aim of fighting for the rights of Indigenous Peoples, defending their territories and political advocacy.

In addition, there are national laws that promote the rights and governance of Indigenous Peoples. Among the main ones are the current National Constitution, which establishes several articles relating to the identity and governance of Indigenous Peoples; Law No. 41 of 1998, known as the General Environmental Law; the laws that gave rise to the Comarcas; Law No. 17 of 2016, establishing the protection of traditional medicinal knowledge; Law No. 37 of 2016, governing the right to consultation and Free, Prior and Informed Prior Consent (FPIC) of Indigenous Peoples; and Law No. 301 of 2022, establishing measures for the integral development of Indigenous Peoples. However, these laws are not enforced when addressing the problems of Indigenous Peoples.

Panama has not yet ratified ILO Convention 169 but did adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in 2007.^[i] It also signed the Declaration on the Decade of Indigenous Languages aimed at strengthening mother tongues, with little effect on Indigenous territories.

This article is part of the 40th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. Find The Indigenous World 2026 in full here

2025 saw a period of social tension due to the neoliberal policies of the Panamanian government, particularly following the enactment of Law No. 462, which introduced reforms to the Organic Law of the Social Security Fund (CSS) in March 2025. The approval of these measures generated a wave of protests led by unions, teachers' and health care associations, students and Indigenous communities. The protesters were denouncing not only the fact that the changes dismantle principles of solidarity and social justice in the pension system but also the lack of a democratic consultation process before approving the law.

Due to this increased social unrest, on 5 May 2025, the Coordinating Committee of Indigenous Peoples of Panama (COONAPIP) called together the authorities of the country's 12 Indigenous territories, together with leaders and professionals, to establish a national commission led by the comarcal authorities. Its objective was to analyse the situation and propose actions to address the scale of the conflict occurring in Panama, especially on Indigenous territories.

Infringement of the social and environmental rights of Indigenous Peoples

Several social sectors –including teachers' unions, medical staff, construction workers and the University of Panama– expressed their discontent at the violations of economic rights resulting from the approval of Law No. 462; of environmental rights, linked to the opening of the mines; and of national sovereignty, due to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in contravention of the canal's neutrality treaties. These factors were the main triggers of social unrest in Panama.

According to the national government, Law No. 462, dated 18 March 2025, on the Social Security Fund, states that the retirement age remains at 62 for men and 57 for women, and that a technical commission will evaluate possible adjustments within six years, a decision that will require legislative endorsement.^[1]

On the possible re-opening of the Cobre Panama mine, which has been closed since December 2023,^[2] the government is exploring the possibility of recommencing operations in June 2026^[3] but this is conditional upon the results of an environmental audit and the suspension of ongoing legal proceedings.

As for the violation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Panama, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Security of Panama and the Department of Defence of the United States, on 9 April 2025,^[4] has been criticized by legal experts who argue that it contravenes the Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal. They have also pointed out formal irregularities, such as the absence of a date on the original document, which was subsequently written in by hand.

Repression of Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous Peoples, especially the Ngäbe-Buglé, Emberá and Guna in Arimae and Changuinola, denounced the disproportionate use of force by the National Police and security forces during social protests against the legal reforms and extractive projects.^[5]

There were thus police incursions into Indigenous areas, arbitrary detentions, and the use of tear gas and weapons, including inside homes and community spaces. These actions left people injured and families displaced^[6] in the communities of Arimae, located in the Darién Tierras Collectivas of the Emberá people.

Workers in a banana union in Bocas del Toro –comprising mostly Ngäbe, Buglé and Guna people– were likewise repressed and their leaders taken to jail for defending their rights.^[7]

Actions of the UN Special Rapporteur in Panama

As a result of the government's repression of the protests of the Indigenous Peoples, one of the first injured was the young university student, Caleb Bejerano, from the University Annex of Sitio Prado, in the Ngäbe-Buglé region, who remained in a critical situation as a result of the use of force by the police, while defending his rights as a citizen and that of national sovereignty.

The traditional authorities and Indigenous organizations therefore called on the UN and the Organization of American States (OAS) to request the presence of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. On 19 June, the University of Panama was honoured to welcome Dr. Albert Barume,^[8] whose visit formed part of an agenda of key activities in the country. The meeting was organized by the Kuna Youth Movement, COONAPIP, the Guna General Congress, the Office of Indigenous Peoples of the University of Panama and the International Indian Treaty Council.^[9] During his visit, the Rapporteur visited the sites where acts of repression against the Indigenous populations had been recorded.^[10]

Criminalization of Indigenous leaders, structural inequalities and the impact of megaprojects on their territories

In recent years, community leaders and human rights defenders have been criminalized and detained, thus intensifying the perception that peaceful protests and demonstrations, including those of Indigenous Peoples, are being treated as internal threats.^[11]

One recent example can be found in Criminal Case 202500036802, which documents the criminalization and repression exercised in the town of Arimae, belonging to the General Congress of the Emberá Wounaan Tierras Collectivas, in Darién province.^[12]

These actions only reinforce the communities' concerns regarding the disproportionate use of force and the lack of guarantees in the exercise of their collective rights. Indigenous communities continue to face profound social and economic inequalities, with gaps in education, health, access to basic services and development opportunities.^[13]

In June 2025, the Guna General Congress (Gunayala) suspended relations with the Panamanian government in protest at the lack of dialogue with the authorities on reforms affecting their communities, territories and forms of self-government. This decision was evidence of the growing tension between the state authorities and the representative bodies of the Indigenous Peoples.

At the same time, the Guna community of Uggubba is still not receiving adequate state support to relocate after the heavy floods that affected it. The absence of public policies guaranteeing a dignified relocation that respects these people’s right to land and culture highlights the vulnerability of Indigenous communities to climate change.^[14]

In addition, several Indigenous organizations submitted reports to international mechanisms, such as the UN Universal Periodic Review, denouncing persistent violations, especially related to megaprojects such as the CHAN 75 hydroelectric dam and the lack of respect for their ancestral territories.^[15] Also of concern is the threat posed by the power interconnection project between Colombia and Panama, which would cross the territory of the Gunayala region, where the Panamanian government proposes its route, as it could affect Mother Earth due to the lack of an adequate environmental impact study. Consultations on FPIC have not yet taken place.

Conclusion

Although there are legal and institutional efforts in Panama to recognize the rights of Indigenous Peoples, protect ancestral knowledge and promote development with identity, concrete violations of human and collective rights continued to occur on multiple fronts in 2025. These are especially evident in contexts of social protests, criminalization of leaders, police violence, lack of state support for emergency situations (such as climate displacement) and tensions related to megaprojects.

The state response has been considered disproportionate by Indigenous and human rights organizations, indicating that the effective protection of Indigenous rights still faces serious challenges.

Bernal Damián Castillo Díaz is an anthropologist and historian of Gunadule origin. He is a professor at the University of Panama, researcher at the Guna People's Heritage Institute and the Centre for Environmental and Human Development (CENDAH), and director of the Office of Indigenous Peoples of the University of Panama (OPINUP). Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This article is part of the 40th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. Find The Indigenous World 2026 in full here

Notes and references

^[1] Law No. 462 of 08 March 2025. https://www.gacetaoficial.gob.pa/pdfTemp/30238/111149.pdf

^[2] Castillo Díaz, Bernal Damián. “Panama”. In The Indigenous World 2025, Mamo, Dwayne (comp.). IWGIA, 2025.

^[3] Lourdes García Armuelles. “Mulino plantea la reapertura de la mina como motor económico ante empresarios japoneses”. La estrella de Panamá, 5 September 2025. https://www.laestrella.com.pa/economia/mulino-plantea-la-reapertura-de-la-mina-como-motor-economico-ante-empresarios-japoneses-GE15772422

^[4] Ministry of Security of the Republic of Panama and Department of Defence of the United States of America. Memorando de Entendimiento entre el Ministerio de Seguridad de la República de Panamá y el Departamento de Defensa de los Estados Unidos de América. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Panama, 10 April 2025. https://mire.gob.pa/memorandum-de-entendimiento-entre-el-ministerio-de-seguridad-de-la-republica-de-panama-y-el-departamento-de-defensa-de-los-estados-unidos-de-america/

^[5] Adolfo Berríos Riaño. “Arimae sitiado y Bocas cerrado; Gobierno denuncia ‘desinformación’ con la ley”. La estrella de Panamá, 3 June 2025.https://www.laestrella.com.pa/panama/arimae-sitiado-y-bocas-cerrado-gobierno-denuncia-desinformacion-con-la-ley-JH13366719

^[6] “IPRI llama a cesar represión ‘sin precedentes’ contra pueblos indígenas en Panamá”. EDUCA Oaxaca, 21 May 2025. https://www.educaoaxaca.org/ipri-llama-a-cesar-represion-sin-precedentes-contra-pueblos-indigenas-en-panama/

^[7] “¿Qué pasa en Panamá con la provincia Bocas del Toro y por qué se extiende el ‘estado de urgencia’?”. TRTEspañol, 25 June 2025. https://www.trtespanol.com/article/202b4da36a5f

^[8] UNO. Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 17 July 2025. https://docs.un.org/en/A/80/181

^[9] OPINUP U de Panamá. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009940694219

^[10] Dr. Albert K. Barume. Linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-albert-k-barume-309a9543/recent-activity/all/

^[11] Frontline Defenders. Panamá: Alerta ante la violenta represión contra comunidades indígenas Ngäbe-Buglé en el marco de las protestas sociales. Frontline Defenders, 3 June 2025. https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/es/statement-report/panama-concern-over-violent-repression-against-ngabe-bugle-indigenous-communities

^[12] Among the authorities and community members affected are: Elivardo Membache Bacorizo, Chief Nokó of Arimae, Lucrecia Caisamo Tocamo, Deputy Cacique of the E.W. Tierras Collectivas, Isaías Caisamo Carupia, Zarra of the Local Congress of Arimae, Luciana Caisamo Tocamo of Opua, members of the Local Congress of the community of Arimae, and Imelda Salazar, member of the Local Congress of the community of Arimae.

^[13] UNFPA. Análisis de la Situación de la Población Indígena en Panamá: Más Allá de los Números y las Desigualdades Interseccionales. UNFPA, 11 August 2025. https://panama.unfpa.org/es/publications/an%C3%A1lisis-de-la-situaci%C3%B3n-de-la-poblaci%C3%B3n-ind%C3%ADgena-en-panam%C3%A1-m%C3%A1s-all%C3%A1-de-los-n%C3%BAmeros-y

^[14] Erica Bower. Comunidad indígena en un limbo durante plena temporada de lluvias en Panamá. Human Rights Watch, 6 November 2025 https://www.hrw.org/es/news/2025/11/06/comunidad-indigena-en-un-limbo-durante-plena-temporada-de-lluvias-en-panama

^[15] “Las Comunidades Ngäbe Afectadas por la Hidroeléctrica Chan 75 y Cultural Survival Presentan Informe sobre el Estado de los Derechos Indígenas en Panamá para el Examen Periódico Universal”. Cultural Survival, 20 May 2025. https://www.culturalsurvival.org/es/news/las-comunidades-ngabe-afectadas-por-la-hidroelectrica-chan-75-y-cultural-survival-presentan

Tags: Land rights, Human rights, Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Defenders